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☆ Secret crush | Bittersweet | Good girl x guitarist

☆ "He's the most beautiful butterfly page in a storybook." 🦋

☆ Blurb:

Zhu Junshu had met Chen Jinye a few times while visiting her older brother.

He was the guitarist in her brother's band, her senior in her final year of high school, and the person she'd secretly had a crush on for two years.

Their only connection was the month Zhu Junshu secretly tutored Chen Jinye in English, without telling anyone.

On the last day, he had already passed his IELTS exam.

That month felt like a dream she couldn't hold on to, no matter how hard she tried.

Zhu Junshu felt a pang of sadness, stifled by how little progress their relationship had made.

She planned to say a proper goodbye to Chen Jinye when she went to his house to get her study materials, but she accidentally learned from her brother that Chen Jinye intended to confess to someone that night.

Zhu Junshu pressed her lips together and stared at their empty chat history.

She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up, but she couldn't help waiting for something to happen.

She waited all night and received no messages.

At 12:01, she saw a post on Moments from her brother's band's drummer. It read, "Congratulations."

The photo showed Chen Jinye and a girl from behind as they picked out rings.

So he already liked someone.

So a secret crush wasn't gentle at all. It could leave you covered in sharp, cutting wounds.

At 12:02, Zhu Junshu held back her tears and messaged him: [Sorry, I don't want those materials anymore. I won't come over tomorrow. I hope everything goes well for you.]

Before she received a reply, everything suddenly came to light.

At one in the morning, her parents returned from out of town. Zhu Junshu's phone was confiscated, and she was ordered to move into the school dormitory immediately.

That's how she spent the dark, miserable final year of high school, without hearing anything more about Chen Jinye.

*

Years later, Zhu Junshu went to a TV station to audition as the host of a podcast.

The chance to interview was hard-won, and the other candidates were all outstanding students from other schools.

Before going into the interview room, Zhu Junshu took several deep breaths and whispered his name, just loud enough for herself to hear, trying to calm down.

"Chen Jinye, Chen Jinye, Chen Jinye..."

It was a habit she'd had for six years. It had nothing to do with liking him anymore. It was simply a reassuring mantra to ease her nerves.

She kept her eyes lowered and didn't notice someone passing by.

After repeating his name more than ten times, she suddenly sensed something in the pin-drop silence.

She looked up, and her breath stopped for an instant.

He was standing not far away, looking curious. Tilting his head, he asked, "Were you... calling my name?"

*

Zhu Junshu had loved the same storybook since she was little.

She wrote Chen Jinye's name on one of its butterfly pages.

Later, Chen Jinye secretly added a few words: Chen Jinye belongs to Junshu.

Later still, the book became the bedtime story they read to their daughter every night.

*

☆ Reader's notes:

1. The Moments post in the blurb is a misunderstanding.

2. The leads aren't based on real people. They're entirely fictional.

3. Both leads are sexually inexperienced, and the male lead has never liked anyone else!

4. The female lead's voice has changed since a few years ago. It's more mature and sensible now, with a slightly mature, confident tone. Her intonation has changed from studying broadcast presentation, so the male lead doesn't recognize her at first.

Theme: Love can make people brave, and it can also bring them peace.