Coming soon: The Troublemaker and the Cactus
Blurb:
In the summer of her seventeenth year, Xu Wan arrived alone in a completely unfamiliar city.
Xu Wan's first impression of Xinting County: rundown and crowded, full of people who ignored the rules and spoke in a dialect she couldn't understand at all.
And then there was the neighbor boy, casually eyeing her with a bottle of orange soda in one hand.
At the end of August in the south, the heat was relentless. Xu Wan's cheeks were flushed from the sun, damp hair clung to her forehead, and her dewy, almond-shaped eyes looked up at him with such a helpless expression that anyone would feel for her.
The boy scoffed, stepped forward, and took her heavy suitcase. His tall figure disappeared into the narrow, dim stairwell.
Zhou Muqi was the notorious bad boy of Xinting County No. 1 High School: a rebellious, handsome troublemaker, wild and carefree. He was always late because he slept in, but even the head teacher couldn't do anything about him. After all, he was the only student in years to show the potential to get into a top university like Tsinghua or Peking University.
At the start of senior year, a new girl transferred into his class. Her name was Xu Wan. She was pretty and well-behaved, and, most importantly, she was an excellent student who could take her pick of top universities.
From then on, Zhou Muqi's standing was in danger.
The third time the head teacher made him write a self-criticism, he slipped out and called to the girl in a white dress passing by the window.
With her delicate features and innocent gaze, she looked at him. Zhou Muqi curled his lip and said scornfully, "Got the guts to compete with me? Whoever comes first in the midterm exams wins."
"Compete in what?"
"You decide."
"The loser has to be the winner's dog."
"Deal."
Two months later, Zhou Muqi lost. He was her dog for a year, and then she left without looking back.
They met again at a class reunion. Zhou Muqi lounged in a corner of the private room's sofa.
As everyone greeted each other, someone nudged his shoulder. "Hey, remember Xu Wan? The one who stole first place from you?"
Zhou Muqi looked away, the drink in his glass gently swirling. He replied nonchalantly, "No idea who you're talking about."
But she sat down beside him. The girl had grown out of her awkwardness and was now poised and confident. "Zhou Muqi, long time no see."
He gave her a cool glance, then rolled the dice in front of him. His voice was challenging. "Got the guts to compete with me again?"
"Sure. What's the stake?"
"If you lose, you kiss me."
In the hazy atmosphere, Zhou Muqi pinned her against the edge of the sofa in a secluded corner and kissed her until she could barely breathe.
#People say Xu Wan is a cactus with soft spines. Zhou Muqi doesn't believe them. Even covered in wounds from her thorns, he keeps waiting for the day the cactus blooms.
Theme: Love can never stay hidden
