Say You Love Me

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[Gentle, teasing, fiercely possessive older woman × scheming, devoted, aloof beauty]

1.

The new homeroom teacher was intelligent and beautiful, with a soft, lilting voice and a pair of alluring, lovely eyes that seemed to speak for her. Anyone who saw her couldn't help but go soft.

After a few little incidents, even Chen Lu, famous in class for paying no attention to anything outside her own world, couldn't help wondering: Why was this new teacher so popular?

Perhaps it was fate that brought Gu Wanjun, who was looking for a new place to rent, to the apartment opposite Chen Lu's family home.

The wheels of destiny turned quietly, binding the two together with an inescapable, tangled thread.

As they grew closer and came to know each other better, the secret crush of Chen Lu's youth was like a seed quietly taking root and sprouting in her heart.

Chen Lu realized she seemed to have fallen for Gu Wanjun.

She began to fill with anticipation and longing for a future with Gu Wanjun.

Then one night after the college entrance exams, Gu Wanjun seemed to become an entirely different person, mercilessly shattering all of Chen Lu's fantasies.

"Chen Lu, I'm straight. I'm not a lesbian."

"You're too naive. Why would I like a girl like you, who has nothing?"

"When you get right down to it, you just want to sleep with me, don't you? Since you're my favorite student, I can give you what you want."

"Don't leave any marks. I have a video call with my boyfriend later."

"..."

For the five years that followed, whenever Chen Lu thought of what had happened that night, she would wake from her dreams with her face already streaked with tears.

There was no point clinging to a valley that never answered. She should have let go long ago.

2.

Times had changed, and things were no longer the same. Five years had transformed Chen Lu, who once stubbornly insisted on getting the outcome she wanted, into a grown woman.

After returning to China, she went to a class reunion.

When the dinner was over, their homeroom teacher, Gu Wanjun, singled out the student who used to be her favorite and asked her to do her the favor of driving her home.

In front of everyone, Chen Lu gave her a cold look. She had meant to refuse outright, but before she could speak, the person who had just asked her for a ride was rubbing her temples and saying she felt sick and might throw up.

Chen Lu: "..."

After dropping Gu Wanjun off at home, Chen Lu, her errand done, couldn't wait to leave. But then a little glutinous-rice-ball of a child, practically a carbon copy of Gu Wanjun, suddenly darted out and clung to her leg.

Gu Duoduo really liked the pretty big sister who had brought her mother home. She wrapped her little arms tightly around Chen Lu's leg and pleaded in a childish voice:

"Mommy, can Sister Chen Lu stay over and sleep with us tonight?"

As soon as she heard that, the woman who had just been complaining of a headache and nausea instantly perked up. Gu Wanjun looked up at the face she had missed so desperately, her lovely eyes full of tender affection she could barely conceal.

"Mommy was going to ask the same thing. Can Sister Chen Lu stay tonight?"

"..."

Rain poured down outside. Indoors, the mother and daughter, one big and one small, gazed at Chen Lu. She sighed, unable to refuse.

"We only have two rooms. How about sharing a bed with me?"

"No need. I'll sleep on the sofa."

"You can't sleep on the sofa. You're not in good health, and you'll catch a cold. Come sleep in the bed."

"No, thank you. I haven't forgotten a single word Teacher Gu said back then."

"Lulu, I..."

"Gu Wanjun, I don't love you anymore."

Eighteen is the boundary between dreams and reality, one hand holding onto dreams, the other grasping reality. For eighteen-year-old Chen Lu, Gu Wanjun was both a beautiful dream beyond her reach and a reality she could touch. Now she was twenty-four. It was time to wake up.

3.

They say winning your wife back means going through hell. Gu Wanjun got to experience it firsthand.

She had thought that a slow, steady courtship would let them mend what was broken. Who knew the little cabbage who should have been hers would blossom over the next five years into someone even more beautiful and alluring, outstanding and radiant, attracting an endless stream of suitors who annoyed Gu Wanjun just by looking at them?

As young, rich, beautiful, handsome men and women appeared like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, Gu Wanjun kept a smile on her face while nearly grinding her back teeth to dust. She could no longer care about being gentle, elegant, composed, or reserved.

What did her dignity matter compared to her little cabbage? If she didn't make a move soon, someone would pull it up by the roots and steal it away!

Scene One

"Chen Lu, I didn't drive today. Could I get a ride with you?"

"Sure. My car is parked..."

"Lulu, I think I twisted my ankle when I came out earlier. Could you take your teacher to the hospital?"

"Teacher Gu, please call me Chen Lu."

"Ow, it hurts so much. I wonder if I broke a bone."

"..."

Scene Two

"Ms. Chen, we met at the lecture at school last time. Are you free tonight? I'd like to take you out for dinner."

"Lulu, you... Oh, Teacher Jiang is here too. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I just came to pick up my daughter with Lulu. Duoduo is so attached to Lulu. She was insisting this morning that she wanted to eat pizza with Sister Lulu tonight. Lulu, shall we go now?"

"..."

Scene Three

"Gu Wanjun, what exactly do you want?"

"Lulu, perfect timing. I made your favorite soup. Come and taste it."

"I've made myself perfectly clear. I don't love you anymore!"

"The soup's best while it's hot. Let me get you..."

"Gu Wanjun, I've had enough! How long are you going to keep pestering me?"

"Until you tell me you love me again."

"..."

[Main couple: Gentle, teasing, fiercely possessive older woman × scheming, aloof beauty]

[Second couple: Beautiful, tsundere, sharp-tongued politics teacher × sunshine class representative, a devoted romantic]

Please note:

1. Both are virgins; one-on-one romance. The child isn't biologically related to either woman, and neither heroine has been with anyone but the other.

2. Ten-year age gap. Neither the younger lead in the main nor the second couple has a relationship with the older lead before reaching adulthood.

3. Slow-burn sweet romance with angst.

4. Happy ending.

Blurb written on April 15, 2023.

Upcoming story next door:

[Cool, flirtatious, emotionally intelligent heartbreaker × sweet, charming, direct, innocent beauty]

[Lawyer × designer]

A push and pull between grown-ups, with both sides hunting each other.

1.

An unexpected lawsuit tied two people who had nothing in common together with the red thread of fate: a heartbreaker who'd been chasing women for years, and an innocent, wealthy beauty who insisted she was straight.

Ye Qingnong was young and successful, the very picture of an intellectual's dream partner. Beautiful, fit, quick with sweet talk, she was the perfect lover.

Except for one thing: she was a flirt.

Money was fine to talk about. Feelings just ruined the fun.

That was Ye Qingnong's attitude toward love. She had always liked women, but she also couldn't stand straight women with no sense of boundaries who flirted carelessly.

Of course, that was before she met Shen Xiang.

2.

A renowned genius fashion designer, and the wealthy beauty everyone agreed was the hottest woman in the lesbian scene, Shen Xiang was gentle, considerate, affectionate, romantic, rich, and emotionally intelligent. Her remarkable charm had attracted countless men and women.

Even the seasoned player Ye Qingnong, who had seen it all, was no exception.

That beauty mark beneath her eye looked so kissable.

That was Ye Qingnong's first impression of Shen Xiang.

Then one day, when passion took over, our Lawyer Ye was delighted to discover that Shen Xiang wasn't just unusually gifted in one particular way. Every part of her was kissable.

Before Shen Xiang pinned her against the wall and kissed her until she was burning all over and her legs trembled, Ye Qingnong would never have imagined that she'd end up falling for a "straight woman" in this lifetime.

*

Scene One

"Lawyer Ye, this is the kitchen. No open flames, and no smoking."

"Then I'll smoke in the living room."

"Don't. I want you to stay here and watch me. I'm lonely on my own. It's cozier with two people."

"..."

*

Scene Two

"Lawyer Ye, there's a fashion design show tomorrow. Would you like to come?"

"No. I'm not interested in fashion design."

"Come on, do it for me. I'll be lonely by myself. Keep me company."

"..."

*

Scene Three

At a dinner party, after a few rounds of drinks, Ye Qingnong, who could hold her liquor all night, pretended to be a little tipsy and tentatively asked the person beside her, as she watched everyone pair off:

"Shen Xiang, you've lived abroad for so many years. Have you ever thought about trying to like women?"

"I've never tried. I'm straight, so how could I like women?"

"You don't like women at all?"

"Not at all."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. What's wrong with you today? Have you had too much to drink?"

"..."

Looking at the woman's gentle, radiant smile, Ye Qingnong saw the beauty mark beneath her eye, full of its own particular allure. She could hear herself sighing inwardly. She tried to hide the bitterness in her heart by drinking, but the next moment Shen Xiang leaned close to her ear, flirting without even realizing it, and whispered:

"Let's go out alone next time. I only want to talk with you."

"..."

Ye Qingnong, who had always held absolute control in matters of the heart, felt her pulse falter for once. She was about to say something, but Shen Xiang leaned even closer, so close that the slightest movement of Ye Qingnong's arm would brush against the softness of her chest.

"It's a little late, but I still want to say this: A Nong, happy birthday."

"..."

*

Scene Four

"Lawyer Ye, about what happened that night, I think we need to have a proper talk."

"Shen Xiang, I've missed you so much these past few days."

"...I know."

"Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"...Now isn't the time for that. We have to... A Nong, I'm trying to talk to you about something serious. Could you take your hand out first?"

"You're not calling me Lawyer Ye anymore?"

"..."

"Doesn't this feel nice?"

"Mm... It does... But A Nong, we really should talk this through..."

"Shh. We'll have plenty of time to talk later..."

"..."

*

Scene Five

After meeting Shen Xiang, Ye Qingnong changed so noticeably that even her friends couldn't take it anymore. They were all curious about what kind of magic this "straight woman" Shen Xiang had worked on her.

"Did you have a fight?" "Yeah."

"Want a cigarette?" "I quit."

"You quit?!" "Shen Xiang doesn't like the smell of smoke."

"...Then how about going to a bar to clear your head?" "No. I'm not in the mood."

"Come on, sis, this isn't like you at all. Your style is to say goodbye to one and find someone even sweeter next time. What kind of magic does that little lover of yours have, to make someone like you reform for love?"

Ye Qingnong stared at the other person, her voice more serious than it had ever been.

"I never believed in spending a lifetime with just one person. I could fill an entire garden, blooming however I pleased. But now it's different."

"How is it different?"

"Now I don't want to bloom all over the place. I only want Shen Xiang to pick me."

"..."

Please note:

1. Happy ending.

2. Slow burn.

3. One heroine has had several relationships, but she's not promiscuous. Don't read if that bothers you.

Theme: Study hard, hold on to your dreams, and keep working toward a good life.