The air inside the LUMIGO boardroom was charged with anticipation. A high-stakes project had landed on their table — a collaboration with a major Parisian fashion house. A campaign that could position LUMIGO on the global map.
Everyone expected a senior-level executive to take the lead. So when He Ran announced Shen Miao as the project head, eyebrows rose.
> "She knows our brand voice better than anyone," He Ran said. "She'll lead the campaign strategy. I'll co-lead on vision and direction."
A few murmurs followed. One particularly sharp glance came from Lina, the brand strategist — elegant, ambitious, and clearly territorial about her position near the CEO.
After the meeting, Lina brushed past Shen Miao near the elevators, her voice like honey laced with poison.
> "You've always been lucky with timing, haven't you? First in college, now here."
Shen Miao met her gaze, unshaken. "It's not luck. It's work."
Still, her heart pounded. Not because of Lina — but because she'd now be working side-by-side with the man she once thought she'd love forever.
---
The week flew by in a blur of meetings, mood boards, and late-night brainstorms. Shen Miao and He Ran clashed often. He preferred bold visuals. She leaned toward subtle, emotional storytelling. Their debates sparked tension — but also admiration.
> "You still argue like we're in the debate club," he said one evening, half-laughing.
She smirked. "You still talk like you know everything."
They both paused. The mention of school cracked open a memory.
—Flashback Begins —
The school courtyard was alive with spring blossoms, soft petals drifting in the warm breeze like little whispers.
Shen Miao sat under the big banyan tree, her sketchbook open but untouched on her lap. She wasn't drawing. Instead, she was watching He Ran across the lawn, surrounded by his usual quiet crowd.
Suddenly, his eyes met hers.
Her heart skipped.
The world blurred around her.
> Thump. Thump. Thump.
Butterflies — a whole flock — fluttered wildly inside her stomach.
She quickly looked away, cheeks burning.
"Why am I feeling like this?" she wondered, biting her lip.
He walked over slowly, eyes bright but gentle.
> "Hey," he said softly, sitting beside her. "You're quiet today."
She tried to smile but failed.
> "I… I think I like you," she blurted out before she could stop herself.
He blinked in surprise.
> "Like… like like?"
> "Yes. Like a thousand butterflies have taken over my insides, and I don't know what to do with them."
He laughed, a quiet, warm sound.
> "I feel it too," he said.
For a moment, they sat in silence, sharing a secret so fragile and new.
Then he reached out, gently brushing a stray petal from her hair.
> "Maybe this is what everyone calls the first love."
Shen Miao's heart soared.
Back in the present, Shen Miao felt the echo of that first flutter between them, soft and undeniable.
And for the first time since He Ran's return, she wondered if maybe… their love wasn't just a story from the past.