Word Is, the Top Student Insists on Making Things Difficult

At their first meeting in Dujiangyan, Zhou Xingze caught sight of a boy with a pink nose and single eyelids like dusty picture frames, and set his sights on him.

Gu Xingyu thought he was just a helpful classmate, until the other boy used a notebook of mistakes, hot ginger soup, and quiet favoritism to gradually prise open his guarded heart.

"Stay away from me. We're not right for each other."

"I don't need money or a bright future. I only need you."

In that senior year, when even breathing felt stifling, society's prejudice, the teacher's veiled barbs, and his grandfather's sudden illness became the last straw. Gu Xingyu returned the tin box full of notes and candy wrappers, then left for Xinjiang with red eyes. "Zhou Xingze, don't wait. We have no future together."

Two years later, Zhou Xingze took a 40-hour train ride and showed up outside a breakfast shop in Xinjiang.

"Gu Xingyu, I told you I'd find you."

"If I disappeared one day, would anyone come looking for me?"

"I would."

There is plenty of prejudice in this world, but there will always be someone willing to shield you from every storm and stay by your side from school uniform to suit.

They meet in Dujiangyan, where calculating top student Zhou Xingze sets his sights on guarded poor boy Gu Xingyu. Zhou Xingze carefully lays his plans, using a notebook of mistakes, hot ginger soup, and quiet favoritism to gradually prise open the other's heart. Burdened by his family circumstances, including 50,000 yuan in debt and his grandfather's serious illness, Gu Xingyu is deeply insecure. At an observation platform, he ruthlessly rejects Zhou Xingze's confession. After enduring intense emotional turmoil and a painful falling-out, the two finally begin a secret relationship.

In their senior year, their relationship is unexpectedly exposed. Zhou's father uses their class difference to pressure them, and Gu Xingyu's grandfather falls ill as a result. To protect his family and Zhou Xingze's future, Gu Xingyu returns their token of love and tearfully leaves for Xinjiang. Two years later, Zhou Xingze earns first place in the provincial competition and secures early admission to university. He takes a 40-hour train ride to pursue Gu Xingyu in Xinjiang. With a stack of unopened letters and half a month of waiting, he finally melts Gu Xingyu's defenses. In the end, Gu Xingyu's grandfather lets go of his misgivings, Zhou's father gives in, and the two reunite on the Dujiangyan Bridge, promising to spend their lives together.

[Character Profiles]

Zhou Xingze: A cool and aloof academic prodigy on the surface, but calculating, obsessive, and always several steps ahead as the pursuer.

Gu Xingyu: A sunny, cheerful boy on the surface, but inwardly fragile and sensitive, with a fierce pride, as the one being pursued.

[Highlights]

A calculating top student sets traps at every turn to win over his sunny boy. Intense romantic tension early on, a painful separation in the middle, and a cross-province pursuit that brings them back together in the end.

[What Makes It Different]

No mindless sugary romance. The story focuses on the real pressures created by family burdens and class differences, showing two people saving each other and a young man risking everything.

Theme: Persevere through adversity, overcome society's prejudices with love and determination, and grow together as you pursue your dreams.