The Secret Crush Trap

[A Sweet, Stress-Free Romance, Around 200,000 Words; Will Not Affect the Usual Update Schedule] [Fake Couple / Childhood Friends] A good student who is not what he seems x a sweet girl who is not what she seems [1] In the eyes of teachers and classmates, Lu Yinhe was a perfect student without a single flaw. He was humble and gentle, with excellent grades. No matter how hard you looked, you couldn't find fault with him. Only Shen Xingxing had seen the spiteful side hidden beneath his gentle exterior. Lu Yinhe smiled politely. "Likewise. You could win a Best Actress award for the sweet, popular girl act you put on at school." Shen Xingxing, the world-weary girl, forced a fake smile. "Oh." They had been childhood friends since they were little, and knew each other inside and out. After they were unlucky enough to become desk mates, that familiarity turned into mutual dislike. At a get-together with her girl friends, one of them gossiped midway through the evening: "Is Lu Yinhe secretly in love with you? Look at how cold he is to everyone else, but how special he is with you!" Her friends were utterly convinced. Shen Xingxing barely paid attention. "Yeah, right, he likes me so much. He has a hopeless crush on me, so now he wants to ruin my life." "You absolutely can't tell anyone." [2] The rumor spread all over school, and from then on, things spiraled out of control. When Lu Yinhe mocked her, it meant he paid special attention to her. When Lu Yinhe couldn't be bothered with her, it meant he was hiding his feelings and didn't dare look at her. When Lu Yinhe helped her with one assignment, it meant they were going to get engaged after graduation! Shen Xingxing pretended to be calm, desperately clinging to the prestige of being secretly adored, and put on an act as if he loved her while she felt nothing for him. Yet one day, a boy cornered her at her desk and politely, kindly asked: "I just heard that everyone at school is saying Lu Yinhe from Class 21 has a hopeless crush on his desk mate and is a twisted psycho?" "I didn't, it wasn't me." Shen Xingxing immediately caved, showing no backbone at all. "I want to wake up..." "The rumor isn't entirely wrong." [All those reckless things we did in our youth, I did them for you.] [Content warnings:] 1. A lighthearted, sweet romance about two people saving each other. 2. Blurb originally posted on 4/1, revised on 2022/5/17. Theme: Love and peace