Plucking the Stars

Shen Xingze has been the "other people's kid" since he was little, making his parents and teachers proud. He lived exactly as his parents expected, never putting a foot wrong, until he turned sixteen. On his way home, a group of punks cornered him. Someone came to his rescue, only for him to discover that his savior was a punk, too, and the leader of the gang that ruled the neighborhood. Going from the wolf's den straight into the tiger's, Shen Xingze wanted no trouble, so he handed over all the money he had. "Paying protection money?" The gang leader smirked. "All right. From now on, you're under my protection. Let's see who dares bully you now." He said, "I'm Xie Chen, from the vocational school next door. You can call me Brother Chen." From then on, Brother Chen rode his motorcycle to Shen Xingze's school every day, waiting at the gate and taking him home. He brought him breakfast and gifts, and even took him back to his place for shelter on rainy days. Eventually, Shen Xingze couldn't help asking, "What exactly are you after?" Xie Chen smiled, his voice gentle but domineering. "I want to be your man." * Every day after school, Xie Chen liked to hang around the street between the vocational school and the experimental middle school, watching a boy ride past on his bicycle. The boy was always alone, wearing the experimental school's uniform. Moonlight fell on him, lending him a clean, serene air. His eyes and brows held a cool detachment, and he was more beautiful than the moonlight itself. The first time Xie Chen saw him, he knew they belonged to different worlds. Out of reach. Like a star born in the heavens: beautiful, noble, dazzling, radiant. Though he had dreamed of him countless times, Xie Chen never dared imagine he could pluck that star from the sky. Once, the boy had seemed impossibly out of reach. But after feeling the lingering warmth of starlight just once, Xie Chen was ready to spend the rest of his life like a moth flying into a flame. - "Shen Xingze, I can just chase you all over again, okay?" "I just love you, damn it. I love you so much it hurts." *Rugged top x beautiful bottom. A devoted, humble pursuer x a cool, reserved lover. They save each other. Warm and healing, with a second-chance romance. -- Please add my next novel to your reading list: Getting Married to a Tycoon by Contract After Joining a Dating Show Blurb: 1. When his father tries to marry him off to an old, balding rich man, Jiang Zhiyu runs away from home to escape the wedding and ends up joining a dating show by chance. He can earn money to pay his tuition and support himself, while also getting back at his greedy father and that shameless old man. Three birds with one stone! On the first day of filming, a mysterious guest appears: about 190 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He's dressed in a suit and radiates wealth and authority, looking like he rushed over straight from a high-level meeting. His presence is so imposing that every guest falls silent, and the air itself seems to freeze. But Jiang Zhiyu finds him a little familiar... Isn't this the head of the top conglomerate, the Xi family, whom his despicable father has been desperately sucking up to? 2. Jiang Zhiyu asks Mr. Xi why he came on a dating show. Mr. Xi replies coolly, "My grandmother's been nagging me, so I'm just going through the motions." Jiang Zhiyu understands and returns the favor: "To be honest, I'm here to escape an arranged marriage." Mr. Xi pauses, raising an eyebrow. Jiang Zhiyu lowers his voice. "My dad wants to compete with my uncle for the family fortune, so he's marrying me off to some old, bald man over forty. Isn't that awful?" Xi Yue, the old, balding man over forty: ...? His deep eyes fix on Jiang Zhiyu, then he suddenly lets out a low laugh. Jiang Zhiyu has no idea what he's laughing about. 3. The dating show Heartbeat Signal, featuring celebrities and ordinary people, airs and takes the internet by storm, its popularity soaring. The ordinary contestants this season are all outstanding. The college student and the CEO are especially remarkable: one is so beautiful he outshines the celebrities, while the other looks like he stepped straight out of a novel! For their first date, the CEO chooses the college student. Netizens: [A domineering CEO falling in love with me, come to life] [12-year age gap, 12-centimeter height difference, such a perfect match] [Give us an older man! Older men are the best at taking care of you] Other dating shows might turn make-believe into real romance, but this couple goes straight to announcing their marriage! Netizens: We're shipping the real thing! He loves him so much! Jiang Zhiyu: If he weren't one of the people involved, he might almost believe it himself... 4. Mr. Xi proposes a marriage of convenience to appease his family. Jiang Zhiyu agrees so he can finally escape the engagement his scumbag father arranged for him. After their wedding, Jiang Zhiyu and President Xi live like a model couple in public, but sleep in separate rooms and leave each other alone at home. One day, by a stroke of bad luck, Jiang Zhiyu runs into his half-brother, who mocks him in front of everyone. "You've got some real tricks. Didn't you refuse to marry Mr. Xi no matter what back then? You even ran away from home, and yet you still managed to climb into his bed! Playing hard to get!" Jiang Zhiyu: ? Wait, explain that. When did I refuse to marry Mr. Xi? Theme: Two young men bring each other warmth and save each other