Defeat

[A book under the same title is now available in print / Childhood friend beats the newcomer / I insist on having it my way] Even at the most turbulent age of adolescence, their classmates all agreed that Jiang Chaobei and Chen Ju shared a perfectly pure friendship. There was no other reason: the gap between them was simply too great. At school, Jiang Chaobei was the golden boy, talented at everything from competitions to sports. He was most often seen on the podium or on the honor roll, brimming with youthful confidence. Chen Ju was his quiet, unassuming childhood friend, reserved and taciturn. The most outrageous thing Chen Ju ever did was secretly fall for Lin Jianan, a boy in the next class. Nobody knew or cared. The occasional response from him was enough to make her happy for a long, long time. Even after he later let her down, she simply nursed her wounds alone, without blaming anyone. To everyone's surprise, Jiang Chaobei climbed over the school wall and beat the boy until his face was covered in blood. When he came back with a bandage across the bridge of his nose, he brushed his rough, injured hand against Chen Ju's cheek and wiped away her tears. "Don't cry over him. He's not worth it." The second remarkable thing Chen Ju did was attend a class reunion after the college entrance exams. Her classmates started chanting, demanding to see the top scorer. Staggering and barely able to stand, she kissed Jiang Chaobei, the top scorer, senseless on the rooftop. The next day, she enrolled at a university as far from Tsinghua as she could get, and never contacted Jiang Chaobei again. Years later, as the playoffs began, Chen Ju's editor sent her to interview Jiang Chaobei. After all this time, her childhood friend was now the star player on an esports team, with an outstanding win rate. Even more talked-about than Jiang Chaobei's record was his face. He had a pair of soulful eyes, yet looked indifferent no matter whom he gazed at. Under the spotlights, his coolness was irresistible. A top fan comment put it this way: God Jiang could kill with his face. At the press conference, Chen Ju nervously forced herself to ask a question. "May I ask... um... what do you think you still need to improve on in this competition?" Jiang Chaobei was supposed to leave in a hurry, but he suddenly stopped. Looking at the press badge hanging from Chen Ju's neck, he answered a different question. "Chen Ju, if I remember right, you kissed me a few years ago and never took responsibility, hmm?" *All my life, I've been proud and stubborn, never willing to bow my head. For you alone, I'm happy to lose. *Weibo: @Chen Xiwu Ya Withdrawal Symptoms: A toxic romance / obsessive, possessive fiance x peacock-like heiress When Jiang Yi'an first met Jiang Ruochen, he was the son of her family's longtime friends: born into privilege, cold, and handsome. Her father greeted him warmly and introduced them. She came downstairs, holding the banister, and sweetly called him Brother Ruochen. The man answered with a cool glance, and beneath his distant calm lay open dislike. Jiang Yi'an had no interest in him, until she did. Her plan was simple: make him fall at her feet, then dump him without mercy. On the first day of her plan, Jiang Ruochen shoved her away in disgust and sneered. "Miss Jiang, not everyone is vulgar enough to be interested in your looks." On the fiftieth day of her plan, The heiress sat on the office desk, contracts worth billions scattered around her. Looking at Jiang Ruochen in his immaculate suit, Jiang Yi'an smiled sweetly. "Get on your knees, and I'll let you kiss me." In the silence, someone gave in. Jiang Yi'an looked down on him, stepping on the suit trousers of the golden boy, triumphant. But dating him wasn't as sweet as she'd imagined. Jiang Ruochen kept an uncomfortably close eye on her, calling to check up on her at the slightest excuse. If Jiang Yi'an so much as spent time with another man, they'd have a huge fight, and he'd threaten to break up. Jiang Yi'an was at her wits' end. After one argument, she proposed breaking up without waiting for him to threaten her. Their personalities simply weren't compatible. But Jiang Ruochen refused. He behaved so disgracefully that the whole affair became a scandal, and their families' elders had to step in. After he'd left her a nervous wreck, Jiang Yi'an stayed in a secluded European town, cut off from the world. One day, she hummed as she returned to the courtyard and found her bodyguard knocked out on the ground. Dappled sunlight filtered through the branches of a lemon tree. The tart lemon was clasped in a long-fingered hand, the man's expression hidden from view. Jiang Ruochen raised his eyes. His voice was calm, but madness simmered beneath it as he smiled at her. "I found you." *You are the bitter fruit I can never give up. Theme: Courage, resilience, and love