[Possessive younger man who can put on an act, a completely unhinged mad dog x carefree, flirtatious, sharp-tongued dark moonlight]
On the day her father remarried, Qin Yao turned the wedding ceremony into a memorial service for her mother.
The farce ended with her two-timing sugar daddy and that shameless vixen clutching each other and weeping.
Everyone said she'd really gotten it out of her system.
But she hadn't. Her social circle was so small that whether people were offering condolences or gossiping, whether they meant to or not, hearing those two rotten people's names made her sick.
She decided to leave the city that made her feel nauseous every moment of every day and picked a scenic little town as her new home.
Soaked by the summer rain, Qin Yao dragged her luggage to the guesthouse she'd booked. She was about to explode at the sight of the trashed room when someone pushed open the door...
Eighteen-year-old Shao Jin stood in the rain like a stray dog no one had bothered to rescue. His pale, exposed skin was covered in crisscrossing wounds. Raindrops battered his dark eyes, which remained numb and half-open, making it seem as though tears were rolling down his face.
He said nothing, staring at her with prickles all over him, like the most vicious biter in a pack of dogs. Though drenched, he didn't look the least bit pitiful.
But once he came to his senses and lowered his eyes, he looked like a beaten dog backed into a dead end. He was clearly tough as nails, yet somehow managed to pierce the heart of twenty-three-year-old Qin Yao.
*
In summer, Qin Yao told him, "Shao Jin, don't let other people smear you with their filth. Run as fast as you can, and splash the mud right into their mouths."
In winter, Qin Yao told him, "Your mother was a mistress. How clean could you possibly be? Get lost. You make me sick."
She burned down his cage, and she burned down his kingdom, too.
* Early story: healing and redemption in a small town. Later story: a wealthy family's sea of love and hatred.
* Five-year age gap / older woman and younger man / rekindled romance after a breakup
* Both leads are sexually inexperienced in their relationship (the male lead is pure in body and heart; the female lead has dated before)
Theme: A wildfire never truly dies out. When the spring breeze blows, it rises again.
