A Heartbeat Meant Only for You [Rekindled Romance]

When a reader asked whether her work was inspired by an unforgettable romance in her life, Lin Duo couldn't help thinking of Xu Xingran.

That flamboyant, unruly heartthrob from high school, the guy countless girls would stand on tiptoe just to glimpse, always trailed behind her like a little shadow, pretending to be serious as he pursued her with a smile.

Though she'd already developed feelings for him, she still thought Xu Xingran was only joking and didn't dare take him seriously. But on the day the college entrance exam ended, when she came out of the exam hall and saw the boy smiling at her with a bouquet in his hands, she lost her head and kissed him.

Of course, she'd been played. The boy vanished without a trace just a couple of days later, disappearing from her life completely. She also learned from her classmates that pursuing her had been nothing more than a bet.

People who toy with someone else's feelings are the worst.

"No, all my inspiration comes from the paintings by the artist Heart. They're my muse," Lin Duo said with a smile at the camera once she'd come back to herself. "As for romance..."

"I've never been in love."

*

Years later, a friend introduced Lin Duo to Heart, and she finally got to meet them.

As the person's face gradually came into focus in her eyes, she was so shocked she could hardly close her mouth.

It was none other than Xu Xingran, the man who had taken her first love and first kiss before leaving without a word, and who had a "fiancee" abroad...

"You've never been in love," Xu Xingran paused. "Then shall we start over?"

Just as a kiss was about to land, Lin Duo suddenly slapped him. "Want to pursue me? Get in line."

-

Lin Duo's parents arranged a blind date for her and practically dragged her there.

When she reluctantly took her seat, she discovered that the person across from her was Xu Xingran.

Xu Xingran: "Uncle, Auntie, I agree to this marriage!"

Lin Duo: ?

"Then I'll get a head start and call you that now!" Xu Xingran raised a glass of plain water toward Lin Duo's parents. "Dad! Mom!"

Lin Duo: ?!

Xu Xingran put on a melodramatic expression, tears glistening in his eyes as he tugged at Lin Duo's sleeve. "Give me a title, please."

*

Xu Xingran's childhood was bleak. Because of his heart condition, he took many medications that made him gain weight, and a group of boys surrounded him and spat at him.

Only one girl with clear, bright eyes stood in front of him, protecting him and becoming his only friend.

The girl was lively and cheerful, always smiling as she told him that she dreamed of becoming a writer.

Whenever she said that, Xu Xingran would give her most of the ice pop in his hand and say with admiration and earnestness, "Then I'll become a painter and spend my life painting illustrations for your novels."

They met again in high school. What he thought would be sweet turned bitter.

Years had passed since they parted after high school. Xu Xingran sat in a corner of his studio, looking at the messages he'd sent over the past six years that had all been rejected.

In his hand, he clutched a photo of himself and Lin Duo from high school. Every sheet of paper hanging on the studio walls bore her face.

[Reunion After Years Apart] [Rekindled Love] [Sweet Romance and Healing]

Unruly sunflower x theatrical, shameless flirt

1. Always 1v1, both inexperienced in love, happy ending

2. My precious girl never has to suffer

3. A massive romantic rivalry, with plenty of delicious angst

2024.11.19

Theme: Don't look back. I'll run forward and take your hand myself.