Pure and innocent years

Author: Lu Yi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Don't refuse love. Although she once painted your heart with a sorrowful hue that can never be erased, no matter what emotional journey you go through, the sun still rises, and the moon remains bright. Past sorrows fade like smoke. A quiet afternoon with a cup of tea, a night with a book, a free-spirited heart—this is the simplicity after brilliance, the reward after sacrifice.
Cheng Ming's father, young at the time, came from Shanghai to the Changbai Mountains for the Down-to-the-Fields Campaign. He fell in love with a local girl, married her, and had a daughter named Cheng Ming. Later, for the sake of his career, he abandoned them. Having grown up accustomed to the shame of having no father, the young and self-centered Cheng Ming was often unreasonable and unfairly blamed her mother. When Cheng Ming was thirteen, she was involved in a car accident, deepening her sense of life's darkness and helplessness. At that moment, Tian Pin, who had picked up her mother's wallet, hastily left his weekly journal behind to avoid expressing gratitude. The money Tian Pin found saved Cheng Ming's life; while the words written by this sixteen-year-old boy deeply moved her, they helped her twisted heart, devoid of paternal love, to rediscover the beauty and sincerity of life, as well as hope and ambition. Cheng Ming became more mature and diligent. At seventeen, she was admitted to Shanghai University of International Trade. After graduation, she worked in the metal futures trading department of a foreign trade company located in Shanghai's Trade Tower. Soon after starting her job, she fell in love with her friend Yu Cong—Blue Qing, a red vest who worked under the manager of a futures trading company in Shanghai.
At the bustling Trade Tower, Cheng Ming unexpectedly met Tian Pin. Overwhelmed with joy, she gave him a diary with "Pure Love Years" printed on the cover. Tian Pin was unaware that he had once unintentionally saved a girl's life and soul. He took this as a subtle gesture of love from a girl and paid it no mind. Tian Pin was a well-known figure in the futures trading circle, and his many qualities that embodied success made him the object of admiration for many girls. Yet, he was only devoted to Ye Jing, his university classmate. Cheng Ming quickly noticed that Tian Pin had changed under the strong impact of the market and the temptation of money. He was now vastly different from the sixteen-year-old boy she had once known. Deeply disappointed, Cheng Ming not only kept the past a secret from Tian Pin but also distanced herself from him.
However, Tian Pin soon set his sights on Cheng Ming's company, which had serious management flaws, as well as the manager Liang Xian's greed and ignorance. To make a quick profit, Tian Pin tried to pull Cheng Ming into his schemes. After she refused, the clever Tian Pin quickly changed his tactics. He first pretended to repent, even going so far as to get her hospitalized to deceive her. To pacify her, he stayed by her side in the hospital. Tian Pin's actions convinced Cheng Ming that he had truly reformed, and she softened toward him. Due to her lack of social experience and tendency to trust others too easily, Tian Pin's plan proceeded as planned.
However, as he interacted with Cheng Ming, Tian Pin noticed that this girl from his hometown shared many similarities with him. Her words stirred a mysterious and distant resonance within him. He began to pity her. The usually ruthless and unscrupulous Tian Pin felt uneasy and guilty about framing her.
Cheng Ming's other friend, Liu Song, urged Cheng Ming's boyfriend, Lan Qing, to invest money in the booming plywood market, hoping to test his luck in the futures market. Misled by rumors and overconfident, Lan Qing lost all seven hundred thousand yuan he had saved for three years. Disheartened, Lan Qing fell into a funk. However, Liu Song, after grieving, calmed down and analyzed the reasons for their failure, comparing herself to Yu Cong and Tian Pin. She also asked her husband, Hao Ren, who was studying for a doctorate in Vancouver, to send back ten thousand U.S. dollars to help her rebuild. Under Liu Song's influence and encouragement, Lan Qing transformed. The once carefree and content Lan Qing, with his red vest, was imbued with a new drive. He used internal company dynamics to force Yu Cong to resign and took over as manager. However, the futures market was then in a slump, and Lan Qing faced immense challenges. He initially wanted to give up but was greatly motivated by Liu Song's encouragement and Tian Pin's mocking laughter.
Cheng Ming couldn't understand Lan Qing's change, and Lan Qing was heartbroken by Cheng Ming's special closeness to Tian Pin. Their relationship suffered a severe rift. Meanwhile, Liu Song and Lan Qing developed feelings for each other through their shared ideals and ambitions. They worked tirelessly together and became top performers in the securities and futures markets. Liu Song and Lan Qing's relationship shattered Cheng Ming's dreams of pure friendship and love. Adding to her misfortunes, her mother passed away suddenly. Tian Pin seized the opportunity to advise Cheng Ming to study in the United States, hoping to escape legal consequences and find some peace of mind.
Before Cheng Ming's TOEFL results came out, an unexpected twist exposed Tian Pin's plans. To protect himself, Tian Pin killed Liang Xian, trying to shift all blame onto her and two others. One of them died, and the other went insane. However, the prosecution, after investigation, inevitably focused suspicion on Cheng Ming. Tian Pin's clever framing, combined with the testimony of Cheng Ming's colleague Qian Yan, who testified out of revenge, led to Cheng Ming's wrongful imprisonment. Lan Qing, Yu Cong, and others tried their best to help, but their efforts were in vain. As they felt helpless, the diary with "Pure Love Years" printed on its cover miraculously brought a turn of events.