Wild Iris [Secret Crush]

Back in high school, rumors spread like wildfire that Liang Zhaoxiao and Xu Xuanhe were dating. The whole school knew.

Their homeroom teacher, Old Qiu, stood in front of them, stroking his chin. "If you insist on dating, sign this and read it aloud in front of your classmates."

Liang Zhaoxiao had no feelings for Xu Xuanhe at all. He scrawled his name on the "Notice to the Class" and stamped it with a red thumbprint, purely to annoy his own father.

Xu Xuanhe paused, then signed the notice too.

They stood at opposite ends of the podium and read together:

"I, Liang Zhaoxiao/Xu Xuanhe, promise that we will surely marry and have children one day. If I break this promise, then Old Qiu should mail this notice to my future wedding so my spouse can see it."

Liang Zhaoxiao read with such sincerity that he succeeded in watching his father rush in, his face turning green with anger.

Xu Xuanhe finished reading without changing her expression, then carefully handed the paper to Old Qiu.

On the day the college entrance exams ended, Xu Xuanhe prepared her confession seriously. The moment she handed over her love letter, Liang Zhaoxiao panicked. "I'm sorry. I really don't like you. I only did it to annoy my dad..."

Xu Xuanhe turned around in front of him, tore the letter to shreds, and threw it into the trash.

*

Years after graduation, Xu Xuanhe returned to her old school to visit her teacher. Old Qiu asked how things were going between her and Liang Zhaoxiao, and whether she wanted to take the notice back.

Xu Xuanhe answered calmly, "We were never together. You can just throw it away, Teacher."

Liang Zhaoxiao heard that Xu Xuanhe was visiting the school that day and rushed over. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Old Qiu, please don't throw it away."

The boy who once thought he was the greatest had learned to lower his head. Looking at Xu Xuanhe, he said, "I'm sorry. Could you give me another chance to pursue you?"

Xu Xuanhe replied coldly, "No."

*

[Bonus Scene]

On their wedding day, the "Notice to the Class" arrived right on time.

Liang Zhaoxiao read it from beginning to end, then said with great solemnity:

"When I was young, I was a pain in the ass and a complete idiot. If I could go back in time, I'd beat the crap out of myself."

He paused. "The only thing I ever did right was sign this notice."

"Thank you, my love, for giving me another chance to become your husband."

"I actually love you so much, Xu Xuanhe."

PS:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first and only. A groveling pursuit of his wife, and neither lead is perfect.

2. First half on campus, second half in the city, roughly equal in length. The heroine has a secret crush at first.

3. No intimate contact before adulthood.

4. Due to changes to the setup, the timeline here differs somewhat from the neighboring story My City Doesn't Get Snow. If possible, I'll go and revise that one (but the changes would be huge, so I probably won't). All events involving Xiao Xu and Xiao Liang follow the timeline in this story. (bows)

Thanks to Gugu, a kind and beautiful friend from Bishui, for the cover lettering~

Message: A story about love, ideals, and courage.