Years later, Gu Sheng returns to her hometown to visit family after fleeing in a sorry state. Her grandmother is seriously ill, and a friend helps her rent a place. By chance, she moves into the long-vacant house of Lin Zheng.
Lin Zheng, an engineering graduate who spent years building a career abroad only to suffer a major setback, plans to return to China and start over. Unwilling to live with his parents, he moves into a house he bought years ago.
The two "strangers" begin living together. During the day, Gu Sheng goes to the hospital to care for her grandmother, and at night she revises manuscripts for publication. So busy is she that she doesn't notice when someone else moves into the house, realizing it only by chance a month later.
On the night Lin Zheng returns to China, he notices a pair of women's slippers in the house. At the sight of a woman's toiletries bag, his eyes turn icy. Then he catches sight of a familiar figure from his memories beneath the warm yellow floor lamp in the study, and the coldness leaves his gaze.
He quietly turns back toward the spare bedroom, phone held to his ear. Frowning, he hangs up and sends a WeChat message instead:
"Who is the woman living in my house?"
Cheng Yuanzhi, who has just stepped away from the operating table, glances down and replies coolly, "A patient's family member." He says nothing more.
Lin Zheng stares at his phone screen until it goes dark.
At seven the next morning, after hearing the front door close, Lin Zheng gets up and opens his eyes. His eyes are bloodshot, his gaze tired and gloomy. He sneaks into the bathroom with his toiletries bag, showers, then casually "destroys the evidence."
After his morning run, Lin Zheng gets a call from his uncle and goes to the hospital. While waiting in the neurosurgery department head's office, he catches sight of Gu Sheng in the corridor again, waiting alone while her grandmother undergoes surgery.
Her cool loneliness doesn't match the bright, sunny smile he remembers. Her increasingly thin frame makes his heart ache.
Lin Zheng types "Gu Sheng" into his uncle's computer and learns the reason for the sadness on her face.
After the surgery, Lin Zheng uses Dr. Cheng's name to send desserts to all the patients in neurosurgery. In secret, he also sends the heroine a bouquet of sunflowers.
A month goes by, and Lin Zheng's continued presence finally arouses suspicion among those around him. Taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival, his parents arrive without warning, preparing a table full of food for a reunion with their son, who has been away from home for years. By coincidence, Gu Sheng has also brought her grandmother over, and they learn that she has been living with her landlord for over a month.
Lin Zheng's parents see through their son's feelings, but deliberately pretend not to notice. They warmly welcome Gu Sheng and her grandmother, telling them to make themselves at home.
Lin Zheng returns late at night from a neighboring city. After the sound of the keypad and fingerprint lock, someone switches on the bright ceiling light. In the living room, their eyes meet unexpectedly.
"Mr. Lin, thank you so much for putting up with me all this time. I'll move out tomorrow. I've also transferred the rent to Dr. Cheng, and he'll pass it on to you."
Standing in the lamplight, Gu Sheng looks at him and speaks politely, her manner distant.
"Miss Gu, there's no need to move out. I'm going to Shanghai on a business trip tomorrow and will be away for quite a while. Before I leave, there's something I need your help with." Lin Zheng keeps smiling. Even his exhaustion can't hide his refined, noble air.
After unexpectedly learning this tonight, Gu Sheng is surprised and feels she's been imposing on him. She'd planned to move into a hotel tomorrow while looking for another place.
"Oh? What is it?" Gu Sheng asks. In her heart, she likes this house, both its natural light and its arrangement. After moving out, she might not find anything as suitable.
Lin Zheng smiles. A cute, smiling teddy dog suddenly appears between them.
"Could you look after my dog for a while, Miss Gu? My mother is allergic to animal fur," Lin Zheng says with a smile, his tone casual.
Gu Sheng takes one look at the little teddy dog and instantly falls in love with it. She smiles at him and softly says, "All right."
Years later, Gu Sheng learns that someone had deliberately done this that night just to keep her there.
*A warm, healing, sweet romance. The male lead's secret love comes true, while the female lead learns to save herself.
Theme: Love yourself and live well
Happy birthday?! Great!