A Real Couple Pretending to Be Mortal Enemies

[Blurb]

Like in every danmei novel, Lu Zizhuo is the school bully at No. 2 High. His grades are nothing to write home about, but he's known for standing by his friends and getting along with everyone. His underlings swarm around him, and he's never lost a fight.

His sworn enemy is, obviously, the school's top student, Ling Xu, the undisputed class monitor who has ranked first in the entire grade year after year. He's the teachers' favorite.

The ending is just as familiar: the two go from enemies who can't stand each other to falling in love through a series of mishaps, becoming the most important people in each other's lives, and finally walking down the aisle.

But one morning, after ten years of happy marriage, the husbands wake up to discover they've both transmigrated back thirteen years, to the time when they were the school's infamous sworn enemies.

His underling cracks his knuckles and asks, "Brother Lu, should we corner Class Monitor Ling in the alley tonight and beat him up? I know you've been sick of him for ages."

Lu Zizhuo falls into deep thought.

Why would I beat him up? That's my husband!

A member of the discipline committee holds up a list of infractions. "Minister Ling, Lu Zizhuo's name is all over this list again. We have to report him to the teachers right away and teach that hooligan a lesson."

Ling Xu quietly takes the record sheet and makes a few subtle edits.

Why report him to the teachers? That's my wife.

Neither husband knows the other has transmigrated. To make sure they can marry each other again thirteen years from now, neither dares to disrupt the story. With no choice, they reenact the events of their past, pretending to be enemies every day.

And so, scenes like these unfold around campus.

The tardy school bully Lu Zizhuo is perched on a wall when the strict, impartial discipline minister Ling Xu catches him in the act.

Ling Xu writes down his name with a cold expression and says, "Lu Zizhuo left early without permission. That's one unexcused absence."

But in his heart, he's already come up with a thousand excuses to cover for his wife. When he sees Lu Zizhuo jump down from a three-meter wall, his heart nearly stops, and he instinctively reaches out to catch him in his arms.

The lone top student Ling Xu is cornered by a group of the school bully's underlings, on the verge of being beaten black and blue.

Lu Zizhuo jokes around, praising his underlings for a job well done, then says fiercely, "Class Monitor Ling, you write my name down every day and get me in trouble with my dad. Today, you're going to get a taste of it yourself."

But when the school bully, normally a fighting expert, starts throwing punches, none of them land, and none of his kicks have any force. He holds back so much he might as well be on the other side of the ocean, then "accidentally" lets Ling Xu get away.

"If I have to act this out a hundred more times to fall in love with you again, I'll do it."

"In public, we're sworn enemies who can't stand each other. In private, we're a real married couple, perfectly in sync."

Character profiles: Lu Zizhuo is the classic arrogant school bully on the outside, but actually a gentle, sweet, homemaking wife.

Ling Xu is the classic aloof top student on the outside, but actually a devoted husband who dotes on his wife.

Reader's guide:

1. "School bully" is just a character type. He doesn't actually bully people.

2. One-on-one sweet romance. There are both past and present timelines. Some of it takes place at school, but the whole story isn't set there.

3. Blurb finalized on November 9, 2023. Screenshot saved.

Theme: Given the chance to start over, live a brilliant life all over again.