Cherry on Top

[Entering VIP on 10/15]

Green-tea, brooding guy x academically gifted, oblivious girl.

Possessive puppy x easygoing kitten.

After sharing a class with Mu Si Shen for a year, Xu You Yi always thought they were just ordinary classmates. Someone like Mu Si Shen, a popular and gifted young man, was the sort of person she should keep at a distance.

Before graduation, Mu Si Shen asked her to sign his school uniform in private. He said she was his best friend.

Xu You Yi carefully signed her name, breathing in the scent of midsummer and the boy's mint and orange-blossom fragrance.

After graduation, Xu You Yi took a part-time job, and Mu Si Shen was always there with her.

She didn't notice that whenever a coworker spoke to her, Mu Si Shen would suddenly pop up between them, deliberately showing off how close he was to Xu You Yi.

Mu Si Shen treated Xu You Yi so well that she thought he had a fearless spirit of selfless devotion.

He did almost all of her work every day, while the commission still went to her, which made her feel guilty. So she asked a friend whether she should buy him a gift.

Her friend said in surprise, "Isn't that what boyfriends are supposed to do? If you want to reward him, why not give him a kiss?"

Xu You Yi was horrified and waved her hands. "We're not that kind of couple..."

Around the corner, Mu Si Shen stood listening to their conversation, hiding the disappointment in his eyes.

Later, in a hot, humid bedroom by the sea, her friends had just returned when someone knocked on Xu You Yi's door to ask whether her heatstroke symptoms had improved.

It seemed they hadn't. If anything, they were worse.

She pushed against Mu Si Shen's chest with her palm, her lips swollen red from his kisses, loose strands of hair stuck to her temples. She saw something lurking in Mu Si Shen's dark eyes.

Mini-scene:

Xu You Yi is visiting Mu Si Shen's home when she accidentally finds a beautiful European-style box. Inside are all the things Xu You Yi used throughout her senior year of high school.

There is a huge bundle of empty pen refills, too.

Mu Si Shen happens to see this, and the warmth vanishes from his expression. He decides to come clean to Xu You Yi.

He walks toward her step by step. Hearing his footsteps behind her, she puts on an innocent smile. "Mu Si Shen, I never knew you were so rich. You like collecting junk, too?"

Yes, her junk. He treasures it like a collection of priceless keepsakes.

Theme: Stay positive and keep striving.