You Don't Have to Have a Secret Crush on Me

[A seemingly roguish, handsome B-king who's actually a devoted romantic and top student x a seemingly aloof girl who's actually a pure-hate warrior and a bottom-ranked underachiever]

High school campus

On the night of their school trip, the boys and girls slept in tents outdoors. The cool, handsome boy worked up the courage to squeeze into the girl's tent and gently kissed her cheek. His kiss was careful and tender.

The girl's closed eyes suddenly opened. While the boy was still surprised, she playfully winked and kissed him back. Fireworks burst into the sky at just the right moment, brief and beautiful. Young love was so lively and heartfelt.

Jiang Xinian thought anyone would be touched by such sincere feelings.

If she hadn't been sleeping so soundly before the boy suddenly came in and stepped on her, waking her up.

Even Huacheng No. 1 High School, with its strict rules, couldn't stamp out the fearless love of teenagers taking their first steps into romance.

The usually unruly boy sat beside the girl he'd been arguing with. In the end, he lowered his proud head, and after a long, awkward pause, the two held hands again.

Jiang Xinian, who had wanted to catch up on sleep after class but had her seat taken: ...

The boy and girl, forced by their teacher to sit on opposite sides of the classroom to keep them apart, secretly passed notes during study hall. Their notes were full of passionate longing and reluctance to part.

Jiang Xinian, who just wanted to do her homework but was forced to help pass the notes: ...

Every single day... Could they please study for once?!

Her deskmate quietly told her that Lu Fei treated her differently from other girls and must want a serious relationship with her. They were sure to be happy together.

Jiang Xinian smiled and played along, while inwardly gritting her teeth and cursing them for being idiots.

At Huacheng No. 1 High School, Jiang Xinian and Lu Fei really were worlds apart, like parallel lines. They were in the same class, and though it might look as if they were close, they would never have anything to do with each other.

One was the arrogant, free-spirited, proud darling of heaven.

The other was a quiet, reserved girl with no real strengths besides a somewhat pretty face. She seemed as ordinary in personality as she was in her grades.

During class breaks, she sat at the back of the classroom, with textbooks and exam papers piled half as high as she was. She watched the boy stand by the podium, effortlessly bantering with the girl, the conspicuous countdown to the college entrance exam just a meter above his head.

Without a flicker of emotion, she continued working through problems. She took the monthly exam results from the class representative and found her name near the bottom, as usual. Then she looked at Lu Fei's top score in the class and tore up the results sheet without expression.

In a bottom-ranked youth, even the sky was black.

Before high school, her best friend had said with a hopeful look that high school romances were pure and beautiful, and that once you fell in love, it was unforgettable.

Ever since meeting Lu Fei, she'd come to understand that hate lasted longer than love.

Her youth held no earth-shattering romance, and no storybook boy who would risk everything for her.

All she had were endless exam papers, math problems she couldn't solve, and a dream school that felt impossibly far away. She thought this would be the end of her short yet seemingly endless youth.

Until the day of the sports meet, when the boy who turned the score around on the court was met with cheers. After the game, Lu Fei turned down a drink from the girl who had a crush on him and went straight to Jiang Xinian, who was daydreaming in the stands, to confess with sincere confidence.

Amid the shouts and teasing, the boy cautiously reached for the blushing girl's hand, only for her to slap it away without mercy.

Lu Fei froze for a moment, then heard Jiang Xinian force out two words, one at a time:

"Get lost."

The unruly darling of heaven stood there stunned, then coughed awkwardly and quickly regained his composure as he told his friends,

"She's playing hard to get."

Sure enough, just as he'd said, after his relentless pursuit, Jiang Xinian eventually accepted his confession.

Jiang Xinian accepted every gift he gave her. Seeing this, Lu Fei curled his lips in a casual smile. She was just another girl with a crush, after all. He laughed with his friends.

"She really has fallen for me."

Then, two days later, he turned around and discovered that all those gifts had been listed on a secondhand goods site under the simple title: "Gifts from my ex. Make an offer."

Lu Fei, who had been planning where to take her on their next date: ?

The usually proud young master immediately broke up with her and declared that they couldn't even be friends after the breakup.

Jiang Xinian nodded without hesitation.

"It's a deal."

Two days after the breakup, a certain top student, having forgotten the pain as soon as his wounds had healed, thought it over and asked if they could get back together.

Jiang Xinian replied without expression:

"Don't love me. It won't work out."

"Can I love you secretly, then?"

Jiang Xinian couldn't be bothered to look down at him. She turned back to her math problems.

The proud, unruly darling of heaven lowered himself and begged.

"Jiang Xinian, keep liking me. I'll do whatever you want."

Jiang Xinian, who had been silent, suddenly looked up. "Teach me how to do math."

He froze for a moment, then nodded.

"Then let's date."

When he first met Jiang Xinian, he thought she was like cold snow. He'd never met such an interesting girl before, so he thought he'd just have a casual fling and keep things within bounds.

Only later did Lu Fei realize that she was a proud pine, growing fiercely no matter what stood in her way, even when the goal was incredibly difficult, even when she had to cross the longest river in her world.

Tips: The heroine is a pure-hate warrior. Under immense pressure, with the story set in a province known for its intense college entrance exams, she hates school from the moment she arrives. She hates heaven and earth, her school, her teachers, and exams. She even gets mad at every dog that passes by.

Before falling for the heroine, the hero is an unruly, roguish B-king. After meeting her, he becomes a total lovesick fool, so captivated by the aloof heroine that he can barely move.

Theme: Study hard.