Old Friends, New Growth

Xu Shengyi never cared much for the lofty Mr. Jiang.

When they first met, he swept her with an indifferent glance, then asked her friend, "Is this your friend?"

She went home fuming.

Her friend tried to persuade her: He's an important figure from the capital. We can't afford to cross him.

On a scorching summer day, she stomped down the mountain with her backpack, and his car followed at a crawl.

Through the lowered window, he smiled at her. "Are you sure you don't want a ride?"

Later, at a gathering in a teahouse, she finally won one back. Full of triumph, she gathered up the pieces one by one. "A bet's a bet. A big shot like you, Mr. Jiang, can't go back on his word."

The unflappable mask he always wore finally cracked a little.

"Gomoku...?" Whether he was amused or astonished, he couldn't seem to find the words.

"Obviously! I don't know how to play Go!" she said, unapologetically.

Later, when she went to the capital to study, his car stopped some distance away. He spotted a slender, lively girl with a backpack, looking around expectantly.

He thought, She's not that young anymore, yet she still wastes her time like this.

He'd have to discipline her properly on behalf of her elders.

Throughout the long years he spent teaching her, Xu Shengyi hated him with all her heart. At last, she couldn't take it anymore. "You can hit my hands with the ruler, but why do you always hit my butt?! Jiang Tingnan, you sanctimonious bastard!"

But he already had a fiancée from a family that had been friends with his for generations. And she and he were mismatched in age and everything else. Society would never accept them.

Later, when someone asked about their relationship, she was too embarrassed to tell the truth, so she said, "Of course it's for fame and fortune. Who would really fall for someone that much older?"

When she left to study abroad, he didn't try to stop her. He simply sat behind a folding screen, calmly sipping tea. "I'm much older than you. We're simply not suited for each other. I wish you every success and hope you find a good husband."

Years later, they met again. She passed by with another young man her age, chatting and laughing. He watched coldly, but that night he waited downstairs from her building, his clothes soaked through by the sudden downpour. When he saw her, he even smiled, with the same tenderness he'd once shown her.

Her heart suddenly trembled, aching with bitterness.

☆ Powerful, high-ranking man × spoiled, headstrong girl

☆ Age gap, both virgins

Theme: Overcome barriers and get to know each other deeply. Don't judge by appearances.