The Minstrel

During the years when she loved him most, Xiao Zhuang compared their respective advantages and disadvantages in every possible way. She had to admit that a girl like her, with neither family connections nor brains, would never even have had a chance to meet someone like him if she hadn't gotten absurdly lucky.

She might not measure up on paper, but she could make up for it with devotion. So she'd just love him a little more!

Too bad. Falling in love is like farming: success depends on the right time, place, and people. The harder you work, the bigger the harvest isn't guaranteed.

Some girls don't have to do anything at all. They just stand there with their backs to you, and the land of love automatically yields a bumper crop.

That must be the power of the girl who got away.

[Reader's Guide]

◎ Wealthy heir vs. free-spirited girl

◎ Includes unrequited love, the idealized first love, and the chase to win her back

◎ Readers with strict relationship-purity preferences, proceed with caution

Theme: It's best to let things take their course.