Love's Fork in the Road

[Rekindled love / The male lead steals the heroine away / Forbidden romance / Extreme push and pull]

A conflicted, obedient teacher x an obsessive doctor with a love-struck streak

Pretending to be clear-headed and keeping their distance vs. dark, crawling advances steeped in tea-like sweetness

(Complete manuscript in progress. Updates will begin after 200 saves.)

In Qiu Tang's eyes, Jiang Yuanzhou had been a decent ex.

For four years of dating, he was a model boyfriend who did everything for her. When she forced him to break up, he stood outside her dorm for two days and nights.

After that, he vanished from her life as if he were dead.

Qiu Tang thought they would never meet again.

Until...

On the night of her twenty-ninth birthday, she had a huge fight with her newlywed husband, who had been away for half a month.

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her, only to see a man by the elevator. The dim corridor lights illuminated his fair, handsome profile.

The man turned. His deep, tired eyes stared at her in shock.

Qiu Tang exclaimed in disbelief, "You... what are you doing here?"

He seemed not to have heard her. Raising the dessert box in his hand, he said, "Vanilla apricot cake... It's a new flavor from the dessert shop downstairs. Today's your birthday..."

He trailed off halfway through, as if realizing how forward his gesture was, and awkwardly pulled his hand back.

Qiu Tang lowered her head in a panic and walked past him expressionlessly.

As the elevator descended, she suddenly remembered an evening from several years ago.

By the lakeside at Qiming Lake at H University, she and Jiang Yuanzhou had leaned against each other on a bench, their heads touching.

The evening breeze ruffled her hair. The man holding her suddenly turned and kissed the corner of her lips, his tone earnest and gentle. "Tangtang, let's get married after graduation. I want us to have a home together in Hangcheng."

Jiang Yuanzhou thought he must be seriously ill.

Otherwise, why would he abandon the promising future at a top-tier hospital in the provincial capital and willingly start over in the small city where his first love lived?

He wanted to be a cool, dignified ex, too, but no matter what, he couldn't manage it.

When he and Qiu Tang broke up, he lost his soul. He spent days not eating or drinking in the newly purchased "marital home."

After she deleted him, he quietly made a new gaming account, playing the pitiful, adorable type until he finally got back onto her contact list.

He thought that once he'd cured his lovesickness, he would be able to win Qiu Tang back.

Unfortunately, she didn't give him the chance.

On Qiu Tang's wedding day, Jiang Yuanzhou rushed to Gucheng as soon as his night shift ended and anonymously gave 66,000 yuan as a wedding gift.

He stood at the entrance to the hotel banquet hall, gazing across the crowd at the beautiful bride on the stage. He turned the words "Congratulations on your wedding" over in his mouth for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say them.

He thought, let it be. They would have nothing to do with each other for the rest of their lives.

But who could have known that she wouldn't be happy after getting married?

This time, Jiang Yuanzhou stopped pretending to be dignified.

When he heard Qiu Tang was going to file for divorce, he waited outside the door opposite her marital home, timing it just right.

When she came out dragging a suitcase, he opened the door and strode over. "Tangtang..."

Qiu Tang raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as thorns. "Are you bored, Dr. Jiang? Did you come all this way to laugh at me?"

Jiang Yuanzhou shook his head and brushed the damp strands of hair from her forehead. "No. I just... I've been waiting for this day for too long."

The person in front of him stepped back and turned her face away. "The divorce cooling-off period isn't over yet."

Jiang Yuanzhou pressed down the corners of his lips and took her suitcase without asking. "I know, but I can't wait any longer."

Now Jiang Yuanzhou was sure that he really was sick. He was incurably ill with love for Qiu Tang, and always would be.

Gemini woman x Scorpio man

A love story between mature adults. Neither lead is perfect.

Content warning: While dating, the leads are each other's only partners, emotionally and physically. After they break up, the man stays single, while the heroine goes on dates and gets married. Please don't read if that bothers you.

Theme: Love is a superstition of perfect timing and circumstances.