Similar to SS, the lead couple separate based on a misunderstanding, as well as the male lead’s inferior background and social position compared to the MC. Thinking that she’s disliked, but also due to frictions with her friends, she distances herself, moving to a new city and undertaking training to take over her family’s business. The MC soon encounters the second male lead, who she clashes with at first but is a more compatible match with her.

He’s probably similar to the male lead in the SS, struggling with the contradictions between his pride and inferiority, unable to express himself until he proves his worth. However I feel like the MC’s affections are wasted on a troublesome person.

The second half will probably be filled with more angst, but also more interactions between the characters and insight into ZX’s thoughts and feelings.

LYS. Part 1 and 2 both took over 10 years to write so there is a lot of speculation, but I want to confirm there are no breakups and misunderstandings! The romance is 1v1 and you will see that XZ was never a contender even if LYS did not exist. XZ's and FL's fathers roles in the story was to teach FL to set standards for the men in her life.

XZ and FL's father share some common personality traits. Perhaps it is their inferiority complex that makes them feel like they need to prove that they are better than their love interest. Perhaps it is pride and ego. FL's father is a scumbag not because he took care of his old love and her daughter, but because of how he embarrassed his own wife and family by "taking in a mistress" (even tho he never slept with her) and ignoring his wife's concerns.

I like that XZ's character is very full. Fully fleshed, full of emotions, and full of regrets. Later when XZ has months and years to reflect on all of his memories with FL, he realizes that nothing she said or did was ever wrong. He was the one who was vague in his words, he was the one who didn't clarify his relationship with RongRong was just friends, he was the one who openly judged her and made her feel terrible when she was misunderstood. He constantly felt the need to prove himself yet he didn't need to because she would have accepted him regardless. In fact, FL openly chased him despite his poor background so in hindsight, she was the only one he didn't need to put up appearances for.

But there is no medicine for regret. What redemption arc? He had so many chances and he blew them all. While he may have achieved the financial success he yearned for, he lost the one thing he can never have again.

For those still on team XZ, I'll throw in one more anecdote:

When FL was being accused of taking her classmate's interview phone call and not relaying the message and everyone in the dorm was against her, XZ not only stayed silent but he looked at her in contempt. How can someone watch the girl he likes be wronged and get trampled on? How can he believe all the negative things that others say over her words? Imo, as long as he allowed himself to not search for the truth and misunderstand her, he could remain innocent and continue to enjoy feeling superior to the proud rich girl chasing him.

LYS may be from a rich family but he had a rough childhood and life too when you compare him to XZ. Yet you don't see him playing the pity card and acting like the world owes him just because he suffered disadvantages. Instead of letting himself misunderstand FL, leave her questioning his intentions, or trying to judge her every move, he maturely communicates and doesn't hold back when pursuing her. My heart almost broke when he thought that his entire medical career was ruined because of FL, but he chose to let that go and chase her earnestly. He makes her laugh, he supports her professionally and emotionally and uplifts her for who she is. This is why he is the ML. This is why he is a good example of what a partner and a man should be like.

LYS only loved her in his 28 (?) all years. He fell in love with her at first sight years before the story started. And even though he thought she caused the accident which ruined his future as a genius surgeon, he still loved her and pursued her. There cannot be anyone more perfect for her. Please, author, dont break them up.

I hate him...

Honestly, from the start I was sure he was the male lead....I could have accepted him and forgiven him in the end, but why did the author introduce such a perfect 2nd lead (LYS) ?????!?!?!?!!? He definitely deserves her more than ZX and he's already suffered enough and treated her so preciously!

While ZX!... This s*upid female lead pursued him for so long despite his rude behavior, despite him humiliating her over and over, looking down on her, accusing her!!! Yet he has the audacity to be angry when she falls for someone who treats her well!!! And he's still on his high horse!!! SHE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG! She never looked down on others, never judged others, never treated others differently based on if they had money or not! THAT WAS ALL HIM! I cannot believe how self-righteously he acts when he's the one with the prejudice and arrogance!

Her father is very hateful as well. That woman didn't want him when he had no money, married another rich guy. But guess what, mc's father became rich and that other guy poor! So now she changed targets. And her father chose to take care of her, even making her daughter his god-daughter. Even when his wife divorced him because of this, he still chose that daughter-and-mother pair, even if he lost his wife and daughter!

That Yi Rong who likes ZX is exactly like that woman. YR wasn't interested in him when he was poor, but now that he's rich she plots and schemes against MC to have him. And he's at fault! I won't forget how he believed YR and went to a restaurant later with her (to console her?), where MC spotted them. Even after he found out MC was innocent and YR kept talking bad about her, he still remained friends with YR.

As all her friends. They all betrayed her. She never treated anyone bad, so they had no reason to suspect her, but they did. And when she was found innocent they didn't even apologise to her, but just expected to gloss over the matter as if it never happened. (the only one I don't blame was Xiao Feng, who was away at that time and even apologised to her, even if she didn't do anything to betray mc). Still, even after her friends found out the truth, they still remained friends with YR. Why? It was pretty obvious how fake she was around MC, how she always insinuated stuff about her, how she didn't apologise to her, nor even send a single message, how she always made inappropriate comments about MC and the last time she even lied MC went abroad to study and the lie was discovered! Why are they all still friends with her???

No matter what happens, there were too many unresolved issues in this one. While the ending was sweet, and I understood some symbolic actions such as getting a new phone indicating moving on etc. I didn't get the feeling that the MC had truly put the past behind her to walk a sunlit future with the ML. So I hope the next book will give us/the readers the true satisfaction of the MC letting go or freeing herself and no longer suffering in silence/misunderstandings.

It'd be one thing if ZX were easy to hate, but I don't think that's the case at all. Yes it seems he didn't treat her too well in the past, but we never really saw what really happened (and what we did see was from her biased perspective eg. "he loathes me" even though he actually likes her) and from his POV he had a thing with YR at that time. And then after that, he really has every reason to think they made up and she betrayed him. That said, maybe it shows that she's better off with someone more similar to her who doesn't play subtle games??? IDK BUT I LIKE THEM BOTH because I seriously loooove LYS. I don't really get why he fell in love with her at first tbh but oh well.