Hard to Bear

[Main story complete]

* Reformed playboy x good girl

* A secret school crush comes true / a city-set pursuit of the girl who got away

The day Tang Nian climbed over the wall to school because she was late, she met the infamous Shen Yanshen. She'd heard he was arrogant, unruly, and carefree, a bona fide playboy.

Standing against the light, Shen Yanshen casually tossed his school uniform jacket over his right shoulder. A smile played in his eyes as he drawled, "Good students climb over walls too?"

Before Tang Nian could answer, their eyes met. In that instant, it wasn't just her body climbing over the wall. Her heart crossed over, too.

They came from completely different worlds, and Tang Nian never expected their paths to cross again.

Their relationship was a secret, lasting only for a brief time during the summer after graduation.

Then, without warning, Tang Nian broke up with him on the day she received her university admission letter.

At that, Shen Yanshen's eyes darkened. He grabbed Tang Nian by the collar and pinned her against the wall. His voice was icy, like a freezing river at the bottom of a ravine.

"Tang Nian, don't regret this."

-

When they met again, rain had battered the old camphor tree's leaves until they were torn to pieces. Heavy clouds weighed down on the umbrella. Leaves and mud mixed together on the blue-gray stone path, leaving a complete mess.

Dressed in a gray trench coat, Shen Yanshen held a black umbrella, blending into the dark, pouring night beyond the eaves.

He pulled her under the umbrella. The damp smell of rain clung to him, and his eyes were bloodshot as he pleaded with her.

"Niannian, don't avoid me."

"You can just use me for fun, if you want."

Tang Nian's gaze was calm. A faint smile touched her lips, carrying the chill of autumn rain, but her voice was flat and emotionless. "Are the other girls not as easy to fool as I was, young master?"

Shen Yanshen knew better than anyone that he was nothing but a dirty drop of rain the girl had once held in her hands. When she turned and left, all she left behind was his long, lonely shadow of despair.

Please add the upcoming novel in my author's profile, Appeasement. Please add it to your reading list. The blurb follows:

When Cheng Song'en was sixteen, she was brought into the Xie family as a scholarship student. Living under their roof, she was disliked by everyone in Beicheng's elite social circles, except for the Xie family's eldest son, Xie Huaiyun.

After graduating from university, Cheng Song'en got engaged to Xie Huaiyun. On the eve of the wedding, Xie Huaiyun left on a business trip to Australia, where his plane tragically crashed.

At the funeral, Cheng Song'en fainted from grief. In a daze, she thought she'd caught hold of Xie Huaiyun's hand. Before she could come to, she heard a man's voice.

"Can you even tell who I am, sister-in-law? Are you planning to put on your Cinderella act for a second time?"

Cheng Song'en came to and saw the man's face, so similar to Xie Huaiyun's. A beauty mark sat beneath his eye. His manner was aloof, and yet he was clearly a different person.

He was the Xie family's second son, Xie Rongshu.

-

Cheng Song'en had always understood that everyone thought she was greedy for wealth and status. Xie Rongshu was no exception.

It wasn't until the night she left the Xie family that she understood. In the pouring rain, Xie Rongshu stood in her way with an umbrella, refusing to let her go.

In desperation, Cheng Song'en raised her hand and slapped him. The umbrella fell to the ground, and rainwater streamed down over them, leaving them both in a wretched state.

Cheng Song'en lowered her eyes and explained, "You know I was only after the Xie family's status."

Xie Rongshu grabbed Cheng Song'en by the shoulders and stared at her with dark eyes. Always calm and composed, he now kissed her as if he'd lost control, then demanded furiously, "So what if you want it all over again?"

-

Cheng Song'en thought she and Xie Rongshu had only met a few times. Later, she understood that in the places she couldn't see, he had watched her countless times.*

*The final paragraph of this blurb was taken from the internet.

Theme: Study hard, stay clear-headed and rational