The Sweetness of Loving You

(Coming next: Ten Degrees of Passion and You're My Favorite. Visit my author page and add them to your reading list!)

A play-the-pig-to-eat-the-tiger cutie x a righteous, wild demon king

He Qingzhi, from Class 5, Grade 11, at Linjiang No. 1 High School, looked like a painting standing quietly in her red-and-blue uniform.

But she wasn't too bright. Why else would she always cling to that fierce, overbearing boy from her class?

She tugged cautiously at his sleeve and asked in a soft voice, "Brother Xing Zhi, how do you do this problem?"

Xing Zhi felt half his body go weak at her voice. Scowling fiercely, he picked up the test paper and headed to the office.

They say all the Grade 11 teachers went to watch Xing Zhi solve problems that afternoon. Unable to stand the fuss, he kicked over two desks. But then he saw the girl's hopeful gaze outside the window, froze, and sat back down obediently.

He Qingzhi pretended to be sweet and obedient, playing the role of a poor student until one day her secret identity was exposed.

After school, Xing Zhi saw the girl corner someone in an alley and "fight injustice." The moment she turned around and saw him, she immediately looked pitiful.

"Xing Zhi, he bullied me."

Xing Zhi's lips curled slightly. He rolled up his sleeves and strode over, boldly taking her side. "Don't be scared. Your brother Zhi will help you get even."

The person who'd actually been bullied: ???

Who was bullying whom?

Xing Zhi thought he'd seen through He Qingzhi, so he dragged her to the study room to do homework.

He threatened her fiercely: "Do you know why you're bad at studying?"

"Why?" The girl blinked, keeping her expression unreadable.

Xing Zhi snatched her phone and began listing things off. "You're addicted to online games and love fighting injustice. Who did you learn all that from? I'll smash his head in."

"You."

"..."

Fine. He'd take that back.

At the first mock exam of senior year, Xing Zhi eagerly went to check the rankings posted downstairs, excited to see how much the girl had improved. But the person who always tugged on his sleeve and said she couldn't solve the problems was first in the entire school?!

Xing Zhi: What else have you been hiding from me?!

[The world is vast. I was born to meet you, and then surrender to you.]

Reading Guide:

1. The heroine isn't your usual sweet, soft girl. If I had to describe her, I'd say she's like a crunchy, crisp candy with a delicate, sweet fragrance.

2. This is probably a story about promising to protect you, then discovering we're evenly matched, and that you're even better at studying than me!

3. The heroine is a "one-subject specialist" early on. The hero isn't good at studying, but has a knack for science.

Synopsis for You're My Favorite:

1. When Meng Wei first met Lu Zhiheng, he had just been adopted by the Lu family. The fifteen-year-old boy was so starved he looked gaunt, though his handsome features still showed through. His dark, refined eyes were lifeless, and his long, beautiful fingers were calloused at the tips and between thumb and forefinger.

At the birthday party, the girl danced gracefully through the crowd in a red gown, then brought him a slice of cake.

"Why are you staring at me? Eat." The girl smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. Unable to resist, she poked his cheek and teased him. "Big Sister likes you, so she's treating you."

The boy's dark eyes moved slightly. He said nothing and lowered his head to eat.

His tongue tasted the rich cream as sweetness spread through his mouth, but his heart clenched painfully in that instant.

Inferiority was like a vine covered in thorns, tightening around him little by little until he could barely breathe.

2. Later, everyone in Lucheng was saying that Lu Zhiheng, a rising star in the business world, had a first love he couldn't forget. They'd grown up together and were perfectly matched, and Lu Zhiheng had even entered the entertainment industry for her.

Someone asked Meng Wei who this person was.

Meng Wei paused, then simply said she didn't know.

They assumed she was just brushing them off.

Later, Meng Wei went to see Lu Zhiheng, who was delirious with fever. He pulled her into his arms, his burning, trembling kisses falling again and again on her brows and eyes.

"Growing up together was a lie. Being perfectly matched was a lie, too." His eyes were bloodshot, burning with desperate longing, and his voice was hoarse, no longer restrained. "But my love for you is real."

-

The twisted vines spread unchecked through a lightless corner, blooming one flower after another on their branches.

When Lu Zhiheng was twenty-five, he married the girl he'd kept in his heart for ten years.

Synopsis for Ten Degrees of Passion:

A sweet, soft, obedient girl x a proud, hair-triggered young master who flirts like there's no tomorrow

On the first day of school at A University, Xu Zhuo lost a game and was forced to confess to an unlucky student from the directing department.

He casually grabbed someone in the classroom, pinned her against the wall, and said irritably, "I like you. Wanna date?"

He watched her face slowly turn red. She looked at him timidly and murmured, "N-no, I don't."

"Oh. Then I'm leaving."

Xu Zhuo left without a care.

Three months later, Xu Zhuo cornered Cheng Nuo in that same classroom again.

But this time, instead of acting cocky, he nervously began to explain. "The rumors on the forum are all made up. Don't believe them."

Cheng Nuo couldn't push him away, so she nodded, her face faintly red.

Xu Zhuo chuckled under his breath and pushed his luck. "You blush every time you see me. Do you like me? If you do, I could make an exception and..."

Cheng Nuo mustered her courage and cut him off. "I have sensitive skin. It gets red easily."

"...Then make an exception and give me a chance. I'll pursue you."

Theme: A clash between two powerhouses