1
To tell the truth, I'm ashamed to admit I wasn't always this clearheaded.
As a teenager, I was a hopeless romantic.
Back then, I was obsessed with romance novels and fascinated by love. In the space of a single year, I dated every handsome boy at school.
How often I changed boyfriends depended on how quickly I read through my novels.
For instance, there was a period when I was obsessed with stories about couples from equally well-matched families. During that time, my boyfriends were all that type—basically on par with my family. To be honest, someone like that wasn't easy to find. After all, my family was at the very top of the wealthy elite.
Just how rich was my family?
Ever since my great-great-grandfather's time, my family had always been wealthy. Our genealogy went back to the Ming dynasty, and people in our circle called us an old-money family.
In our own words, we were top-tier old money.
My father was the fifth son in his family, and I was his only daughter, his precious little girl. He doted on me beyond all measure. If I wanted the stars, he'd pluck them from the sky. There was nothing my parents couldn't do for me—only things I hadn't thought to ask for.
My family indulged me without limit, letting me run wild among the upper crust.
When my teachers told my parents that I kept changing boyfriends, they were actually proud of me. “I’m telling you, none of those little brats are good enough for our Ti Vũ. But as long as our darling likes them, that’s all that matters.”
I was so spoiled that whenever the elders in our circle heard my name, they backed away—and even advised their children, “Stay away from the young lady of the Giang family. She’s someone you can admire from afar, but you’d better not take her lightly.”
But that warning obviously didn't do much good.
After all, I was famous for my looks in our circle. Everyone knew the young lady of the Giang family was a fairy, and even the rich kids who'd seen countless beauties couldn't resist me.
I changed boyfriends at such a dizzying rate that it didn't stop until I met Lâm Chi Việt.
2
Before long, I'd dated every handsome boy at school.
As my cousin Trần Gia Nghi put it, “If he's handsome, just ask around—he's probably one of Giang Ti Vũ's ex-boyfriends.”
I'd caused so much trouble that I couldn't stay at my elite school any longer, so I had my parents quickly arrange a transfer to a famous top public high school.
I planned to turn over a new leaf and start again.
Unfortunately, that resolve lasted less than twenty-four hours before it went up in smoke.
Because I met Lâm Chi Việt.
The first time I saw Lâm Chi Việt, he was being beaten by a gang of delinquents in a narrow alley.
He was crouched facing the corner, his back and head exposed to his attackers as he fiercely shielded something in his arms.
Fists rained down on him, but he didn't even groan.
The blond-haired ringleader seemed to think beating Lâm Chi Việt was no different from punching a punching bag. It wasn't satisfying, so he gave up practicing his punches and kicks, picked up a brick from the ground, and raised it to smash into Lâm Chi Việt's head.
My sense of justice flared. I hopped onto my scooter and charged over, kicking the blond guy flying. “Pick up that brick again and see what happens!”
The delinquents all stopped and watched me warily. When they saw I was a pretty girl who didn't look very threatening, they relaxed and grinned at me.
Before the leers on their faces could fully form, my bodyguards behind me had twisted them into pretzels and hauled them off to the police station.
I snorted and turned around to comfort the victim. “Hey, are you—”
The last word caught in my throat, and I couldn't get it out.
I stared at the victim's face, momentarily dazed.
The morning sun fell gently in beams across him. For a moment, it was as if I saw butterflies fluttering through the air.
The boy was tall and thin, his uniform hanging loosely on his frame. His face was strikingly handsome, clean-cut and refined, with a slightly cool expression. He carefully cradled an injured kitten, giving him a contradictory air—both clear-eyed and gentle, yet aloof.
In an instant, my heart pounded, my blood rushed, and my head spun…
Oh no. I think I just fell in love with him at first sight.
3
I decided to pursue Lâm Chi Việt.
Although I'd dated plenty, I had no experience pursuing boys. Before, all I had to do was crook a finger, and a whole crowd of boys would come running. I wanted to ask Trần Gia Nghi for advice, but she was busy at the time.
Her father—my mother's younger brother—had started a company and gone bankrupt. She was determined to enter show business to earn money and pay off his debts. She was busy working every day; how could she possibly have time to deal with my little love life?
There was no helping it. At the crucial moment, I could only rely on myself.
Lâm Chi Việt was an orphan, abandoned by his parents at birth. Poor but academically gifted, he was the archetypal impoverished male lead.
I'd never interacted with that kind of person before, but I knew the type well. After all, I'd read plenty of novels.
One afternoon, I made my move.
I took out a black card and gently set it on his desk.
Lâm Chi Việt raised his eyes and gazed silently at me. His eyelashes were long and thick, and when he looked at someone intently, it felt as if he could draw them into his eyes.
I cleared my throat. “Lâm Chi Việt, this black card has no spending limit. It's yours.”
“Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to humiliate you. This is the first time in my life I've ever given a boy a black card. It represents my feelings for you.”
He couldn't help smiling, his voice soft and almost seductive. “What feelings?”
He looked so handsome when he smiled. I couldn't help blushing, and said a little shyly, “I want you to be my boyfriend.”
I pushed the black card toward him and tilted my head slightly, my voice as reverent as if I were praying. “Will you say yes?”
Lâm Chi Việt lowered his eyes to look at the black card.
I held my breath, waiting for his answer.
It felt as though a century had passed, though it might have been only a few seconds.
In that instant, a thought flashed through my mind.
All right, all right, all right. Looks like the only suffering I’d ever known in this life—aside from the freezing weather—had just gained a rival: love.
As my thoughts ran wild, Lâm Chi Việt’s cool voice rang out. “Yes.”
I looked timid on the outside, but inside, I was over the moon.
Love had come so easily.
4
I secretly called Uncle Trương, the driver, and told him not to come pick me up. I wanted to take the subway home by myself.
I barely managed to stick it out until evening study hall ended.
Lâm Chi Việt and I walked side by side. He was saying something to me, but I wasn’t really listening. I was distracted, busy plotting my next move.
I planned to wait until we got on the subway, then pretend to stumble into his arms amid the crowd and take the opportunity to hug him. I’d rehearsed the move in my head countless times. It would be smooth and natural.
Just thinking about it made me happy. A brave young woman should enjoy a handsome guy first!
Then, without warning, the sky opened up.
Before I could react, a school uniform was draped over my head, plunging me into darkness. I was just starting to panic when a warm, solid chest pulled me close. The person wrapped an arm around my shoulders and hurried me beneath the awning of the convenience store next door.
Lâm Chi Việt’s warm voice came from above me. “It’s raining too hard for an umbrella to help. Let’s wait until it lets up a little before we go, okay?”
I rustled my way out from under the uniform draped over my head and looked up at Lâm Chi Việt.
He was drenched. Raindrops fell one by one from the ends of his black hair, and moisture clung to his long lashes, making his eyes look like freshly washed black grapes—clear and pure.
And reflected in those beautiful eyes was my own image.
Dizzy with infatuation, I murmured, “Lâm Chi Việt, has anyone ever told you how handsome you are?”
Your lashes are so long, your eyes so bright, and your mouth looks so cute, too.
I watched Lâm Chi Việt’s fair face grow redder and redder, the color spreading from his cheeks down to his neck. It was as if his whole body were about to catch fire…
Lâm Chi Việt lowered his eyes to look at me and said softly, “You can kiss me.”
So good! I screamed inwardly.
“Then don’t move, okay?”
I coaxed him like a little kid, cupped his face in both hands, and rose onto my tiptoes to lean in.
Our breaths mingled. I could smell mint on him—fresh, cool, and lovely.
Just as the atmosphere had grown impossibly intimate, a startled male voice abruptly interrupted me. “What are you two doing?”
I jumped.
Guilty, I buried my face in Lâm Chi Việt’s chest like a turtle hiding its head.
Lâm Chi Việt gave the faintest smile. With his right hand, he pulled the school uniform over my head to cover me completely; with his left, he wrapped an arm around my waist, gently holding me against him.
When you can’t see, your hearing seems to be amplified without limit, growing extraordinarily sensitive.
Leaning against Lâm Chi Việt’s chest, I heard his chaotic heartbeat thudding away. A little sweetness spread through my heart.
A line came to mind.
The world stirs with love.
Like the porcelain-white dream of midsummer, a shard of stone striking the wall with a clear, tinkling chime.