"Summer Anderson, can I get a kiss?" — Julian Knight
—
September in Dicheng always carried this weird mix of heat and humidity, like the city couldn’t decide if it wanted to steam you alive or drench you again. Maybe it was because a heavy rain had just passed. The sky was ridiculously blue, and the air smelled like sun‑dried grass.
Outside the Imperial University’s gate, rows of school buses were lined up neatly, all unloading fresh batches of students. Buses came from the airport, from the train station—basically funneling new blood straight onto campus.
"I swear it was raining when I left home this morning! Now it’s all sunny. Honestly, my mood’s kinda soaring with it!" A girl beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement for college life.
"You sure about that?" Her friend nudged her with an elbow, then pointed at the blazing sun hanging outside the bus window. "That sun looks more vicious than Noble Consort Hayles on the day she made Consort Zephyr kneel and lose her baby."
"Pfft… you’re too much."
"…"
The asphalt, freshly washed by rain and then roasted by the sun, was like a giant steamer basket. The moment students stepped out of the bus’s air‑conditioning, the heat slapped them so hard their energy practically evaporated.
"Little cabbage~ wilting in the field~ just stepped outside~ now turning into jerky~"
"What on earth are you chanting?"
"Don’t worry about it! Come on, let’s go get registered! Time to hunt for hot guys at the Imperial University!"
"…"
A taxi pulled up smoothly at a bus stop not far from the school. The driver got out to haul the luggage. "Little girl, just walk a bit forward and you’ll see the Imperial University. Too many students over there—no way to park—so I’ll drop you here…"
The back door opened, and a pale, delicate hand reached out. The girl’s wrist was slim, her skin almost translucent under the sun.
Feeling the heat, she quickly popped open a parasol. At the same moment, her soft voice floated out—gentle like misty rain in the Jiangnan region, cool and soothing like raindrops brushing your cheek. "Thank you, sir."
WeChat payment: 75 yuan.
The fare from the airport to campus.
"Don’t mention it! Makes me happy seeing the flowers of our motherland blooming at the Imperial University! Every one of you is a little genius! Hey—happy first day of school!"
The driver was a local from Dicheng, warm and enthusiastic as always.
the Imperial University had been standing for over a century, famous for its massive range of majors and ridiculously strong student body. Anyone who managed to get in was basically gifted.
Hidden behind her mask, Summer Anderson pressed her soft lips together. Her long lashes trembled a little, but in the end, she said nothing.
She wasn’t some genius. Getting into the Imperial University had pretty much drained half her life.
But so what?
The guy she liked was standing right at the top of the pyramid.
She wanted to see the world he’d seen. So she came.
Julian Knight.
The girl kept her little secret buried deep, silently repeating that name she’d chanted who‑knows‑how‑many times before.
Pushing her suitcase behind her, Summer unconsciously quickened her pace.
—
"Where’s Julian? Did he show up? Who went to get him?"
Chase Sherman walked over holding a whole stack of papers—cute cartoon‑style campus maps the Imperial University had made for the freshmen.
They even highlighted the top ten food spots on campus.
After all, new students were super prone to stepping on landmines, whether it was shortcuts or food choices. Just the main cafeteria area alone had like seven or eight dining halls.
Chase dropped the stack on the table and glanced around, not spotting Julian anywhere.
Hudson Angeles, who was busy helping freshmen sign in, spoke up. "Probably Landon went to get him. You, old man, should focus on the freshmen. Julian’s not gonna get lost—but the newbie babies definitely might."
Chase burst out laughing and shoved all the papers into Hudson’s arms. "With you guarding the fort, I can relax!"
"Where do you think you’re going?" Hudson reached out to grab him, but Chase slipped away. "Seriously? Are you made of slime?"
Chase pulled down his baseball cap and started walking backward. "Wrong. I’m a rabbit. That’s why I run fast!"
Hudson Angeles said, “...So who’s actually the student council president?”
“I mean, you kinda look the part.” Chase Sherman lifted a brow at him and even blew him a dramatic air‑kiss. “I gotta go rescue a lost freshman girl. Bye‑bye, 886!”
Hudson thought, More like I look like an idiot, that’s what.
He yanked off his badge and tossed it onto the table, fully prepared to bail. He wasn’t even in the student council—plenty of other people could do this boring check‑in work.
But halfway out, he suddenly remembered those two precious credits. After a long silent moment of self‑loathing, he dragged himself back into the chair. “Fine. Guess I’m just built to suffer.”
…
Hudson had barely settled when a pale, almost glowing hand appeared in front of him. Summer Anderson held out her admission notice and said, “Hi, senior. I’m here to check in.”
Her voice was soft and a little muffled. Hudson looked up, and the moment his eyes met her clear, pretty gaze, his brain short‑circuited.
Even with a mask on, it was obvious she was stunning.
Her eyes had a warm tea‑brown tint, bright like polished glass.
“Senior?”
Thinking she hadn’t spoken loudly enough, Summer called him again.
Hudson snapped back to reality, took her admission notice, and tore off the info slip. When he accidentally caught sight of her photo, he glanced at her again—this time with open surprise. “You’re... Summer Anderson? The big creator on Douyin with like twenty‑plus million followers?”
He led the street dance club and posted dance videos online himself, and even so had only racked up a few hundred thousand followers.
Summer blinked her long lashes and gave a tiny nod. “Yeah.”
Seeing how shy she was, Hudson didn’t push further. Instead, he grabbed a campus map and handed it to her. “Your dorm’s in Building 12. Want me to walk you over?”
“No, it’s okay. I can go by myself. Thank you, senior.” She tucked the map away. Just as she reached for her suitcase, a sudden buzz rose behind her.
Hudson instinctively looked over and shot to his feet. “Julian! Finally! The moment you disappear, Chase immediately starts working me to death!”
Julian?
Summer’s hand on the suitcase tightened. Her heartbeat jumped uncontrollably as she hesitated—should she turn around to see if it was really Julian Knight?
"He’s squeezing you dry? Then just hit him back…"
A cool male voice drifted into her ears, carrying a faint hint of laughter.
Summer Anderson turned around and realized they actually weren’t far apart.
The guy had his back to her. He was tall, with clean lines along his forearm, the veins standing out clearly.
And compared to his face, Summer knew his back and his voice even better…
Julian Knight’s looks were impossible to miss—he was the type who naturally drew every passing freshman’s gaze.
And he was leaning there sideways against the wall, loose and lazy, like he had no bones at all. His eyes were half‑closed, and he was murmuring something to the guy next to him, everything about him relaxed and casual.
Only Summer knew that the second she saw Julian, her heartbeat had gone wild, loud enough to drown out everything else.
He stood there like winter sunlight—cool, distant, soft on the surface, making people want to get close, yet the moment you reached out, you feared you’d still feel no warmth.
"Aaah‑choo!"
Chase Sherman dragged Julian’s suitcase over. "Are you two talking trash about me? I’ve been sneezing like crazy!"
Bang—
Summer hadn’t even shaken off the joy of seeing Julian when her own suitcase got knocked over.
The noise wasn’t small. Julian lifted his eyelids to look over, but she reacted faster—she immediately turned her body, dodging his gaze.
"Sorry, junior. Didn’t see your suitcase there." Chase bent down and pulled her luggage upright. "Which department are you in? Which dorm building?"
"Your bag looks heavy. Want me to help you take it over?"
Summer shook her head, grabbing the handle in her rush. "…Thanks, senior. My friend’s waiting for me. I should go find her."
"Eh? Junior?" Chase watched her hurry off, completely confused.
Julian, though—his eyes lingered on the girl’s pretty silhouette for a few seconds before he finally looked away.
—
PS:
The heroine is a popular influencer majoring in media, a total beauty blogger—basically a gorgeous girl who lights up the screen.
The hero is a lawyer, studying law, talks with that low‑key flirty vibe, cool on the outside but secretly spicy—a charming guy with hidden fire.
This is pure sweetness; their relationship never goes angsty.
Well… except the sourness of unrequited love, and the tiny bit where the hero gets emotionally wrecked, and a touch of soft healing.
It’s the story of our Summer Anderson, who spent seven years loving from afar and finally glimpsed a bit of light.
So yeah, if I make the hero suffer a little emotionally… what about it?
Extra note: that “tiny bit of torment for the hero” just means Julian Knight finds out she’s loved him for seven years and it breaks his heart—it’s all his own emotional meltdown, not relationship drama.
I write sweet romance with zero real angst; the highest form of love is feeling your heart ache for someone—that’s the whole vibe.
Welcome to the “Youxia” CP universe~