Echoes of a Secret Love

Upcoming sweet romance, Find a Star: aloof top student and unattainable beauty (actually a silly, clingy sweetheart) × warm, bright little ray of sunshine (actually levelheaded and self-possessed). Visit my column and add it to your reading list! Blurb at the very bottom~~

VB: @A Yan Ning

Blurb:

[Well-behaved girl × old-fashioned gentleman on the surface, rebellious little princess × unruly big brother underneath]

I'll do my best to update daily, so jump right in!

1.

Jiang Y Nuan is famous among her friends as a rose with thorns. She is bright and lovely, but in truth, proud and rebellious.

Yet the childhood friend she likes is a gentle, refined gentleman.

He dislikes chatty girls and likes quiet ones.

So Jiang Y Nuan puts on two different faces. When she's with him, she goes without makeup and dresses conservatively, doing her best to seem delicate, quiet, and shy, the kind of girl who would suit him.

When she sees someone who looks like him getting into a fight, she immediately tells herself, No, that can't possibly be him.

Until one day, Jiang Y Nuan is harassed by a drunk.

Her childhood friend, dressed in a suit and usually as gentle as jade, strides over with a sinister look, rolls up his sleeves, and punches the drunk to the ground.

Grabbing the man's collar, he sneers.

"You dare lay a hand on my girl? What, did you think I was a good person?"

2.

Qi Shan Yue is known as a gentle gentleman to the outside world. Only those who know him well understand how unruly and uninhibited he is beneath the surface.

He hates girls who cry and whine, but makes an exception for one little girl.

She's quiet and shy, and looks at him timidly.

Qi Shan Yue is always afraid of scaring her, and worries she might be bullied when she's out. So he pretends to be the perfect, gentle big brother and protects her for over a decade.

When someone tells him, "That girl isn't weak at all. She's not only a key player on the basketball team, she also beat up a creep who was harassing the team's girls until his face was covered in blood."

Qi Shan Yue firmly denies it. "No, she's not that kind of person."

But one day, he sees her on a blind date with a ridiculous man.

The girl who should have been quiet and well-behaved has her brows knitted as she gives the man a piece of her mind.

Standing in high heels, she says arrogantly, "Keep your nose out of a beautiful woman's business!"

3.

Jiang Y Nuan is out at a bar with her friends, looking breathtaking in red lipstick, loose waves, and a short skirt.

She's gleefully teasing a sweet, innocent-looking younger guy she just met. "Say, 'Big sis, please,' and I'll let you go."

Just then, she gets a call from Qi Shan Yue.

She immediately clears her throat, answers, and puts on a well-behaved act.

"What are you doing, Nuan Nuan?"

"I'm working overtime at home."

"Is that so?"

The man gives an inscrutable laugh. "I'm in the booth right behind you. Care to join me for a drink?"

Jiang Y Nuan freezes, then turns around and meets his eyes.

He raises an eyebrow at her and says, word by word, "Should I say, 'Big sis, please'?"

Jiang Y Nuan: "..."

[The secret crush she had as a teenager finally crossed mountain after mountain, and in this moment, she heard its echo.]

Reading Guide:

* Happy ending, one-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first

* The two drama queens get found out one after the other

* The romance takes place when they are adults

(Blurb written on September 3, 2022, screenshot saved)

Upcoming novel Find a Star: Blurb

1.

The day Yu Xing Chen was brought to the Song family, it rained heavily, soaking her through.

She was a mess, and her shoes were caked with mud.

The moment she stepped into the villa, a tall, straight figure came down the stairs. His pale, handsome face turned toward her with a look of disgust.

Yu Xing Chen heard Song Jing Xi say coldly:

"Get out."

Much later, at school.

Someone saw Yu Xing Chen running toward Song Jing Xi in her white sneakers, splashing through puddles.

The boy who had always looked down on everyone crouched down and used his clean, slender fingers to tie the girl's shoelaces, still damp with droplets.

He complained softly, "How many times have I told you? If you don't tie them tight, you'll trip."

2.

Yu Xing Chen once saw the class beauty from the next class shyly hand Song Jing Xu a love letter.

He replied with complete seriousness, "I'm not interested in dating. Also, you've used the words meaning 'of' incorrectly throughout this letter. I suggest you go home and study properly."

The class beauty ran off in tears.

That was when Yu Xing Chen understood what kind of person Song Jing Xi was: exceptionally intelligent, but naturally coldhearted, with a sharp tongue and a stubborn heart.

Until one day.

While preparing for a competition, Song Jing Xi stayed up late helping her study, and finally fell asleep while she was working through problems.

Yu Xing Chen looked at his exquisite profile, his long lashes and beautifully shaped nose.

Unable to resist, she bent down, closed her eyes, and secretly kissed his cheek.

She had no idea when he had opened his eyes and begun watching her quietly.

Then he sat up straight and leaned closer, smiling.

"My turn."

3.

Yu Xing Chen had always thought that Song Jing Xi hadn't wanted her to move into his home back then.

But she didn't know

When Song Jing Xi was fifteen, his mother met a girl from a mountain village who had suffered one misfortune after another. His mother worried about her so much that she couldn't sleep at night.

Song Jing Xi said to his mother, "Bring her home."

His mother replied, "But I'm afraid I won't know how to take care of her."

Song Jing Xi glanced at the little girl's photo. Her big eyes sparkled, and she smiled like a flower turned toward the sun.

Without changing his expression, he said, "I'll learn to take care of her."

Later, all the many bonds between them began with that one extra glance from him.

4.

When Yu Xing Chen was first brought home by the Song family, she was full of gratitude and had no way to repay them. On a whim, she made her signature big-pot dish in the villa's open kitchen.

Smoke billowed up, and the alarm blared.

Young Master Song came charging downstairs in his pajamas and slippers, hoisted Yu Xing Chen over his shoulder, and ran outside.

Later, after the alarm was turned off,

His face was as cold as ice. "Don't ever cook in my house again."

Yu Xing Chen stammered, frightened by him. "B-but I like cooking for you all."

Song Jing Xi: "..."

On his birthday, Song Jing Xi's parents asked what he wanted.

His gaze fell on Yu Xing Chen, who had cream all over her mouth, and he thought for a moment.

"I want a door installed on the kitchen at home... and maybe an air conditioner too, so it's warm in winter and cool in summer."

Song Father and Song Mother: "Huh?"+

[Aloof top student and unattainable beauty (actually a silly, clingy sweetheart) × warm, bright little ray of sunshine (actually levelheaded and self-possessed)]

[Hardworking child of heaven × unyielding student from a poor family]

Reading Guide:

* Happy ending, one-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first

* Due to review requirements, the blurb has been revised several times and differs from the original version, but all the bits mentioned in the first two versions will appear in the main story

* The romance takes place when they are adults

* The heroine is not adopted by the hero's family; she is only staying with them temporarily

Theme: Growing up healthily and having a healthy relationship.