I Became Dating Partners with the Ice-Cold Top Student

[Next up: Wutongyu Re (Hot Rain on the Parasol Trees) / Muse Tingyu Mian (Sleeping to the Sound of Rain at Dusk)]

Chu Wangshu has been having a lot to worry about lately.

First, she was forced to choose the “Romance Elective,” a class with tons of assignments and few credits. Second, she became “romance partners” with Zhu Yubai, the top student in the Computer Science Department.

Zhu Yubai is a true child of heaven.

His bold, striking face has earned him countless admirers, and his aura as a top student with perfect grades has made him the ideal boyfriend for anyone who loves brains.

But

She’s just a lazy slacker who wants to lie flat. All she wants is to coast through an easy class, not become a stumbling block on the top student’s path.

After plenty of twists and turns, the two still ended up as partners.

Chu Wangshu discovered that Zhu Yubai wasn’t as aloof as the rumors claimed, so she unilaterally decided to classify him as a friend.

Then, by chance, she stumbled across Zhu Yubai’s secret: he had a crush on someone he’d loved for a long time.

She offered her help without hesitation. “Want me to help you win them over?”

Beneath the shade of a tree, Zhu Yubai lowered his eyes, concealing the restless undercurrent in them. His voice was enticing. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. What do you need me to do?”

“Love me.”

Zhu Yubai had a secret.

He had a crush on someone, and he’d filled an entire notebook with plans for how to get close to her.

The plan was going smoothly. He’d become her “romance partner” for the elective.

He had a diary, and its only subject was her.

“She told me, ‘That’s so pretty’, but she wasn’t complimenting me. She meant my handwriting. It’s fine, as long as I can get her attention.”

“We watched the sunset together and held hands. My ears turned red, but luckily she didn’t notice.”

“She stood me up. I guess I’m not as important to her as other people.”

“She apologized and said I was a very important friend. But I want to be more than a friend.”

“I kind of hate her. I hate how dense she is, and how she doesn’t understand romance.”

“Forget it. I just hate that she doesn’t love me.”

Later, a line of elegant handwriting appeared on the title page of the diary: Thank you for loving me. Thank you for teaching me how to love. Don’t worry. I’ll love you for a long, long time.

Next up: Wutongyu Re

Xu Ningqing was sucking on a mint when she witnessed a confession.

The girl wore a white dress and clutched a love letter, too nervous to look the other person in the eye.

“Yan, I’ve liked you for a long time. Will you be my boyfriend?”

The boy was tall and straight-backed, his posture casual. His narrow, dark eyes beneath his tousled hair were utterly emotionless.

“I don’t like people who are too pretty. They make me feel insecure.”

Everyone at Jiang University knew the name Yan Jingchen. The girl realized this was just a polite excuse to turn her down and walked away, holding back her tears.

Yan Jingchen remained where he was and spoke calmly to the person behind him. “Was that entertaining?”

Xu Ningqing emerged from behind a ginkgo tree, crunching the candy in her mouth. “Pretty entertaining,” she said, then added, “And he’s pretty handsome, too.”

A breeze swept across a sea of pink muhly grass, lifting the hem of the girl’s skirt.

“Senior Yan, can I pursue you?”

The students at Jiangzhou University were astonished to see pretty freshman Xu Ningqing appear beside Yan Jingchen, who was known for keeping all women at least three meters away. She’d started chasing the campus heartthrob the moment she arrived.

No one thought she’d succeed. After all, Yan Jingchen was famous for being difficult.

Unexpectedly, a photo of the two embracing surfaced.

The love in Yan Jingchen’s eyes filled the screen.

Everyone was marveling at what a perfect match they were when news of their breakup came out of nowhere.

It ended with one of them going abroad and the other growing even more silent.

Everyone assumed Yan Jingchen had been the one to end things. After all, given how fiercely Xu Ningqing had pursued him, she would never have broken up with him.

But no one knew that, late at night beneath dim lights, Yan Jingchen sat there in despair, calling the number he knew by heart again and again.

Outside, all was silent. Inside, the same message echoed over and over.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off...”

They met again at a temple.

Yan Jingchen had become a rising star in the business world, now even more admired and surrounded by people than before.

In a secluded temple courtyard, through the drifting incense smoke, he raised his eyes, his words edged with sarcasm.

“Xu Ningqing, now that you’re back, how long are you planning to toy with me this time?”

Bamboo leaves rustled around them, and silence mingled with the crisp air.

His voice was cold and hard. “Let me tell you, give up.”

Later, just like that humid, stifling night in the year they parted.

Stars glittered across the sky, and cicadas sang in waves.

He gripped her hand tightly, his scorching breath enveloping her.

“Xu Ningqing, do you want to be together?”

“This time, can you toy with me a little longer?”

Theme: Don’t worry. Someone will love you for a long, long time.