The New Love

He's a delinquent, reckless and beyond redemption. But beneath that seemingly carefree exterior lies a broken, insecure heart, at once deeply dark and utterly pure.

She's an outstanding student in every way, the good girl in the eyes of her teachers and parents, someone he longs for but can never have.

Lin Bainan doesn't know when Xu Qingqian stepped into his world. Maybe it was after evening study, when she reached out to him as he stood in the darkness. Or maybe it was when she stood firmly by his side amid all the gossip. But he knows she never did any of it because she liked him.

“Xu Qingqian, don't pity me.” The boy's voice is stubborn. His bloodshot eyes hide beneath long lashes, and his voice carries a faint nasal quality.

“Lin Bainan, you're my friend. I've never thought you were pitiable.” She says it earnestly, without a trace of insincerity.

The boy forces a bitter smile. His hand clenches into a fist at his side as he murmurs, “I don't want to be your friend. Never.”

“What did you say? I didn't hear you...”

“Nothing...”

Xu Qingqian, there can only be two kinds of relationship between us, but friends will never be one of them.