To Skylark

[Chapter comments are now open]

(The entire novel has been carefully revised and proofread. This version differs from pirated copies. Thank you for supporting the official release.)

|Rekindled Romance|Tension and Teasing|Secret Crush

"Cool, stubborn girl x cocky, devoted bad boy"

1. Zhu Yun Que never dared hope that she and Lu Rangchen would ever have a story together.

He was a handsome, spirited boy, wild and untamable, admired by every girl at school. The closest she ever got to him was a fleeting glimpse of his tall figure when she turned her head during morning exercises.

Her girlish feelings stayed hidden, until her mother rented a room in a friend's house. When the adults introduced them, Lu Rangchen leaned lazily against the stairwell and raised an amused eyebrow. "I know her. She's the one who sneaks a look at me during morning exercises."

"..."

They met again in college.

On a rooftop on a rainy night, candlelight flickered and laughter rang out. In a quiet, empty corner, Lu Rangchen toyed with a lighter, its flame illuminating her face.

The young man bent toward her, his scorching, husky voice tempting her by the ear.

"Zhu Yun Que."

"Want to give us a try?"

2. Their romance began with a bang, but ended in a careless, shabby fashion.

On the night they broke up, heavy snow blanketed the campus. Lu Rangchen held her tightly, his expression cold and fierce in the biting wind. "This is your last chance. If you leave, don't come back."

Yun Que's eyes were clear and resolute. "Fine."

And afterward, she really never came back. Not once.

Years later, they met again at a matchmaking dinner. The man had shed his reckless arrogance and become distant and mature. His gaze no longer lingered on her.

Before the matchmaker could finish introducing them, he gave a cold, dismissive laugh. "No thanks. I'm not interested in getting back with an ex."

Zhu Yun Que clenched her fingers until they turned white.

That day, Lu Rangchen left before the meal was over.

She thought the two of them had simply come to a quiet, inconclusive end. She had no idea that later, with the sharp scent of alcohol on him, Lu Rangchen would corner her in an empty alley, then crush his hot lips against hers with wild desperation, kissing her until she could barely breathe.

"You don't fucking love me at all."

As he kissed her, the man murmured in his rich, low voice, as if admitting defeat. "If you don't love me, why did you come and stir things up again?"

-

"Maybe human nature is just that pathetic: even though she was the one who betrayed me first,"

"I still want a future with her."

"It's not that I don't love him."

"That secret crush began when I was seventeen, and it never stopped for even a moment."

*When I loved you, I was innocent and brave. - Ian McEwan, Atonement

*Both are virgins, one-on-one, happy ending

*The protagonists do not date or cross any boundaries during high school

*The heroine is conflicted and has an avoidant attachment style

*Synopsis first written on 2022-11-24 and saved as a screenshot

*The title comes from the poem To a Skylark by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley

Next novel, Deeply Devoted Trap, please add it to your collection

Powerful man x prey

"You are a rose I have been waiting for the chance to take."

Long-planned scheme | Stealing someone else's love | A scumbag chases her but never gets her, then suffers for it

Everyone in Beijing's social circle knew about Nan Ju and Song Yuanzhou's years together.

The carefree young master gave her all his heart, yet he still couldn't escape an arranged marriage for his family.

Overnight, Nan Ju became a laughingstock. Song Yuanzhou gave her a bank card and tried to persuade her to become his mistress after he married.

Nan Ju slapped him and bought a plane ticket abroad that very day.

That was the autumn she met Gu Shenli.

As she exited the airport, she nearly fell. The man courteously caught her. "The ground is slippery. Be careful."

When she looked up, Gu Shenli had gentle, composed features.

A flirtatious beauty mark sat at the corner of his eye. His air was refined and steady, and his handsome, distinguished appearance made it clear he came from a privileged background.

It was hard to say who fell first, but Nan Ju didn't turn down their brief fling.

He was mature and composed, far more considerate and patient than Song Yuanzhou. He was a perfect lover with no discernible flaws, but a lover was all he could be.

Nan Ju didn't want to repeat the past. After a brief spell of pleasure, she decisively walked away.

She thought they would never meet again.

But at a company reception, she saw Gu Shenli calmly take his seat amid everyone's fawning praise.

The impeccably dressed man gave her a casual glance, his emotions unreadable. "She can't drink. Don't pressure her."

Only then did Nan Ju learn that he was the legendary head of a business empire, the man who struck fear into the hearts of the business world, and Song Yuanzhou's uncle.

He was the one who had forced Song Yuanzhou to marry.

He had planned everything long ago.

That night, Nan Ju was still captured by him.

In a dark hotel suite, Gu Shenli whispered temptingly against her burning ear. "You say you want to turn the page, but no matter how many times you turn it, don't you always end up back at my side?"

-

Gu Shenli once fell for a girl.

In a remote border town, he was injured during a mission. The first thing he saw when he woke was her yawning as she said, "You're finally awake. I stayed up watching over you all night."

They met again at a museum of broken relationships. She wept over old keepsakes, every tear falling straight into his heart. Later, she became his legal wife.

Nan Ju never thought a coldhearted man like Gu Shenli could have much love to give. That is, until one day after they were married, she found a farewell letter he had written during his early years of military service, with her childhood nickname clearly written as the recipient.

[Bonus scene]

Song Yuanzhou was unhappy every day after getting married. One day, drunk and out of control, he went looking for Nan Ju again.

But it was Gu Shenli who opened the door.

Song Yuanzhou was dumbstruck.

For once, Gu Shenli didn't look annoyed. He raised an eyebrow. "Perfect timing. Let me introduce you to your little aunt-in-law."

#BothAreVirgins. One-on-one. Happy ending

Theme: The meaning of life is never somewhere else. It's found in the little things of everyday life.