The Seventh Summer

A transfer student arrived at Nanli No. 2 High School. The tall boy had striking, sharply defined brows and quickly became the talk of the school. Qiao Qi never thought she'd have anything to do with him, let alone that Zhou Xun would like her. At the graduation party after the college entrance exams, Qiao Qi searched her phone for tips on how to flirt. "When a girl puts her hand on a boy's thigh, his resistance drops by 80%." Qiao Qi read the line, her heart pounding with excitement, and nervously placed her hand on the thigh of her childhood friend beside her. She silently rehearsed her confession, until something felt wrong. This thigh was way too nice. She looked up and unexpectedly met the boy's amused gaze. Zhou Xun: "Flirting with me?" Qiao Qi snatched her hand back. "Sorry, I put my hand in the wrong place." Just then, a male classmate came over and invited her to step outside for a talk. Qiao Qi hurried to get up and escape, but Zhou Xun caught her by the wrist. Zhou Xun glanced at the boy. "Get in line if you want to confess. We're not done talking yet." Zhou Xun pursued her with the blazing frankness of fireworks filling a summer night sky. The sea breeze, heavy with moisture, brushed the girl's hair and swept it toward the boy's brow. Inside the tent, Qiao Qi gazed at him with shining eyes, the brilliant fireworks reflected in them. "Zhou Xun, have you wanted to date me for a long time?" In the hazy light, their heartbeats surged like waves. The boy's eyes burned as his palm held the back of the girl's flushed neck, and his long, lingering kiss fell on her, leaving no room to breathe. "I want to date you so badly I could go crazy." It was the seventh year since they had met. The boy's voice, softened by the sea breeze, was as slow and gentle as the tide, sweeping over the whole summer. The summer I turned eighteen was you and the wind. But in my heart, you've lived through more than one summer. Reading notes: 1. A sweet romance. Both leads are sexually inexperienced, and there is no intimacy before they reach adulthood. The heroine's crush on her childhood friend is a misunderstanding. 2. This is a slow burn, an extremely slow burn. The heroine is oblivious in the early chapters. 3. The hero doesn't call himself "boss" or "young master." Note: "When a girl puts her hand on a boy's thigh, his resistance drops by 80%." This quote is from the internet. Side couple Gu Nian and Lin Yi, The Puppy and the Bone, is a free, short, sweet romance. Complete. Next up: a second-chance romance, Winter's Prelude 1. The fourth year after breaking up with Huo Yuheng, Li Dong returned to China with her son, Li You. The airport was packed with people just before Lunar New Year. Li Dong glanced away for a moment, and Li You, who had been walking beside her, vanished. As Li Dong searched frantically, she spotted the small figure weaving through the crowd and running toward a man about to leave the airport. He wrapped his arms around the man's leg and seemed to call him Daddy. Li Dong's heart skipped a beat. The man turned around, revealing a refined, aloof face. Li Dong pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Huo Yuheng, panting. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, took Li You's hand, and apologized. "Sorry, my child mistook you for someone else." Then she crouched down to comfort Li You. "He's not your daddy, just someone who looks like him." Huo Yuheng glanced at her and left without a word. As if they'd never known each other, as if all the reckless passion they'd once shared had never happened. 2. At the kindergarten family sports day, little Li You pulled Huo Yuheng over and solemnly introduced him to his best friend. "This is my number three dad. He can do fifty push-ups with Mom on his back!" His friend gasped, then asked in confusion, "Why is he number three?" Li You: "My real dad and my number two dad weren't around, so I brought number three!" His friend nodded in admiration. "You're amazing. You have three dads!" Then he turned to Li Dong. "You're amazing too, Auntie!" Finally, he sighed. "I only have one dad." "My mom is the most amazing!" Li You puffed out his little chest proudly and patted his friend's shoulder to comfort him. "Having one dad is great too!" Unlike him, his friend wouldn't have to learn to keep things fair between everyone at such a young age. Beside them, Huo Yuheng glanced at the unhidden marks on the side of Li Dong's neck, leaned close to her ear, and asked, "Do those two know you slept in my room last night?" Raising a child, second chances, and winning back your wife. Wildlife conservationist/rehabilitation specialist x big shot at a research institute Theme: Study hard and make progress every day