Starlight Slides

Blurb:

"The moment I saw you, I was drunk, as if I had glimpsed all the gods beneath the heavens."

Evening Star

[Reunion after years apart + getting back together after a breakup + small-town fiction + two people with nothing better to do, just messing around]

Fake gold-digger VS genuine hopeless romantic

Pool hall owner VS hotel owner

*

Nineteen-year-old Li Wanxing is dazzling and bold, but her tattoos and smoking make her an outcast among her peers.

Twenty-year-old Shi Yuqing is gloomy and aloof, with no family or friends, living a rootless, unsettled life.

In the little county town of Yu County, no one ever paid much attention to these two ordinary people.

Just as no one knew they'd been together for five years, fighting to keep their love alive.

That summer in Yu County was swelteringly hot. On a night when mosquitoes ran rampant, Shi Yuqing blocked her at the door. "I can't come up with the betrothal money your mom asked for."

Li Wanxing pushed him away, leaving him with just one sentence: "This is the last time tonight. After we're done, let's break up. You can't give me what I want."

*

Three years later, they met again in a pool hall in an alley in Yu County. Li Wanxing leaned against the wall, smoking as she mocked the man by the pool table. "You play terribly. You're wasting the instructor's time."

Shi Yuqing raised an eyebrow. "Then I won't use her. You look pretty free right now, Boss Li. How about you take over?"

Li Wanxing smiled recklessly. "I'll do it, but it'll cost extra."

Shi Yuqing sneered. "You're still the same as ever."

Then one day, Shi Yuqing happened to see a photo a friend had sent him. Li Wanxing was sitting face-to-face with a blind date. He couldn't hold back any longer.

That night, in the hotel bathroom, Shi Yuqing gripped Li Wanxing's chin and demanded coldly, "Your taste has really gotten worse."

Li Wanxing replied, "So what if it has? He's rich. My mom accepted his betrothal money. Remember to come to the wedding, Boss Shi."

Later, on a rainy night,

Li Wanxing was crouched in the stairwell smoking when Shi Yuqing appeared, soaked from head to toe. He handed her a bank card. "I'll give you double the betrothal money. Come with me."

Later still, at the Xinghe Hotel, the two were entwined together. After the rain stopped, Li Wanxing's breathless voice couldn't hide her words: "Shi Yuqing, you gave me too much."

After that night, Li Wanxing went to Shi Yuqing herself. "Want to run away with me? Let's leave Yu County."

Reading guide from the author:

1. The full manuscript is complete. Blurb written on January 12, 2025.

2. Both leads are sexually inexperienced. No real-life inspirations! The author isn't misogynistic either. Most of the plot comes from things the author has seen and heard in real life.

3. The heroine isn't a lovesick fool. She only helped the hero before because she needed the living expenses. The two are simply saving each other.

4. The views expressed in the story don't represent the author's own. Please read with a level head.

5. Neither the leads nor the story are perfect. If that bothers you, please steer clear. Suggestions on how to raise this little butterfly are welcome, too.

6. This little butterfly isn't perfect. If you like it, the author sincerely asks you to stay and witness its growth, from beginning to end.

Theme: Love and money are equals.