As the Wind Blows [Marriage Before Love]

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Synopsis:

In her third month of unemployment,

Shu Ying starts running into an old classmate she barely knew with increasing frequency.

The third time they meet at a matchmaking restaurant, as they part, Shu Ying jokes offhandedly:

"We know each other inside and out. Why don't we just help each other out and call it a day?"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, she thinks she may have gone too far. Just as she's about to take them back, the man solemnly answers, "All right."

Shu Ying freezes. After a long pause, she murmurs, "I was joking."

Li Sunian gazes at her with a faint smile. "I took you seriously."

-

A new, stern and humorless associate professor has joined the Archaeological Research Institute at Yu University. He's experienced and knowledgeable, and blessed with a face so handsome it could outshine anyone's, but his personality is as cold as ice. The students respect and fear him. In private, they sometimes joke that someone like Professor Li, who knows nothing about romance, will never find a wife.

They never expect that after a day of fieldwork, they'll hear Professor Li speaking on the phone with such tenderness as soon as he steps outside: "You skipped dinner again?"

They don't know what the person on the other end says, but Li Sunian lets out a soft sigh. His voice sounds weary, yet his tenderness is unmistakable. "Yingying, I'm not trying to control you. I'm worried about your health."

Behind him, the students huddle together and whisper: "I bet Professor Li did such a good job hiding it because he married someone his family set him up with."

Hearing this, Li Sunian hangs up and corrects them with a stern expression: "Look at things dialectically instead of relying too much on past experience."

Knowing they've spoken out of turn, the students put on their best listening faces.

The next second, they see Professor Li's expression soften. "My wife was the girl I had a crush on in high school. I'm very lucky I got to marry her."

Reader's Guide:

Traditional Chinese flower-knot artisan x mural conservator

Theme: Growing up