I Just Don't Want to Like You

- The End. Next up: Heartbeat Gambit

1.

Qi Xiu was flamboyant, arrogant, and carefree, one of the most outstanding heirs to a wealthy family.

That was until a transfer student named Lin Zhaowu joined his class in their second year of high school. She was stunningly beautiful and had a willful streak. From the moment she arrived, she clashed with Qi Xiu, and the two couldn't stand each other.

Later, Qi Xiu and Lin Zhaowu made peace and became inseparable. Their friends teased them, saying they were bound to end up together when they grew up.

At the time, Qi Xiu scoffed. "How blind would I have to be to fall for Lin Zhaowu?"

Later still, after the college entrance exams, everyone saw Qi Xiu trailing after Lin Zhaowu, spouting cheesy lines like they cost him nothing. "Mumu, it's okay if you don't like me. I'll like you enough for both of us."

2.

Lin Zhaowu had spent half her life in misery. Her parents didn't care for her, her brother didn't love her, and they let an adopted daughter walk all over her.

She once thought she'd muddle through life like that forever, until she met Qi Xiu.

On a warm winter afternoon, the unruly young man fixed his smiling eyes on her and spoke with arrogant certainty. "Lin Zhaowu, you can doubt the world, but you have to believe this: when Lord Xiu gives his word, even the Five Sacred Mountains are nothing by comparison."

"And you will always come first for me."

In that moment, Lin Zhaowu suddenly understood: even a withered rose that blooms in a dark swamp can be blessed by the sun and find new life.

* A beautiful, strong, tragic heiress x a proud, bratty young master

* Both are each other's firsts / First love / Sweet romance / Happy ending

* Note: Both leads are adults at the start

- Heartbeat Gambit: Synopsis

1.

Nancheng University was full of prominent figures, but the most talked-about were Bo Yi and Xu Li.

He came from a poor family, was handsome and aloof, and was known as Nancheng University's untouchable campus heartthrob.

She came from a wealthy family, was gorgeous and uninhibited, and had admirers by the dozens.

They were worlds apart, and everyone agreed they were the least likely pair to get together.

Then one day, Xu Li announced that she'd win Bo Yi over within a month.

Over the next month, Xu Li tried every trick in the book. She even made a big show of moving into his home, but all he did was look at her coldly. "Xu Li, don't provoke me."

The month passed in a flash.

On the day Xu Li moved out of Bo Yi's place, he blocked her path.

Xu Li smiled, triumphant, as the usually composed young man hugged her with trembling arms. His voice was utterly humble. "Stay. Be with me."

Just when everyone thought the story had ended perfectly, Xu Li dumped Bo Yi and boarded a plane to Tokyo to study abroad.

2.

When they met again, the once-poor young man had become a rising star in finance, pursued by countless socialites and celebrities.

A reporter asked Bo Yi, who had reached the top of the pyramid but was still alone, whether there was anyone he couldn't forget.

Bo Yi looked into the camera, his expression indifferent. "No."

Later, the two met at a gathering with friends, and someone brought up the interview.

Bo Yi's expression didn't change.

Xu Li smiled brightly. "It was just for fun. Who would take it seriously?"

Later still, Xu Li tried the same trick again, and Bo Yi lost all his composure.

On a stormy night, Xu Li was trapped in the car seat by Bo Yi. He gripped her chin hard and bent down to kiss her, his voice brimming with possessive obsession. "If you love playing with me so much, then play with me for the rest of your life."

3.

One day after they got back together, Xu Li found a notebook in Bo Yi's study, one she'd thrown away in high school. On its yellowed first page was a passage:

"I don't know how I fell in love with you, or when, or where.

I love you.

Because I don't know what else I can do besides love you."

- "Your heartbeat is the bugle that sounds the start of this game of love."

* A worldly seductress x an untouchable heartthrob on his pedestal

* From college to the city / Interspersed with high school memories / The male lead has a secret crush on the female lead

* Content warning: The female lead is not a virgin; the male lead is. Readers who prefer both leads to be virgins, take note.

* Note: The quoted lines are by Pablo Neruda. Please contact me for removal if needed.

Theme: Redemption, dreams, growth