Roses in the Snow

[My new novel, Have You Heard That I Like You?, is now underway. Please add it to your reading list! A reunion after years apart, unrequited love turning mutual, and a reality dating show with ordinary people. The blurb is at the very end.]

--- This Novel's Blurb ---

Matched in strength / Mutual salvation / Reunion after years apart / A bittersweet push and pull

01.

Nan Ying first met Yan Huaizhou at the school belle's birthday party.

She had just transferred to the school and was ostracized by her classmates for being aloof and antisocial.

Someone at the party deliberately tripped her. She fell to the floor, covered in cream cake and utterly humiliated, while everyone laughed.

The boy sitting quietly in a corner of the sofa was roused by the commotion. He glanced over lazily, his expression indifferent, and did nothing.

She later learned from other people that Yan Huaizhou was the one person at school nobody dared to provoke.

Though he had a bold, roguishly handsome face and was adored by everyone, he was arrogant, cold-hearted, and untamed. No one had ever glimpsed his true feelings.

No one in class connected him with the quiet, solitary transfer student.

02.

Then came the night everyone went to the beach.

Nan Ying drew a dare: she had to drink a cross-cupped toast with one of the men present.

The group all started egging her on. Some looked forward to seeing her make a fool of herself.

But no one expected the usually quiet and reserved girl to show even the slightest hesitation. She picked up her glass and went straight to Yan Huaizhou.

She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Will you drink with me?"

Yan Huaizhou turned his gaze from the sea to her and looked her squarely in the eye. A playful smile appeared in his usually dark, cool eyes. After a moment, he curled his lips into a smile, slowly lifted his glass with his right hand, and said in a low, languid voice, slightly hazy with drink:

"My pleasure."

03.

Later, everyone knew the two of them had fallen into a passionate, all-consuming romance.

But their breakup was brutal.

Countless people sighed, certain they would never cross paths again.

04.

When they met again, Yan Huaizhou had become the fashion world's most discreet mogul, known in the industry for being cold, abstinent, and indifferent to women.

Nan Ying was the interpreter for one of his projects. Whenever they met, she acted as if they had never known each other.

But the love of youth burns like the wind. Even after all these years, looking back, it remains unforgettable.

On the night he lost control, Yan Huaizhou pinned the girl against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot with desire, years of suppressed longing held in check. His movements were restrained yet taut as he kissed her fiercely again and again, his warm breath brushing her ear.

"Have you forgiven me?"

Nan Ying paused for a second, caught up in the moment, then shook her head.

Yan Huaizhou licked the corner of his lips and asked again, "Do you still love me?"

"Love has nothing to do with sex."

The hand Yan Huaizhou had placed behind her head fell away. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, his eyes red as his chest trembled uncontrollably.

"Darling, are you tormenting me or taking revenge on me?"

[Reading Guide]

1. The timeline has roughly three parts: the second half of senior year, the summer after the college entrance exams, and life in the city.

2. This is a light, fresh campus novel with an unrealistic setting, a mix of melodramatic and wish-fulfillment tropes, and a few far-fetched elements. Please don't read if that bothers you.

3. Both leads are each other's first love, with a happy ending. Neither lead is perfect.

4. There is no romance or intimate content while the leads are in high school.

5. The early chapters were written a long time ago and aren't very good. They include some old-fashioned tropes and awkward writing, but please consider reading further.

(PS: Since people keep using the first few chapters as a reason to warn others away, I want to emphasize this again! I mentioned this from the start. The early writing really is immature, including but not limited to amateurish prose, old-fashioned tropes, awkward descriptions, and competition between women. If it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip ahead or stop reading. Enjoying the story matters most, and there's no need to let it ruin your mood. Please also don't take things out of context and label me as favoring the male lead. The leads are evenly matched, and as you read on, you'll find that the heroine gets more standout moments than the hero. I cherish all the characters I write equally and respect readers' preferences. I only hope everyone can approach the story with reason. Happy reading!)

Blurb revised on 2023.5.30 and saved as a screenshot.

--- Next Novel: Have You Heard That I Like You? ---

01.

In high school, Tan Jianshen was the school's most popular prodigy, with countless admirers.

Shi Tinglu was the least noticeable of the girls who liked him.

She had seen him arrogant and carefree, brimming with confidence, and she had seen him turn down one girl after another who offered him their sincere affection.

Before graduation, she once got drunk and worked up the courage to confess. But she couldn't become the exception.

And so their paths parted. Her unrequited love had no miracle ending.

02.

They met again on a dating show.

He was the last male guest to arrive, still dazzling as ever, and several of the female guests fell for him at first sight.

Shi Tinglu was not one of them. She kept her distance and acted as if she had never known him.

But somehow, they ended up going on three dates.

On the first, she received a bouquet of roses and the words, "Shi Tinglu, I'm pursuing you."

On the second, he took her for a ride on his bicycle. As they went downhill, he suddenly hit the brakes, and Shi Tinglu accidentally kissed his cheek.

Later, while they were taking photos, she linked her arm through his and smiled at the camera. The next moment, her vision was blocked.

The man leaned down and kissed her.

His lazy smile blurred in the summer breeze. "I'll return the favor."

On the third, the show raised the stakes, arranging a two-day, one-night stay at a hot-spring resort, with the guests who chose each other sharing a double bed.

Shi Tinglu stared at the big bed in their room, her heart racing uncontrollably. While the man was showering, she sneaked out, planning to ask the other female guests for advice. Then she discovered there was a sofa in the other rooms, and the male guests had already gallantly taken their seats on them.

She returned to the room, puzzled, and happened to overhear a private conversation among the staff.

"Has the sofa in Mr. Tan's room been moved?"

"Yes. The director told me to remind Mr. Tan to keep the show's boundaries in mind..."

Shi Tinglu: "...?"

#Shock! The aloof god I've had a crush on for years is actually a scheming mogul!#

03.

On confession night on the dating show, Tan Jianshen wore his high school uniform. His features still carried the outline of the boy he had been, and his affectionate, peach-blossom eyes gazed quietly at her like moonlight.

Through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, Shi Tinglu heard him say:

"Hello, Shi Tinglu.

I'm Tan Jianshen from Class One, Senior Year.

I like you. I've liked you for a long time. Did you hear me?"

"It turns out that ten years of unrequited love was never a fruitless, one-sided effort. They had simply been moving toward each other on different tracks."

Reading Guide:

* Each other's one and only, mutual unrequited love, pure romance with a slow-burn pace, and a light ensemble cast.

* Dating show + city life + school memories, told through three timelines, with the city as the main focus.

Theme: Finding life amid the thorns