Drowning Beneath the Surface

Shou's perspective:

From the apple of his parents' eye to an orphan, from a life of luxury to being mistreated under someone else's roof, Shen Shuyue's life changed in a single night.

It took him eight years to escape the Shen family's “man-eating” lair. He never thought he would still be unable to avoid the fate of being a scapegoat. With nowhere else to turn, he chose to pass himself off as one of the admirers from the forum and go with Zhong Siyuan to the Zhong family home.

In his first twenty years, he had already been through too much: his family's vast fortune was greedily seized by relatives, the cousin he'd relied on since childhood abandoned him, his friends betrayed him, and he was forced to wander from place to place...

When he was most helpless, only Zhong Siyuan was willing to reach out to him.

He even said he loved him.

Shen Shuyue believed him without question.

With the powerful Zhong family to rely on, Shen Shuyue enjoyed a period of peace.

Until the lie that he had assumed someone else's identity was fully exposed.

Shen Shuyue leaned helplessly against the cold wall. The screen glowing in the darkness showed wall-to-wall news of the Zhong family's eldest son getting engaged to a young lady from the Wu family.

After a long time, he numbly pressed the button to turn off his phone.

“...”

-

Gong's perspective:

After Shen Shuyue's deception failed, he locked him in the manor without a word, not letting him take a single step outside. He watched this man suffer, struggle, and despair.

The sadder Shen Shuyue became, the more satisfied he felt!

As the Zhong family's heir apparent, Zhong Siyuan had been an aloof, polished young man since childhood, cold in temperament and arrogant by nature.

He would not allow anyone in this world to dare deceive him!

“...”

He simply never expected that one day he would hear news of Shen Shuyue's death...

“...”

-

Little scene:

Shen Shuyue was lucky. Fishermen accidentally pulled him ashore along the way, and when he woke again, his mind had become a blank slate.

After losing his memories, Shen Shuyue settled on a small island. The people there were all friendly, and he soon found close friends, a stable home, and an easy job.

One day.

He goes to visit his unfortunate friend, who was rear-ended. As he is about to leave, he seems to catch sight of a familiar figure in the corridor.

Then he hears that voice, the one that makes it seep into his bones and sends a shiver through his whole body...

[Reading guide (spoilers)]

1. Angsty melodrama + coercion + older man/younger man + amnesia + faked death.

2. Both are each other's only one; 1v1 HE. The gong has an arranged-marriage partner, but they have barely met, and it won't be described much.

3. The characters aren't perfect. This is seriously melodramatic [bows].

4. The old and new versions differ greatly, so the old comments aren't a reliable guide!

5. The island section involves amnesia; the relevant chapters will be marked.

6. Please be civil while reading and discuss respectfully. Wishing everyone happy days~

Theme: Happiness is when you walk toward it