A Dream of the Capital

[The sweet summer-night story next door is now underway] [Please support the official release. The content is frequently revised, and the author only takes responsibility for the official version]

1.

Xu An first meets Lu Linyi when she delivers a priceless set of Ru ware on behalf of her master.

Behind a screen, a figure is half-hidden. His voice is low and husky. He lies lazily in a rocking chair, relaxed and at ease.

With just one sentence, "Put it there," Xu An loses her whole heart.

People who work with porcelain are most helpless against objects of such exquisite perfection.

When she gets back, she tries to hide her girlish excitement and ask about him, only to hear her master say that no one should entertain thoughts about Mr. Lu of the Lu family.

2.

They meet again at her master’s retirement banquet.

No one expects Mr. Lu to show up.

The trip from Jingchao to Rucheng is no short journey.

Xu An has had a bit too much to drink. Her already fair, delicate face is flushed, and her eyes glisten.

Lu Linyi leans against the doorway and asks with a light laugh, "Do you like me?"

Xu An nods, carried along by the alcohol. His smile deepens, and his long, slender fingers brush over her head. "I think you’re interesting too, but it’s fine to like me. Just don’t take it seriously."

3.

Lu Linyi gives her a brief romance, all flowers and moonlight.

Everyone knows that the mysterious Mr. Lu of Jingchao has a charming young woman who makes porcelain, and treats her with utmost tenderness and patience.

But Xu An always knows that a springtime dream must eventually end.

So when she leaves, she is calm and composed, raising her eyes to meet his with the same glistening gaze.

"Mr. Lu, I liked you, but I never took it seriously. I don’t like you anymore, so of course I’m leaving."

4.

On the first day Xu An is gone, Lu Linyi only feels that the house at Beiqing Yanzhai is a little too quiet, like the rows of Ru ware.

Later, those pieces of porcelain begin to seem glaring and deeply irritating.

Then, when Beiqing is blanketed in heavy snow, he flies across the ocean. He sees the young woman he had raised into an increasingly captivating beauty looking at him with distance and wariness. At last, he gives a soft sigh, his voice still low and husky as it was when they first met.

"Xu An, I took it seriously."

She is a pure, aloof girl, the sort who easily awakens an impure desire to protect in men like him.

That protectiveness turns into love, and in the end, he gives her his whole heart.

A powerful man from the capital’s social scene x a university student

Seven-year age gap

Both have had no previous partners

Happy ending

Please add my upcoming book, "The Spring Geese Return," to your favorites

When Xie Lin first meets Ye Xingxing, she is still Gu Yichen’s girlfriend.

She swings her long, slender, fair legs, bossily ordering the Gu family’s young master to peel an orange for her, then fusses: "I don’t want any of the white stuff."

Gu Yichen patiently peels it for her, then feeds her the slices one by one.

The second-generation rich kids in their circle all look down on others. Young Master Xie sneers at his pathetic behavior.

He scoffs.

==

Later, Xie Lin sees her for the second time at the police station.

A bloody knife wound on her cheek is impossible to miss. Her eyes are fierce as she kicks the man on the ground. "Try taking pictures of me again, and I’ll kill you."

The police clearly know her well and try to hold her back. "Ye Xingxing, watch it."

"Bullshit. I’m getting rid of a menace to the public. Cut the crap."

She has the spirit of a righteous outlaw, not a trace of the spoiled girl she seemed when they first met.

Then she spots Xie Lin standing at the entrance, walks over, and pats him on the shoulder. "Buddy, you didn’t see anything."

For the first time in his life, Young Master Xie is called "buddy" by a girl.

His heart stirs despite himself.

He doesn’t want to be just buddies.

==

Later, the Gu and Xie families become sworn enemies.

Young Master Xie, who has always been adored and surrounded by admirers, kneels on one knee to patiently tie the shoelaces of a pretty, charming girl.

"Xie Lin, I want pomelo in a bit. Peel it one segment at a time."

Xie Lin smiles and nods. "Okay."

Core theme: Study hard