Traces of Time

Su Tang first met Lu Zhou at a train station in a small town on the southwestern frontier.

Though he was dressed plainly, the man's lazy, aristocratic features, expensive watch, and camera made it obvious he wasn't local.

When he saw Su Tang, his dark eyes suddenly lit up, like a languid lion catching sight of prey it had long been craving.

The next time Su Tang saw Lu Zhou was at a gala attended by the great names of Beicheng's antiques world. She'd traded her work clothes for a glittering backless gown, pinned her hair up, and nervously entered the ballroom. The moment she looked up, she met those same unfathomable eyes.

"We meet again so soon." The man's voice was cool, seemingly casual, but his eyes were still alight.

The first time, a coincidence led Su Tang to mistake him for a "walking 500,000 yuan bounty*". Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, she had come both to apologize and to ask him for a favor.

But thinking of how she'd mistaken the young master of an antiques family for a spy scouting the mountains and had even reported him in righteous indignation, Su Tang curled her fingers inward. She had no idea how to ask him for help.

The man seemed to understand her embarrassment. He set down his crystal goblet of red wine and led her slowly toward the ballroom exit. "Are you having trouble restoring a cultural relic? May I take a look?"

--

Everyone said that young master Lu seemed like a different person lately.

He used to disdain any connection with academia, but now he went to the research institute every day. He'd always been lazy, but now he got up at the crack of dawn and worked until late at night, as if he could live in the restoration lab.

And he wasn't cold at all. When Su Tang came to him for help, he didn't just break down his expertise and explain it to her. When he finished, he would gently ask, "Did you understand? If not, I'll explain it again."

Everyone guessed that Lu Zhou had fallen in love again, smitten with Su Tang, the pretty graduate student at the research institute who specialized in restoring cultural relics.

Lu Zhou could only shake his head helplessly. How could this be a new love? He'd been drifting in love for years.

From the very beginning, he'd caught one fleeting glimpse of Su Tang reading by the classroom window, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, and he'd never looked away since... But Su Tang had only ever cared about her studies. After secretly loving her for so many years, it had taken a cultural relic for her to finally remember his name.

*Rumor has it that reporting a spy earns you a 500,000 yuan reward. A "walking 500,000 yuan bounty" refers to a spy.

Currently serializing Love Comes at the Wrong Time, starring Mu Xichuan and Jiang Linxia.

Jiang Linxia asked Mu Xichuan, "If one day I decide I want to get married, would you marry me?"

"No." He had never intended to take responsibility for a woman in his life.

Four years of youth had gone to waste just like that.

--

When he learned Jiang Linxia had a new boyfriend, Mu Xichuan flew into a rage. "Jiang Linxia, are you really in such a hurry to cuckold me?"

"Mu Xichuan, I don't want to play this game with you anymore."

"But I'm not done playing. You don't get to decide!"

"Jiang Linxia, you're my woman. I'll kill anyone who dares lay a finger on you!"

--

The day Jiang Linxia left, Mu Xichuan chased her to the airport like a madman. The aloof beauty who had once seemed untouchable had tears in his eyes.

"Jiang Linxia, if you leave, you'll regret it!"

"You said you loved me. You can only love me for the rest of your life!"

"Jiang Linxia, you can't make me fall in love with you and then leave me!"

Jiang Linxia looked at him coolly. "Mu Xichuan, you taught me that deep love is meant to be betrayed."

The next story will be the upcoming Wake from Surrender, starring Lu Ji'an and Xu Yanran.

Four years ago, the Lu family used every means at their disposal to pressure the Xu family into giving up a piece of land. With nowhere left to turn, Xu Yanran's parents jumped to their deaths.

Before they died, they transferred ownership of the land to their daughter, Xu Yanran, and the Zhou family, an old family friend, hoping the Zhou family's influence would keep their daughter safe.

But four years later, the Zhou family turned on her, intending to take the land for themselves and hunting Xu Yanran throughout the city.

With no other choice, Xu Yanran went to Lu Ji'an. She offered him half her assets in exchange for his help in evading the Zhou family's pursuit and reclaiming the land.

She also had another purpose buried deep in her heart: to personally bring Lu Ji'an to justice and avenge the ruin of her family.

But Lu Ji'an had no interest in the payment she offered. "I don't want your money. I want you."

To protect herself, Xu Yanran had no choice but to agree.

--

With Lu Ji'an's help, Xu Yanran gathered all the Zhou family's evidence of their crimes and reclaimed what belonged to her. Enraged, the Zhou family prepared to take her down with them.

The moment Lu Ji'an sensed danger, he shielded Xu Yanran and took the fatal bullet for her.

--

At his bedside, Xu Yanran looked at the now-awake Lu Ji'an and said coolly, "Lu Ji'an, you saved me today, so we'll call what happened four years ago even. From now on, we'll stay out of each other's way and never see each other again."

Lu Ji'an rasped, "Xu Yanran, is this how you treat the man who saved your life twice?"

Xu Yanran was stunned.

It turned out someone else had been responsible for destroying her family. And the reason Lu Ji'an appeared on the night her parents died was to spare her life...

Theme: Protecting cultural relics