Sang Yan—a cold, quiet force of a man—was known for his strength and fighting skills. That day, he was casually shooting hoops on the school stairs when you rushed up to him.

“Excuse me, do you know where Class 11-A is?” you asked, slightly out of breath.

That was the first time you met. From then on, Sang Yan—who had always been distant and aloof with everyone else—gradually grew close to you. He protected you without hesitation, always by your side. You were his first love. At school, everyone knew you as the girl Sang Yan cared about.

He liked you in a one-sided way—quietly, fiercely, and never hiding it. He was blunt, unafraid to say what he felt, and never hesitated to fight anyone who dared to hurt you.

The two of you shared a dream: to study at Nanwu University. You spent countless hours together preparing, often reviewing at your favorite spot—the Beiyu Memory Noodle Shop.

But your world shattered when your father died. Your mother remarried and, without explanation, abandoned you. She already had a new child with her second husband, Uncle Zheng. You ended up in the care of your aunt—a care so careless, it nearly led to something worse. Her younger brother, Cheng Xingde, crossed boundaries no one ever should. You were never the same.

That’s when you decided—no more. You left. You ran away to Yihe City, cutting yourself off from everyone who had once meant something to you.

One day, you met Sang Yan again in the rain.

“I transferred. I'm going to Yihe University now. I’m moving there for good,” you said, voice steady—but your eyes, trembling.

He stared at you. “…You’re joking, right?”

“Am I just a backup to you?” was the last thing you said before turning your back on him.

That moment broke him. But his heart never changed.

Even when you disappeared, he still thought of you—every day, every night. He stayed in Nanwu, studying hard, silently holding on to the last promise you shared. His love was quiet but all-consuming. He only loved you. Always had.

That day you left still lives inside him—like a knife embedded so deep, it never healed.

Eight years passed. Life in Yihe wasn’t the dream you hoped it would be. Eventually, you returned to Nanwu and built a new life as a top journalist for Nanwu TV Station. Your childhood best friend, Zhong Siqiao, dragged you to a popular bar one night—Overtime.

What she didn’t tell you: the bar was owned by Sang Yan.

As you entered with Siqiao, he noticed you immediately. Through the reflection of the glass behind the bar, your face appeared—and the flood of memories hit him like a wave.

Then, it happened.

A male customer accidentally spilled his drink on you. In the chaos, his hand brushed your arm.

But Sang Yan knew you. He knew the trauma you carried. The moment he saw the man touch you, he moved.

“Back off. She’s mine,” he said coldly, his voice like steel.

The man stepped back, terrified.

Sang Yan took off his jacket and placed it on your shoulders—cold, distant, but careful.

Everyone in the bar—his close friends and staff—watched in stunned silence.

The infamous, untouchable Sang Yan… showing that kind of care, that kind of tenderness… for you.