Summer Rain Falls [Rugged Hero]

A highly sensitive, timid woman returning to her hometown VS a bold, rebellious owner of a small-town hardware store

Outside the train station, an old Wuling minivan slowly pulls up in front of Liang Xuyan.

Thinking it is an unlicensed taxi, she is just about to wave it away and say someone is coming to pick her up,

when the man in the driver's seat rolls down the window and flicks away his cigarette ash.

Liang Xuyan never expected that when her mother said, "I'll have someone come pick you up," she meant Li Qian.

She grips the handle of her suitcase tightly with both hands, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

He, on the other hand, is perfectly calm. His left arm rests on the window, a cigarette pinched between his fingers, and he doesn't spare her a glance.

Unemployed and stuck at home, Liang Xuyan can't sit still. She goes to help out at the real estate agency her mother owns, running errands and doing odd jobs. Once she gets busy, she stops feeling so anxious.

One day, she goes to the hardware store diagonally across the street to buy a light bulb. Behind the counter, a young man lies back in a reclining chair with his legs up, holding his phone high as he plays a game.

Two cups of instant noodles sit on the counter, plastic forks sticking out of them. Liang Xuyan sniffs the air. They smell like pickled cabbage noodles.

As she hesitates over how to interrupt the young man absorbed in his mobile game, she hears someone ask her brusquely

"What are you buying?"

Liang Xuyan turns around. Beneath a low-wattage incandescent bulb, Li Qian stands there bare-chested, a damp undershirt draped over his shoulder, his flat, solid abs strong and defined.

Liang Xuyan turns her face away, feeling heat rush straight to her cheeks.

Later, Li Qian stands in front of her and reaches out, carefully removing her glasses.

"Why hide such beautiful eyes behind lenses?"

"Th-they're not anything special," Liang Xuyan stammers.

"Nonsense. They're the most beautiful eyes there are."

"You are so lovely,

I say it without time to think.

And after thinking it over,

I still say the same.", Pushkin

Reader's Guide:

* They will only ever be with each other, happy ending.

* Two lonely people, healing one another and relying on each other in the warm, everyday story of their lives after returning to their hometown.

* The female lead comes from a single-parent family and is highly sensitive, prone to overthinking and wearing herself down. She gradually learns to be less timid and refuses to waste herself away in a toxic environment.

Coming Soon 1:

"Today's Not a Good Day for a Blind Date"

In a small private dining room, her mother keeps catching up with her old classmate, Aunt Xu.

Zhen Lu, who was dragged here against her will, grumbles to herself: If they want to catch up, why bring me along?

She can't join in the conversation between the two older women, so she can only sit there like an idiot.

Every now and then, they ask her a question or two, and she gives them a perfunctory answer.

"Xiao Zhen, do you have a boyfriend?" Aunt Xu asks, seemingly casually.

"Not yet." Her mother shoots Zhen Lu a look, her tone full of exasperation. "Kids these days are so set in their ways."

Aunt Xu replies with a pointed air. "Our little rascal is the same. Can't control him either."

Zhen Lu lowers her head and says nothing, awkwardly picking up her teacup to take a sip.

The door to the private room opens, and a server leads a man inside.

"Sorry, something held me up." The man is wearing a dark gray shirt, with a black jacket casually draped over his arm. He seems a little more upright than he used to be.

After all these years apart, Zhen Lu never thought she would cross paths with Jiang Chengshen again.

Aunt Xu introduces him, saying that the woman sitting next to Aunt Lu is her daughter, Zhen Lu. The girl works in Qiantan, so the two of them will probably run into each other often in the future.

Jiang Chengshen is as much of a bastard as ever. He holds out a hand to her. "Jiang Chengshen. I look forward to working with you."

Coming Soon 2:

"Longing at Sunset"

As Cen Yuanyi pushes the wheelchair into the room, Sang Yu narrows her eyes.

The west-facing room is stifling, glaringly bright, cramped, and shabby.

Somewhere upstairs, an air conditioner is dripping. Drip, drip. The drops hit the metal frame on the balcony, grating on her nerves.

"I absolutely refuse to live in a place like this." Sang Yu looks up and stubbornly stares at Cen Yuanyi.

Cen Yuanyi's expression is cool. He bends down, picks up the thin blanket that has slipped onto the floor, brushes off the dust, and drapes it over her legs again.

"Don't worry. If you want to leave, I won't force you to stay."

"When we first met, I was lying in a hospital bed, looking out the window. The sun was setting in the west, dusk was closing in, and I was helpless and desperate. He came and, with a stern look in his eyes, said only, 'Come with me.'"

"From autumn to spring, from strangers to understanding each other without a word, I haven't walked the long road alone."

Coming Soon 3:

"After Posting a Listing on the Seafood Marketplace"

Female Lead's Point of View:

With the New Year approaching, everything is going wrong. Han Xiao is suddenly called in for a meeting with her boss.

During the first week after being laid off, Han Xiao reassures herself: It's fine, it's fine. Think of it as a vacation.

During the second week after being laid off, every resume she sends out disappears without a trace.

During the third week after being laid off, her landlord comes to collect the rent.

After transferring three months' rent to her landlord, Han Xiao looks at the three-digit balance in her bank account and quietly posts a listing on the seafood marketplace

Kitten neutering, will act the part, bargain price of 30 yuan per session.

That night, a buyer messages her.

[How good is your acting?]

Han Xiao replies instantly: [I'm a total professional!]

Male Lead's Point of View:

People say the world is in tatters and kittens are always there to patch it up*, but Zhou Yang scoffs at the idea.

His little Maojin is always giving him attitude, arching its back, puffing up its fur, hissing, and lashing its tail whenever it gets upset.

Huajuan's love life has been put off again and again. Now that the cat has found a partner, Zhou Yang tells himself: This can't be put off any longer.

Faced with a choice between being abused by Huajuan and doing nothing, Zhou Yang chooses to find a "cat-snatching villain" on the seafood marketplace.

Outside the pet hospital, Zhou Yang lifts his eyes and sizes up the "villain" in front of him. His tone is teasing. "Old classmate, nice acting."

Han Xiao rolls her eyes, the corners of her mouth curving upward. "Old classmate, leave me a good review, will you?"

Theme: Life has its share of low points. Keeping on moving forward is the right way.