When his family declared bankruptcy, Wen Zhan had no choice but to end his studies abroad and return home to clean up the mess, working to pay off the debts.
Having dropped out of university, Wen Zhan couldn't find any quick-paying job besides working in a factory tightening screws.
Just as Wen Zhan was calculating exactly how many screws he had to tighten each day to pay off the debt, an executive assistant found him and claimed that if he played a stand-in role well, he would be paid 100,000 a month.
Wen Zhan: "How much?"
Rich people were rare. Rich people who were stupid and had money to burn were even rarer.
Wen Zhan agreed at once.
*
The assistant brought Wen Zhan back to the Lu family home.
After signing the stand-in contract, he conscientiously played the role of the rumored unattainable first love, not daring to make the slightest mistake for fear of angering Lu Muchuan and losing his job.
Lu Muchuan didn't like him smiling, so he pressed his lips together and put on a cool, aloof front.
Lu Muchuan's first love didn't like sweets, so Wen Zhan learned to savor bitter coffee.
In front of Lu Muchuan, he pretended to be the unsmiling, untouchable first love.
Behind Lu Muchuan's back, he chased cats and teased dogs, showing none of the dignified restraint expected of a first love.
Until one day, while cleaning the study, Wen Zhan found his high school exam admission ticket in Lu Muchuan's drawer.
Beside the name he used to go by, Lu Muchuan had written, again and again, about a love that could never be returned.
Wen Zhan: "So I'm the first love, and I'm the stand-in too. Am I standing in for myself?"
Just saving this idea for now. I'll revise the blurb later, 24.4.13.
Theme: Perseverance can create miracles.
