Black-hearted yandere | Male substitute
Shen Yanze is tall, handsome, sunny, and outgoing. He's the basketball team's captain and has topped the computer science department year after year. At Qing University, he's a famous campus heartthrob.
But whether it's the campus belle or a professor's daughter, he turns them down politely and decisively. Rumor has it no one can win over this unattainable beauty.
Ruan Zhen decides to give it a try,
because his face resembles the one belonging to her unattainable first love.
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Shen Yanze is the perfect boyfriend after they start dating.
But how does he know she loved chestnut cake as a child?
Like her first love from her memories, he gets migraines.
And though her boyfriend works part-time to pay his way through school, someone recognizes his wristwatch as a priceless custom-made piece...
Every so often, Ruan Zhen finds herself wondering.
Until one night, Ruan Zhen gets drunk. Sitting on Shen Yanze's lap, she holds his face in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears. "Let's break up. You're not him at all..."
After that, she can't remember what she said. Dazed and tipsy, she falls asleep.
The next morning, she wakes up in the master bedroom of an unfamiliar mansion.
To her horror, Ruan Zhen discovers that her left hand is handcuffed, with the other end attached to the wrist of the man beside the bed.
Shen Yanze's lips curve slightly, but there isn't a hint of a smile in his eyes. His icy fingertips brush her cheek, making her shiver.
"So I didn't play the part well enough. I should have stopped pretending sooner."
His long fingers hold the handcuff key, dangling it outside the window as it sways gently in the breeze.
"Baby, kiss me the way you've dreamed of kissing him night after night. Tell me you love me..."
"Before I let go."
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Black-hearted, brooding, untouchable campus beauty vs. innocent, teasing sweetheart
*Secret crush, substitute, melodrama
*Both are each other's firsts; the male lead is pure in every way, while the female lead had an unattainable first love in high school (a one-sided crush)
*Happy ending
Core theme: Becoming a better version of yourself
