A tsundere, sharp-tongued golden retriever guy / a gentle, conflicted corgi girl | First person + mutual secret crushes + reunion after years apart + growing up + friendship
(Lighthearted style and a slow-paced, everyday story)
[The most romantic thing in the world is when the person I like likes me too.]
Back in her student days, Ding Yimin was a bookworm who loved romance novels.
One day, she grabbed Xu Xu, her roommate and close friend, and said animatedly, “In the romance novels I’ve read, whenever the male lead appears, he always draws the attention of nearly everyone around him, including the female lead.
“But on a stage under everyone’s gaze, the male lead only looks at the female lead in the audience, even if she’s completely unremarkable.”
Xu Xu replied, “Because she’s not only the heroine of the book, but also the heroine of his heart.”
Meng Siyuan had a timid desk mate named Ding Yimin.
She had a terrible memory.
She forgot that they’d been classmates in middle school, that they’d met at a bookstore, and that he’d shielded her from a basketball flying toward her head, among other things.
Her eyesight wasn’t great either. The first time she called out to him, she said, “Meng Enyuan, here’s your homework.”
His mouth twitched as he took it, thinking, “Girl, take another good look. Your buddy’s name is Meng Siyuan!”
Meng resolved to practice his handwriting, but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering.
There had to be some kind of magic about Ding, his desk mate, something that drew him to her and made him think about her every single day.
So he came to love school days and hate vacations most of all.
Though he loved having fun, he was happy to stay in the classroom during breaks, savoring the brief moments he could sit beside her.
His smile reached his eyebrows and filled his heart.
At that age, in those youthful days, having her there made everything just right.
