A Long Summer of Love

[High School Arc Complete]

[Please add Don't Come Near Me, Villain to your favorites. It's got some great tropes, hehe.]

When they first met, Sheng Huaijin was a brilliant, brazen favorite of the heavens.

Chu Shushuang was an ordinary classmate whom nobody noticed.

Perhaps the least ordinary thing she did was pine for Sheng Huaijin for three whole years.

*

The first gift Sheng Huaijin ever gave Chu Shushuang was an Alpenliebe lollipop.

Her mother kept rambling on over the phone about the benefits of divorcing Dad. The girl stood on the rooftop, tiny and alone, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Her parents were getting divorced.

The sad part was that neither of them wanted her.

With a cigarette between his lips, Sheng Huaijin leaned against the wall and called to her from a distance.

"Hey, come down. I'll give you candy."

At the sound of the familiar voice, Chu Shushuang turned around. Her heart skipped a beat.

After hanging up, Chu Shushuang walked over to the boy.

"I don't want candy. Give me a cigarette."

It was the first time the well-behaved Chu Shushuang had ever rebelled.

Sheng Huaijin raised an eyebrow and stuck a lollipop straight into her mouth.

"Kids can't smoke. Candy's sweet."

A series of coincidences made Chu Shushuang feel as if she'd glimpsed a corner of the light. She knew there was a gulf between them, but still couldn't stop herself from hoping.

At last, she worked up the courage. But before she could speak, she saw a girl embrace the boy around the corner.

"You're all I have."

She heard him gently patting the girl's back and saying,

"Okay."

The courage she'd struggled to summon crumbled completely.

She thought they'd never meet again, but by chance they ended up joining the same club.

She didn't want to make the same mistake again, so she deliberately avoided him and ignored everything he did.

Until she drew a truth-or-dare challenge with a senior and had to drink a cross-cupped toast with him. That night, she saw Sheng Huaijin's hands clench.

That same night, the boy cornered Chu Shushuang against a wall, his face buried against her neck, the corners of his eyes bloodshot.

"Don't be so close to him. You're only allowed to look at me."

"Chu Shushuang, can you please only like me?"

1. An unconventional chase-your-wife-to-the-crematorium story. The male lead didn't know the female lead liked him before. Mutual unrequited love, both leads are virgins.

2. The male lead pursues the female lead. The story starts in high school and continues through high school and university.

3. A strong, independent girl from a broken home VS a brilliant, brazen young man who's outstanding in every way.

4. It's partly a healing story, and the female lead also heals herself.

The female lead's family life is very difficult in the early part of the story. She's a beautiful but tragic character, so please don't read if that bothers you.

Theme: Face adversity with positivity and meet challenges with courage.