Drawn Under

[Neighboring novel: The completed works "Boiling Snow" and "Slow Burn"] 1. The first time Bian Ci saw Liang Jinbai was the day she accidentally caught her boyfriend getting back together with his old flame. On a rainy night as the temperature dropped, she sat in a convenience store, dazed on a bench. Through the glass, outside the store stood a man beneath the eaves, smoking in nothing but a white shirt. The pale smoke scattered in the cold wind. The hand holding the cigarette had distinct knuckles, the veins on its back clearly visible. For some reason, it reminded Bian Ci of the surgical training videos their professor had shown them more than once in lab class. She also remembered that not long before, in the elevator, the man had looked at her through the mirror opposite. His eyes were dark, detached, and calm. In a completely even tone, he had told her: "I think your boyfriend is cheating on you." Only later did she learn that he was her boyfriend's best friend. 2. After the breakup, Bian Ci thought she would never have anything to do with anyone in that circle again, including Liang Jinbai. To thank him for helping her several times, Bian Ci gave him an expensive lighter. In a private room, Liang Jinbai casually used it to light a cigarette, but didn't take a puff. He merely raised an eyebrow and glanced at her indifferently. "Trying to draw a clear line between us?" Bian Ci's heart skipped a beat, but she still tactfully reminded him that she was his best friend's ex-girlfriend, and said it would be better for them to keep their distance. Liang Jinbai didn't think much of it. He simply snuffed out the cigarette and looked up at her, his gaze calm yet predatory. "So what?" Bian Ci met his eyes. Along with her quickening heartbeat came a memory from not long ago, back when she was still with her boyfriend: on a deck at night, with the sea wind howling, he had looked at her with that same expression and asked, "What are you running from?" 3. After she and Liang Jinbai got together, one night, on a whim, Bian Ci suddenly wanted ice cream from the convenience store. Liang Jinbai went downstairs to buy some for her, but left his phone at home. A message popped up. It was a photo sent by one of Liang Jinbai's longtime classmates. [Senior, I found this photo on my old phone. I knew you'd want it.] As if possessed, Bian Ci tapped on the photo. It showed her at eighteen, still in her high school uniform, crouched beside a crosswalk beneath flashing traffic lights, head bowed as she cried. Beside her, a young man in a black windbreaker had sharp, dark eyes, yet he held an umbrella tilted entirely over her head. It was Liang Jinbai, then twenty-five. So he really had seen her, much earlier. 1. Male lead has a secret crush / second male lead becomes the male lead / seven-year age gap 2. Both leads are each other's first 3. Slow burn 4. 70% anti-piracy Pre-release: "High Fever" Blurb: Secret crush comes true / powerful man bows his head / chasing his wife to the crematorium / rekindled romance Rich playboy x actress Lin Zhixia was a little-known actress who had never managed to make it big. That is, until one day she got involved with the Tan family's heir. Everyone thought it was just another simple fling. Only Lin Zhixia knew that getting close to Tan Mubai and making him say her name correctly had never required a flight in a typhoon, an undelivered love letter, or even her ten-year-long secret crush. All it took was one question: "Mr. Tan, do you think I'm pretty enough?" Infatuation is like a high fever: you know you're out of your league, yet you still throw yourself into the flames. Lin Zhixia knew she shouldn't entertain too many fantasies about their relationship, but she couldn't help hoping that if she was sweet and obedient, perhaps Tan Mubai might come to like her a little. At the very least, even if she couldn't have his love, she could still get something else. Her unrelenting fever made her almost believe that she and Tan Mubai were truly in love. Until one day, Tan Mubai was about to get engaged. He said it was fine, that she could still stay by his side after he got married. Lin Zhixia found it laughable. For the first time, she wasn't sweet and obedient. She slapped him. "We're breaking up." After the breakup, everyone was getting ready to laugh at Lin Zhixia. Without Tan Mubai, what could she possibly amount to? Until one day, rumors spread that Lin Zhixia was dating an award-winning actor. That night, Tan Mubai drove straight into a river-crossing bridge and put himself in the hospital. With blood still on him, he said darkly, "Call Lin Zhixia. Tell her I'm dead and make her come see me." His friend nervously dialed the number. After a few rings, someone finally answered. Lin Zhixia sounded busy with something and a little breathless. She took a moment to reply, "Mm, got it." To Tan Mubai, Lin Zhixia was the friend his younger sister had brought home in high school, the junior who ran two blocks through Bangkok's scorching summer to buy him an ice-cold soda, the little-known actress his friend pursued on a bet. It wasn't until one day, when Lin Zhixia was simply Lin Zhixia to him, that he realized how much he had missed over the past ten years. Theme: Someone will love you tenderly.