[Early: A self-reliant small-town girl x a world-famous architect who's cold on the outside and warm on the inside]
[Later: Startup co-founder x investor]
Zhou Han met Tu Shixu in a small town in Nancheng during the summer after she finished her college entrance exams.
She had grown up in the town, and the provincial capital was the farthest place she'd ever been.
She had been bullied at school, and her birth family was a tangled mess, but she was powerless to fight back.
She was insecure and sensitive. For a long time, she didn't dare look Tu Shixu in the eye, because she thought his gaze was sharp and deep, able to see right through all her thoughts.
Tu Shixu was pursuing a PhD in architecture in the Netherlands. He had traveled all over the world, designed a landmark in Lincheng, and was an honored guest at the World Architecture Summit, yet he loved the peace and quiet of a southern town most of all.
He brought her news from the outside world and encouraged her to leave the town and experience the wider world.
He told her, "True freedom is freedom of the heart."
Zhou Han thought it was unfortunate that she had met Tu Shixu when she was young.
He was gentle and courteous, knew his boundaries, and was extraordinarily talented. He was a brilliant person.
After meeting someone brilliant so young, she would spend the rest of her life disappointed, unable to find anyone who measured up.
Tu Shixu was the thunderclap in her heart when she was eighteen. He woke her from her insecurity, giving her the courage to leave the town, break free from her family, and see the wider world.
But after that summer, Tu Shixu stirred the lake of her heart, then vanished from her life.
Six years later.
Zhou Han became an autonomous-driving engineer and a co-founder of a startup.
When her company was on the brink of collapse, an investment of 500 million saved it.
After preparing thoroughly to meet the investor and discuss further funding, she saw Tu Shixu again.
He was still the same extraordinarily talented architect, but now he had another role: her investor.
"Ms. Zhou, if you don't mind, let's get married."
*
On the surface, it's a marriage-first, love-later story, but in truth, they have both been secretly in love with each other.
There was a reason the male lead disappeared for six years.
Happy ending, both leads have only ever been with each other, one-on-one, seven-year age gap. The main tone is intensely sweet and healing.
2023.11.14
Theme: The growth and transformation of a small-town girl.
