Lina Zhen

Lina Fang is brought up in the suburbs of Suzhou in China by her father Fang Lijian, who used to be a university scholar before he was displaced by the revolution, and her mother Jiajia, who was from an elite background. From a young age she is betrothed to her father’s closest friend’s son, a handsome and ambitious young man named Wei Zhen. She accepts this arranged marriage, and a part of her likes the security it provided her, but at the same time, she also desired something more from life. When she meets Wei’s younger mischievous brother Qiang, they quickly became friends. She is attracted to his mysteriousness, the way he understands her, and the way that they have fun together. He is the opposite of his brother, “the most eligible boy” in her village, and is instead dangerous and involved in local...