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The year Sheng Tan met Chen He was their prime.
Sheng Tan was twenty years old, Chen He nineteen.
As an exchange student, Sheng Tan arrived at Chen He's school; among that group of students, his natural good looks made him the center of attention.
In that era, people tended to marry young. Sheng Tan was engaged due to an arranged marriage by his family, but the wedding had not yet taken place because he was still studying.
Chen He's family was of scholarly descent, strict in family discipline, but also retained some old customs, like the belief that marriage should be arranged by one's parents and the matchmaker.
Chen He had a boyfriend at that time, one well-accepted by her family; both families had been friends for generations, and Chen He and her boyfriend could be considered childhood sweethearts.
Sheng Tan thought Chen He had the temperament of a young lady, while Chen He considered Sheng Tan arrogant.