Starting Over in the Northwest with My Ex-Boyfriend

Teacher x businessman, older man

Ji Wanyun met him in Lanzhou, and they were in love for three years. But in the end, they parted with regrets.

Five years after their breakup, he still came to Lanzhou every summer, hoping for a fresh start and enjoying a brief spell of happiness.

A cool breeze from the Yellow River swept over White Pagoda Mountain on a summer night. The mouthwatering barbecue and a few drinks hit the spot.

He had just put down his card case when he heard the voice he knew best. "Mr. Ji, long time no see."

His hand froze mid-motion. To give himself a moment to recover, he shakily took off his old-fashioned wristwatch and drew a deep breath. Then he forced himself to smile calmly. "Well, Mr. Jiang, long time no see."

After a long silence, the man before him clenched his sharply defined fingers. His breathing grew ragged and labored. "Could we... start over?"

Reading guide:

This story includes real place names, but please don't treat it as a depiction of real life. Thank you! Please plan carefully if you travel.

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A recommendation for my friend's completed sweet historical fantasy romance: The Villain's Self-Rescue Failed After Book Transmigration by Qi Zhi.

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Coming-soon novel description:

Easygoing, lie-flat bottom vs. disciplined puppy-like top. Short novel, around 150,000 Chinese characters. I'll post it once the full draft is done.

Programmers have a high-risk job. Work eight days, rest two. Nine-to-nine, six days a week, or round-the-clock work is the norm. You have to be prepared to drop dead from overwork and to face layoffs once you turn thirty.

On his twenty-ninth birthday, Xu Ci decisively quit his job and returned to his hometown. He renovated the old house, then looked at his savings. If he pinched his pennies, he could get by for ten years without doing much of anything.

A few days after the renovation was finished, he listed the spare room online. Less than three days later, a tall, straight-backed man nearly 190 centimeters tall appeared at his door at noon, dressed in a suit and wearing a serious expression.

Xu Ci had just gotten up. But the spring sun was so warm and lovely that he had dragged a recliner to the front door and was lazily basking in the sunlight, his eyes half closed.

The man froze when he saw him, then walked over and asked, "Are you the landlord?"

"Yes." Xu Ci lifted his eyes slightly. Through his half-closed lids, he caught sight of an exceptionally handsome face and a perfectly fitted gray suit. The corners of his mouth turned up a little, then quickly fell again.

"You just woke up? You slept until now?" Yuan Chaoyan asked tentatively.

Xu Ci glanced at him sleepily. "Yeah. Is there a problem?"

Hearing the sleepiness in Xu Ci's voice, the man looked at him curiously, wondering how someone could sleep so much when it was already afternoon.

After the tenant moved in, Xu Ci started cooking three times as much as before.

One night, he made a chicken braised in rose and soy sauce. Yuan Chaoyan ate the whole chicken, five bowls of rice, and even went to the neighbor's house for two steamed buns to mop up the sauce.

But he didn't look full at all.

Xu Ci: "Were you born starving?"

Yuan Chaoyan: "..." He buried his head in his steamed bun.

#One of them sleeps a lot, the other eats a lot

#Younger man, low-key everyday life, wild in bed

#Features cuisine from Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing. Delicious food, love it, eat plenty

Theme: Honor the past, honor freedom