Gloomy, prickly perennial runner-up vs. poised, privileged runaway top student
Childhood friends but sworn rivals. Hating her was the story of her life, until years later, her secret crush finally came into the light.
Su Suan is all pretence. Ever since she was little, she has been determined to come in first. When she first met Pei Shi, she thought he was kind and fair, gentle and refined. She never expected him to put her in her place at their very first exam: she came second, and Pei Shi beat her by more than ten points.
Her teacher didn't know what to say about her excessive efforts, while those around her delighted in how hard she worked for nothing. Even her mother's catchphrase gradually changed from "My precious daughter..." to "Look at Pei Shi..."
Until one day, she heard someone say, "Dating affects your grades."
And so Pei Shi noticed that Su Suan, who had once ground her teeth at him and hated him to the core, had suddenly started going out of her way to please him: bringing him water for no reason, asking him out alone, even calling his name before she fainted...
He sensed something was off, but he couldn't resist when she puffed out her cheeks. She was just too cute.
And so two hearts, one sincere and one false, collided, and their love grew more and more intense.
The day her lie was exposed, the aloof, distant darling of the heavens had red-rimmed eyes as he angrily demanded, "Do you love me or not?"
She should have shed tears, her nose red from crying. Maybe then he would have softened and pretended nothing had happened.
But she said nothing. She even let out a cold laugh.
Her usual soft-spoken coaxing and honeyed words were nowhere to be seen.
Only then did he see her for who she really was: a shameless liar who would never change.
But even if it was all an act, she could at least have fooled him...
The next day, Pei Shi didn't go to school. He took a month's leave, saying he was preparing for a competition. The following month, he still didn't return. He submitted a transfer application and went to the United States.
No one could have imagined that, after that, years would pass before they could even say, "Long time no see."
As a girl, Su Suan had naively wished that Pei Shi would disappear.
Until the day he really didn't come back.
In 2022, the bad news was that she had run into someone from her past.
Except she didn't see him in person. Instead, she received his diary.
"April 11, 2015. Clear skies. I read online that girls are generally attracted to strong people. Starting today, I'm going to study seriously."
"September 7, 2017. Bright, sunny skies. Today is a good day. The sun is especially brilliant. Su Suan gave up going hiking for my sake. She said she wanted to."
"November 12, 2018. A heavy snow in the polar night. I hate her over and over, and miss her again and again.
Suddenly, I feel like his love is cheap, and so is his hate. If someone shows him even a little kindness, he can turn back, even if she's guilty of countless wrongs. He's still willing to make excuses for her."
"..."
The love in the diary was so beautiful she couldn't bear to look at it. How cruel and foolish she had been in real life... Yet he had told her over and over how wonderful she was, until she almost believed it herself.
It turned out that he had fallen in love with her a long, long time ago.
All her schemes and cunning had been forgiven in the name of love.
It was only now that she finally understood the sincerity, honesty, and unconditional nature of his love. But it was too late. She could no longer feel it. He had said he would love her for the rest of his life, and he had truly kept his promise.
Later, it rained in Dublin again, as if the rolling mountain ranges were weeping.
The rain never stopped in her world, but the umbrella had already gone far away.
Love and hate had both come at the wrong time.
The blurb has been saved and archived. The story will probably start around mid-April.
Reader's Guide:
1. The heroine is not perfect!!!
2. Bittersweet ending. The male lead dies.
3. Updates according to the schedule before the paid chapters, then daily updates afterward.
Theme: Don't strive for perfection. Strive for freedom and happiness.
