An Unexpected Downfall

[Reunion after years apart x unrequited love becomes mutual]

Overnight, the famous and wealthy Pei family declared bankruptcy.

Sixteen-year-old Pei Du was taken in by the Liang family.

When he first met Liang Jikui, he was in a sorry state, while she wore a beautiful dress and stood before a cake several stories tall.

She looked like a real princess.

Not long afterward, amid a torrential downpour, he accepted the umbrella the girl offered him. Her bright smile was all he could see.

Beyond his control, the empty space in his heart was finally filled.

Later, he went abroad to study, racing back just in time for Miss Liang's eighteenth birthday celebration.

But when he opened the door, he saw her tugging at some boy's sleeve as she spoke to him.

The boy's face looked familiar.

Like his, especially around the eyes and brows.

Unable to hold back, he went straight over and led her away. But as soon as they entered an empty study, she pushed him against the door instead.

Miss Liang was flushed from drinking, and her tone was forceful. "Pei Du, what's wrong with you? You left without a word, then came back without a word. What gives you the right?"

Pei Du furrowed his brow. Before he could explain, her soft lips pressed against his.

Through gritted teeth, she said, "I'm messed up too. Why did I have to fall for someone like you?"

-

Everyone knew that the beautiful Little Boss Liang loved to have fun.

Her double-digit number of exes was enough to leave everyone else in their social circle in awe.

Some people even noticed that those exes all had a few things in common.

Later, everyone noticed that Little Boss Liang had a man by her side who was in a class of his own compared with all her previous boyfriends.

Her friends placed bets on how many days this one would last.

Until one time, at a party, Liang Jikui drank herself into a fog of counting to one, two, three, and four.

A friend took her phone and, eager for some entertainment, called a number to ask him to come pick her up.

When Pei Du hurried over, he heard someone yell furiously:

"That Pei Du? Not even a dog would sleep with him!"

The man walked closer, his eyes cold, and sneered. "Right. Not even a dog would sleep with me. You can sleep with me, though."

Their friends quietly stifled their laughter. Could they post this on their social media?

-

When Liang Jikui first met Pei Du, she was twelve.

When she put on the engagement ring Pei Du gave her, she was twenty-three.

That night, she curled up in her room and opened a jar filled to the brim with little folded paper stars.

Every star had her name written on it.

From when he was sixteen to when he was twenty-seven.

Reading guide:

1. Both are each other's first and only, happy ending, super sweet!

2. The romance begins after both leads are adults. Before then, it's all about the older brother being saved by the younger sister. No grooming!

3. They have mutual crushes, but the male lead is more of a hopeless romantic. The female lead's ex-boyfriends were all part of her trying to find a substitute for him. She has double-digit exes, so please don't read if you dislike that.

4. The female lead doesn't sleep with her ex-boyfriends, and that has something to do with the male lead. Also, I don't believe a girl has to prove her worth or anything else by not taking care of her body.

5. A slice-of-life story.

Theme: Those brave enough to chase the sun are the sun themselves.