I Heard It's Raining Hard Today

1. Zhai Xing has a male friend everyone knows about from her social circle. His name is Jiang Xingran.

He's tall and handsome, has no scandals whatsoever, and has countless fans. He's one of the hottest names in esports.

They live one floor apart in the same apartment building. On their days off, they spend eleven out of ten days together.

Their friends are baffled. They're already this clingy, so why aren't they dating?

Zhai Xing always waves a hand and says, "Because we're not right for each other."

Though twenty-six-year-old Zhai Xing and twenty-six-year-old Jiang Xingran make a fortune, looking like the kind of people who were born with more money than they'll ever need and are only short on romance, when fourteen-year-old Zhai Xing met fourteen-year-old Jiang Xingran, they were both dirt poor.

After twelve years of friendship, having seen each other at their absolute worst, Zhai Xing thinks being friends is the best possible ending for the two of them.

...Even if, sometimes, Zhai Xing wonders what it would feel like to date Jiang Xingran.

2. Until one day, at a victory celebration, Zhai Xing gets tipsy.

Her friends are playing a rowdy game of King in the next room. Zhai Xing turns off the lights and rests her head on the table, pretending to sleep while she sobers up.

Half asleep, she vaguely sees Jiang Xingran open the door and walk in. He leans over beside her and watches her for a long time.

In the quiet room, only his gaze is so scorching.

Zhai Xing's skin grows hot beneath his stare. She can't keep pretending to sleep, and is just about to speak when...

She sees Jiang Xingran lower his eyes, his expression tender and affectionate, as he murmurs reproachfully, "Zhai Xing, when are you finally going to realize that I like you?"

3. Long after Zhai Xing and Jiang Xingran get together, she asks him curiously, "Why did you like me for so long before confessing? Were you afraid I wouldn't like you back?"

Jiang Xingran says, "No. I already knew, one night in the eighth year of our friendship, when you got drunk."

Zhai Xing: "Huh?"

Jiang Xingran says, "You held me and cried and cried, saying you really liked me."

Zhai Xing gets angry. "Then why did you wait another four years to confess?"

Jiang Xingran lowers his eyes and says nothing. What could he say?

Of course, it was because Zhai Xing hadn't only held him and cried that she liked him. She'd also cried that she was afraid their relationship would change and they'd have nothing left between them.

So Jiang Xingran kept waiting after that.

Waiting for Zhai Xing to feel secure enough, waiting for her to believe that he loved her enough.

Waiting for the rain that had started falling before they met to finally stop.

Esports pro male lead x bestselling female author

The male lead plays a MOBA similar to League of Legends. All content is fictional. Any resemblance is coincidental. The schedule takes inspiration from the LPL, with a spring split, mid-season tournament, summer split, and world championship.

Neither lead is perfect. They both had genuinely difficult pasts, so at times their personalities can seem quite twisted.

Each other's first love, first crush, and first kiss.

They're just friends before adulthood. They only start dating after they open up to each other at twenty-six.

[Note left 2025/8/8]

Premise: How could I have made it through obscurity without her?