Rising Tide

Campus girl pursues boy / urban reunion after years apart x reunion after years apart

Flirtatious but clear-headed x aloof and secretly passionate

1. Ming Xiang knew of Pei Qingyi as soon as she started school.

He was the Computer Science Department's untouchable heartthrob, with countless admirers.

Even though Ming Xiang was in the same class as him, she could barely get a few words in with him.

During the summer term of their sophomore year, they were unexpectedly assigned to the same project team.

Ming Xiang made no secret of her feelings for him and pursued him passionately.

Ming Xiang was gentle-looking and outstanding at her major, but nobody believed she could win Pei Qingyi over.

After all, he wasn't even interested in the campus belle.

So when the two started dating, it became a hot topic at school.

Many people thought their families were too far apart in status, and that they would break up by graduation.

And that's exactly what happened.

But nobody knew that less than a week after the breakup, Pei Qingyi came to Ming Xiang in a sorry state, pinning her against the wall until she had nowhere left to retreat. The corners of his eyes were red, as if he hadn't slept in two days.

"You said you cared about me for more than what I could do for you. You said you loved me. If that's true, we'll get back together."

2. Years after they parted, Ming Xiang never expected to see Pei Qingyi again in a company conference room.

He was one of the partners, just back from a business trip.

Ming Xiang carefully avoided him at work while looking for a new job.

At a group dinner, it happened to be raining, and Ming Xiang's taxi was taking forever to arrive.

An hour later, a black Audi RS pulled up in front of her. When she saw who was in the driver's seat, Ming Xiang instinctively walked away.

She had barely taken two steps when Pei Qingyi got out into the rain and grabbed her arm hard.

"Would it kill you to tell me you love me?"

*Original blurb: 2024/03/28. Revised 2026/05/17

Theme: Learning to express love