After years of working her way through the entertainment industry, Xiang Wanyi finally became an acclaimed actress known for her talent. Though her fame soared, she remained exceptionally low-key. The paparazzi photos of her were always taken on set or while she was rushing between engagements, and she had never been involved in a single scandal.
On the day filming began for Blazing Summer, paparazzi staking out Jinbei University unexpectedly caught the usually calm and aloof Xiang Wanyi with tears in her eyes in front of a tall, straight-backed man.
The photo spread online. In the high-definition shot, Xiang Wanyi looked guilty and overcome with pain. It was the first time netizens had seen her reveal such emotions off-screen.
In her second year of high school, Xiang Wanyi moved into a new home. Her new family was well-known in Jinbei, and she stepped into unfamiliar territory like a timid explorer, sensitive and cautious.
That was also the year she met the son of the household, Liang Yuyuan. Gentle and attentive, he helped her get used to everything, taught her how to fit in, and protected the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide. They naturally fell for each other. During that weary, restless summer when they were eighteen, they kissed in the darkness after a movie ended and confessed their feelings in nights untouched by daylight.
But later, their secret love was exposed to the light of day. Xiang Wanyi became that timid coward once again and left the home she had shared with Liang Yuyuan. Their love came to an end without a word, becoming the deepest thorn in her heart.
Their reunion eight years later came too suddenly. Xiang Wanyi was filming at Jinbei University when she happened to run into Liang Yuyuan, now a teacher there. The unexpected reunion caught her completely off guard, but the man had grown even more composed. As always, he called to her gently:
"Wanyi, it's time to come home."
The familiar name weighed on her heart, dull with pain. In that moment, Xiang Wanyi realized that she might have been the only one left in a wretched state all along.
"The sun I briefly held onto in my youth became the one I longed for and kept company with through every dawn and dusk that followed."
Actress x university teacher
[Reading Guide]
The protagonists have no intimate physical contact before they turn eighteen.
The leads are not registered in the same household.
Theme: Roses do not die in wildfires.
