His Summer Is Beyond Reach

1. Older woman/younger man romance, childhood sweethearts

2. Devoted, unhinged male lead vs. emotionally detached female lead with questionable values

3. Older woman/younger man romance, rekindled love, two strong professionals, unhinged younger man, restrained romance, clear-headed puppy-dog male lead

This novel will officially go premium on July 19, with chapters 1-17 moved behind the paywall (chapters you've already purchased won't be charged again).

An obsessive, restrained, unhinged younger man x a cool on the outside, warm on the inside older woman who runs from her feelings

Xia Zhiyao had always lived with a clear head and a precise plan.

She was good at weighing pros and cons, predicting risks, and keeping calm and composed in a crowd.

She was the youngest consulting partner in her industry, and everything had unfolded according to the path she'd laid out.

Only one person was a variable she hadn't accounted for.

Three years ago, fleeing her relentless ex-boyfriend, Xia Zhiyao ran off to New York.

She messaged Zhou Yue, who was working overtime: I'm in New York.

A blizzard shut down the city that night. Zhou Yue, his coat soaked with snowmelt, searched bar after bar,

until he found Xia Zhiyao sitting in the darkest corner of the bar. Her hair was dyed pink, her eyes unfocused, and she looked utterly miserable.

They embraced and kissed in the snowstorm.

That night, in Zhou Yue's bed, they held each other as emotion swept away all reason.

Afterward, Xia Zhiyao moved into Zhou Yue's apartment.

They spent several months living like a couple, with no label and no promises,

until one day Xia Zhiyao left without a word, leaving only a note: [Let's both calm down.]

Two years later, Zhou Yue returned to China and sat across from Xia Zhiyao in a conference room.

His expression was composed and his manner icy. "Mr. Zhou, it's been a long time."

Zhou Yue became the investment director behind Xia Zhiyao's company, forcefully inserting himself into her work.

He claimed he was keeping things strictly professional, but his eyes had already betrayed him.

They could argue furiously in a conference room, then cling to each other and kiss outside a hotel after a banquet.

Their relationship settled into an ambiguous stalemate: they occasionally slept together, but neither of them ever brought it up.

Xia Zhiyao always managed to walk away unscathed, while Zhou Yue fell deeper every time.

Zhou Yue had lost control, resented her, and hated her coldness and evasiveness.

But once he truly learned what Xia Zhiyao had gone through, all he wanted was to spend the rest of his life giving her every bit of tenderness he had.

Xia Zhiyao said, "I'm afraid you'll regret it."

Zhou Yue said, "I've loved you since I was a boy. I love you now that I'm grown, and I'll love you for the rest of my life."

Zhou Yue had loved her since he was young. She was the girl next door, an unreachable moon, and the secret he'd hidden in his heart since his youth.

New base: Night Snow, Faint Light: President Xiao, Romance Is a Separate Matter

Theme: No matter how battered you are, you can still save each other from the ruins and learn to love and find belonging again.