Forest in the Rainy Season

In college, Cheng Xi's unrequited love never made it to the day it paid off.

Being treated like she was invisible felt awful. Cheng Xi sneered and vowed to make that person experience what it was like to be trampled into the dirt.

As she began putting her plan into action, she unexpectedly found herself a useful "helper."

He was the childhood best friend of the person she had a crush on. More importantly, the two had fallen out over the campus belle and were currently at each other's throats.

Perfect. If anyone in the world could understand how she felt, it had to be him.

Cheng Xi used the pretext of "pursuing someone" to ask for his help, and the guy readily agreed.

He generously shared his class schedule, offered advice, and coached and encouraged her. He practically wanted to shove Cheng Xi right next to his buddy.

Watching her crush stumble at close range made Cheng Xi very happy.

So happy that she almost forgot she'd told this "helper" a few little lies.

Jiang Baiyi ran into that uptight girl again.

She was still chasing after the same person, like a shadow.

Even though it had nothing to do with him, he couldn't help lending her a hand. He sincerely hoped she and her true love would end up together, if only so she would stop looking so pitiful.

She was even more clueless than he'd imagined, and he couldn't help asking, "Is this how you pursue someone?"

But the girl didn't get discouraged. She answered earnestly, "There are many ways to love someone."

Jiang Baiyi didn't believe her, but he didn't stop helping, either.

By the time he realized she'd played him, the girl had already stolen her "true love's" scholarship and hit him in the face with a ball, leaving him covered in blood.

He thought it was funny. He thought he was even funnier.

Jiang Baiyi was lucky enough to be there on the night of the grand confession.

Their eyes met.

He wanted to offer her a reassuring smile, but that was clearly giving himself too much credit. All he could do was stare at her expressionlessly and say coldly:

"If you've got the guts, then say yes to him."

#

Cheng Xi didn't know that, through the shadowy days when she felt like nothing but a silhouette, someone had been silently watching over her.

"The day he let go, his heart was still caught in the rainy season. After she arrived, at last the seasons began to turn."

A story about a good student fighting back against jerks, only to "lose control" halfway through.

1. A quiet girl who grows and a scheming boy who loves to watch the drama unfold. One-on-one romance, happy ending, both leads sexually inexperienced.

2. A slow-to-realize male lead with an unrequited love. The male lead is Jiang Baiyi, with a touch of the groveling-ex trope.

[Please add my upcoming novel, A Memoir of Escape, to your favorites. It will be my next book.]

The day she decided to take a leave of absence, Xu Xingran went to her advisor for a signature.

The advisor silently looked her over for a long moment before signing, then added, "If you're still in this state, you might as well go home and farm."

After breaking away from the living hell of the research group and laboratory, Xu Xingran fled to a tiny, backwater town.

There, she met Chen Zhixu, the advisor's prized student, who had been lodged in his mentor's heart like a gold tooth.

The young man stood in the muddy fields wearing oversized rubber boots, busy farming.

They met again at the police station.

The table was covered with photos of the two of them, either snuggled up or embracing, sharing their warmth. Beside them lay a wrinkled, yellowing notebook filled with research notes about "Chen Zhixu."

The handwriting was neat, and the information exhaustive. It must have been the work of an extremely obsessive female stalker.

The former "couple" in the photos were facing off beside the table. The police officer gave a rueful look. "Mr. Chen, this may involve personal privacy. You can file a report."

Chen Zhixu only watched Xu Xingran, who claimed to be the owner of the items but had been detained. She sat there quietly, composed and unyielding, never once glancing his way.

"No need." He pointed at the suspect and said slowly, "Just hand her over to me."

Ever since they broke up, Chen Zhixu had been searching for Xu Xingran, the absurd thief who had stolen his life.

Rekindling an old romance

A gloomy, ghostlike woman * a favored son of heaven

Theme: Sincerity is precious, sincerity is invincible, and sincerity is enough