Echoes of a Secret Crush

[Coming in October: The Seductive Queen's Rise to Stardom. Please add it to your favorites!] | Unrequited Love Comes True x Married First, Love Later | | School Days to Married Life | Qiao Keli never expected that an accident would leave her married to Zhu Jinhe, her high school nemesis. They registered their marriage in a hurry, without even signing a prenuptial agreement. Zhu Jinhe said they could draw one up later, then generously gave her an extra bank card and told her to spend as she pleased. She even offered her property and had people bid on any antiques Qiao Keli wanted. Qiao Keli: You always bit my lips when we fought, but wow, you sure are generous. The one downside was that Zhu Jinhe made her repeat her name a hundred times every day, wishing her well and saying she missed her. She also demanded at least eight phone calls a day and three declarations of "I love you." At first, Qiao Keli protested. But somehow, the two grew closer and closer until they became a real married couple, spending every night in each other's arms. At first, Qiao Keli thought their marriage had been nothing but a desperate measure. Then, at a new product launch, the host asked Zhu Jinhe whether researching AI chips was the longest-running pursuit of her life. "No," Zhu Jinhe said casually, glancing at the audience. "Loving my wife is." Everyone was in an uproar. Qiao Keli, sitting in the audience: "?" How did I not know you'd had a crush on me for years? - In Qiao Keli's mind, Zhu Jinhe was synonymous with being rich, high-maintenance, and always picking fights with her. She was a spoiled young lady. When Qiao Keli became class monitor, Zhu Jinhe just had to become vice monitor. She claimed she wanted to help, but always opposed Qiao Keli. Once, they were stranded by a downpour and had to share a hotel room. When Qiao Keli fell asleep, Zhu Jinhe insisted on shaking her awake, saying, "If I can't sleep, neither can you." They always scored about the same on exams, so whenever Qiao Keli looked up, she would see Zhu Jinhe's name. In short, Zhu Jinhe was a pain. Qiao Keli couldn't win against her, but she could avoid her. The day they picked up their acceptance letters, Qiao Keli finally escaped Zhu Jinhe for good. "Do you really hate me that much?" Zhu Jinhe asked her that day. "What else?" You wore me out by making me study so hard every day. Should I hate you, or like you? - Zhu Jinhe would always remember what Qiao Keli said beneath the maple tree one evening that year: "I'm attracted to strength. I don't like people who are weaker than me, in any way." For the sake of those words, Zhu Jinhe stayed up late night after night, all so she could walk by Qiao Keli's side. Reading Guide: ● A proud, sharp-tongued woman who realizes her feelings late x a cool, considerate woman who's been plotting this for a long time. You could say they're both secretly in love (?). ● Happy ending. At its heart, this is an unrequited-love story. The school and city sections are in a 1:3 ratio. ● Part of the Yuncheng series, in the same series as the Answer Book column. Blurb for The Seductive Queen's Rise to Stardom: From a young age, Jiang Tingyu knew she had been taken in by the Jiang family and was engaged to their eldest daughter. She spent nearly twenty years following Jiang Weiyin around, but never earned so much as a glance from her. Later, even the faith she had always clung to crumbled. Jiang Tingyu asked the Jiang family to call off the engagement and accepted her first romance role. With Jiang Weiyin interfering, the production lost not only its previously agreed co-star, but also all of its investors, one by one. Just as things reached a stalemate and Jiang Tingyu was ready to give up, news about the production suddenly went viral online. Ning Zhaoxi, a Best Actress who had won countless film awards in her eight years in the industry, was now linked to the production, which had been written off as a doomed project. Jiang Tingyu thought Ning Zhaoxi was talented and kind, but their previous interactions hadn't exactly been pleasant. When she saw the trending topic, she nervously sent Ning Zhaoxi a greeting. [Hello.] To her surprise, Ning Zhaoxi replied at once: [I'll fund the whole thing.] Jiang Tingyu was baffled: [Huh?] Ning Zhaoxi: [I'll cover the entire production. How about it?] - Filming with Ning Zhaoxi was easy and enjoyable, and Jiang Tingyu was learning a lot. She told her friend how happy she was. Her friend stared at her in shock. "Are you crazy? She's so strict about acting opposite someone, never drinks milk tea, and doesn't go to group dinners. Doesn't she leave as soon as filming wraps, without wasting a second?" Jiang Tingyu looked at the new message from Ning Zhaoxi asking if she wanted a late-night snack and said, bewildered, "Huh?" There was an intimate scene in the script, but Jiang Tingyu knew Ning Zhaoxi never did kissing scenes, so she didn't bring it up. That is, until the day Jiang Weiyin came to visit the set. Ning Zhaoxi said, "We're filming a kissing scene today." Jiang Tingyu blinked. If she remembered correctly, the schedule had the kissing scene down for half a month later. Jiang Weiyin, who had used sponsorship as an excuse to visit the set, glared and tried to pull her away. But before she could even take Jiang Tingyu's hand, Jiang Tingyu had fallen into Ning Zhaoxi's arms. A cold, taunting voice reached her ear: "She's my leading lady now. It's time for you to leave the stage." Bonus Scene: When filming wrapped, the media asked Ning Zhaoxi why she had taken the role. Ning Zhaoxi glanced at her and replied lazily, "Because of Teacher Tingyu." Jiang Tingyu: ? "Teacher Tingyu is skilled. I mean, her acting is great. She's earnest and kind, and there are still lots of things I'd like to learn from her." Tingyu: ? Did she mean the kind of one-on-one lesson they had last night? Those words sent the topic trending again that night. Some people were so furious they blew up her phone, while others went wild shipping them. ● Official pairing: Jiang Tingyu and Ning Zhaoxi. ● The plot takes priority over logic and may be unrealistic, so please don't compare it to the real entertainment industry. Theme: Face every day with courage and optimism.