Old Alleys in a Small Town [Rekindled Romance]

My next novel will be called "Kiss Me, That Means You Like Me." If you're interested, please add it to your favorites!

Song Qike met Li Zheng in Qinghe Lane.

He was cool and aloof, seeming to keep everyone at arm's length.

But from that moment on, he joined their blended family with his godmother.

They were in the same class and lived under the same roof. They could see each other for more than half of every day, but rarely spoke. When school let out in the evening, Song Qike could see his shadow on the ground, his footsteps almost drawing close to hers, then parting again at the slightest touch.

Later, secret feelings grew in every passing encounter and every shared smile. They promised each other they would fly beyond this low, cramped sky together.

During the summer after their senior year, Song Qike was thrilled at the thought of applying to the same university as Li Zheng. But after waiting a long time, all she got was a message from him: "I changed schools."

Song Qike was stunned. "What about what we agreed on before?"

"Before?" Li Zheng tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then smiled faintly. "I was just messing with you. You actually believed me?"

All of Song Qike's hopes came crashing down, and from then on she and Li Zheng went their separate ways.

And yet, at holiday family dinners, she still saw him.

Their eyes met briefly and coldly. They treated each other like strangers.

But Song Qike didn't know how much frenzied longing Li Zheng suppressed beneath that icy gaze in those moments.

*

Song Qike

Her father’s surname was Song, her mother’s surname was Qi, and Ke meant a beautiful white stone like jade.

But after her parents divorced, this beautiful stone of hers shattered.

Li Zheng

Zheng refers to the sound of jade ornaments clinking together.

In the end, Li Zheng picked up Song Qike's fragments and struck them to make the most beautiful sound in the world.

"The alley is broken and desolate, but life shines brilliantly."

*

Realistic tone

Happy ending

Sort of a second-chance romance

They save each other

Note: Both of them fill out their university applications according to their own wishes. Nothing happens that would affect either person's future prospects.

Next novel: "Kiss Me, That Means You Like Me"

Blurb: Su Yizhen got married at the age of twenty-three.

As the youngest daughter of the Su family of the capital, she had known since childhood that her destiny was to marry for the sake of an alliance.

She just never expected her match to be Jiang Zhicheng, the son of an old family friend.

From the few times they had met, Su Yizhen's impression of Jiang Zhicheng was that he was clever and capable, brave and resourceful, considerate and tactful, and always knew when to advance or retreat.

He had to be that way to become the most outstanding successor in the eyes of their elders.

After weighing it all up, she decided he seemed like a decent guy, and married him.

She had assumed life with Jiang Zhicheng would be dull and peaceful, with them treating each other with mutual respect. But after spending some time together, Su Yizhen was surprised to discover another side hidden beneath his mild-mannered facade.

For instance, he was modest in public but praised himself in private; he was chaste in public but a flirt behind closed doors. And then there was the way he kissed her.

Those two inexplicable yet utterly serious kisses left Su Yizhen so unsettled she could barely eat or sleep. At last, one day, she marched into his study.

She slapped her palm down on his desk and asked, "Do you like me?"

Jiang Zhicheng looked up. "What makes you say that?"

"You kissed me!"

Jiang Zhicheng smiled, leaned back in his chair, and asked, "Does kissing you mean I like you?"

"Kissing me means you like me!" Su Yizhen insisted.

Jiang Zhicheng still wore that half-smiling expression. After two seconds of eye contact, a large hand pressed down on the back of her head. The moment their lips touched, her mind exploded.

Marriage first, love later. The male lead has had a crush on her for a long time.

A sugary sweet romance with no angst.

2024.7.4

Theme: Knowledge changes your destiny