Jin Die Lin and Xu He Qi first met before they were even born.
They were born in the same year, and their mothers were best friends. Their mothers discussed and chose their names together.
Her given name was "Die," and his was "He." Both were winged animals with auspicious meanings. They also had a matching pair of nicknames. Their mothers both loved wax apples, so one child was nicknamed "Xiao Lian" and the other "A Wu."
They played together constantly as children and were inseparable. Back then, he was a little more lively than she was, while she was always a little taller than him.
Then, when they were six, something happened to his family, and Xu He Qi went abroad. From that point on, her childhood companion vanished from her world like a bubble.
–
Not long after Jin Die Lin's twenty-fifth birthday, her mother excitedly told her that A Wu was back and asked her to dress up so they could all have dinner together that evening.
She had no memory of the A Wu from her childhood. What she did remember was that her mother had been very, very, very worried about her love life lately.
Why do I have to go on another blind date? Jin Die Lin thought. To get it over with, she put on an outfit so hideous she would have felt embarrassed wearing it downstairs to take out the trash: a red padded jacket, white pajama pants, and black high heels.
And then... she fell in love at first sight with "A Wu" looking just like that...
Good heavens! Nobody told her he was this handsome now!
And so tall... Wasn't he always shorter than her when they were kids?
It wasn't just his looks that had changed. His personality had, too. He was no longer as lively as before, but had become cold, aloof, and distant.
For example, when Jin Die Lin greeted him, "Hello."
Xu He Qi glanced at her and merely nodded. He didn't even give her a punctuation mark.
Wow, handsome and doesn't even want to talk to her. I like him even more...
–
Later, in her efforts to win Xu He Qi over, Jin Die Lin took her friend's advice and changed her style to something sultry and seductive, the kind of look that could make any man fall for her.
But the day he turned her down, he said, "Sorry, you're not my type. Leopard-print fur, a tight leather skirt, black stockings, and high heels are all deal-breakers for me."
After she got home, she opened her livestream, where she only sang and never spoke or showed her face, to vent her heartbreak. She angrily sang eight sad songs.
Then "5," the top donor in every one of her livestreams, commented, "Are you in a bad mood?"
For the first time, she spoke during the livestream. "I got dumped. But this guy is way too much! If he doesn't like me, fine, but he actually said he doesn't like my clothes?! Does he know how many brain cells I've spent researching outfits lately?"
On the other side of the phone, Xu He Qi heard her voice and thought, Huh? What's going on? Why does her voice sound so familiar? Did I... just reject my goddess?
★ Versatile, stylish homebody girl x cold, aloof, and cool guy
Reader's Guide:
She pursues him first, then he pursues her
A childhood friend who returns out of the blue. Both are each other's first and only love. Happy ending.
The character in He Qi can have multiple pronunciations; in this story, it is pronounced qi.
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