The Truant

A dual-protagonist school romance about two pairs of boys who sit together in class: Duan Jiang, ranked second in the year, and Lu Chen, the cool, aloof top student; and the passionate, outgoing He Huai and the quiet, reserved Lin Xing. With their two observant friends, Xiao Raoting and Song Yulan, the story unfolds as a tender, delicate tale of youthful first love over the course of their first year of high school.

At the start of the school year, Duan Jiang, who sleeps through class yet consistently ranks second, is the first to notice his eternally composed deskmate, Lu Chen. Duan Jiang takes the initiative, sharing milk tea and breakfast and patiently waiting for him. Lu Chen may act cold, but he quietly marks Duan Jiang's wrong answers, steps up to run the 3,000 meters at Sports Day when nobody else signs up, and plays his Grade Ten piano pieces in private for Duan Jiang alone, silently directing all his tenderness toward him. The two go from awkward deskmates to growing closer: exploring an escape room, spending time together on an autumn outing, giving each other special encouragement at a basketball game, keeping vigil through the night when one falls ill, holding hands in the snow, and embracing during a game of truth or dare at a villa. While alone together over winter break, they confess their mutual feelings and confirm that they are boyfriends, their young, restrained romance full of special affection for each other.

Meanwhile, there are He Huai and Lin Xing, childhood friends who have grown up together. He Huai has clung to Lin Xing with passionate devotion for years, using jokes to hide his long-standing love. Lin Xing seems cool and distant, but in truth he quietly puts up with He Huai and secretly harbors feelings of his own. A confession during truth or dare, sharing a pair of gloves in winter, and a late-night voice call in which they reveal more than a decade of unrequited love help them cross the line between friendship and become a couple.

Monthly exams, school performances, Sports Day, final exams, Lunar New Year over winter break, and the start of a new term are woven into their everyday lives. Tender images of cicadas singing, evening breezes, moonlight, snow, milk tea, hot milk, and piano music tie it all together. There are no intense conflicts, only the subtle, awkward feelings of young boys: hands secretly clasped beneath desks, reddening ears, instinctive favoritism, and smiles they show only to one another. The relaxed interactions among the six friends and the teasing observations of those around them further highlight two pure, mutual secret crushes. The story records the entire journey from meeting and testing the waters to falling in love and staying together openly, capturing the softness, restraint, and ardent, innocent love unique to high school.

Theme: Let readers experience the characters' romance while also encouraging them to take the characters as role models, study hard, and earn good grades.