In college, Zhou Jingze and Xu Sui were very different from each other— their paths would never cross.... more>>

One was a free spirit, a moon surrounded by a myriad of stars. The other was a well-behaved and quiet girl, easy to be ignored.

As she finished her assignments one after another in the library, she had no intention to listen to matters regarding him and others. Yet, she had witnessed him changing girlfriends one after another.

At a party, Xu Sui was drunk and summoned up the courage to confess to him.

Zhou Jingze froze for a moment, then raised the corners of his lips and said casually: “I’m sorry, you are too well-behaved and quiet.”

They met again, countless times, whether it was intentionally or unintentionally. Xu Sui should have pushed down her thoughts and kept a distance from him.

Yet, he kept pressing, leaving her nowhere to hide. Finally, Xu Sui was against a wall: “Why me?” Zhou Jingze lowered his head and whispered to her: “There is no why; I used to be blind.” <<less

A genius schemer, creating an emperor!... more>>

“Only when your brother is happy can you be happy.”

She committed all kinds of evil deeds to make him Emperor. However, Artezia’s devotion was repaid with betrayal. It was the Grand Duke Cedric, a righteous enemy, that gave her a hand of salvation at the threshold of death.

“Devise a plan.”
“…”
“I can’t think of anyone but you who can reverse this situation. Marquess Rosan.”
“…”
“Lend me your strength.”

There is no plan that can reverse the already declining power and save the fallen empire. However, there is a method. To turn back time before everything went wrong.

With tears of blood she sacrificed her body to an ancient magic. This time, she will not fall.

Artezia, who returned to the age of 18 before death, resolved to become a villainess for the Grand Duke Cedric.

“Please give me your hand in marriage. I’ll make you emperor.”

In exchange for kneeling to the devil, the devil shall dirty her hands for you. <<less

“What are you thinking about?”... more>>

“I’m thinking about a guy.”

KyungHyun stopped in the middle of a deep kiss and sighed. His lips began to form a smile, but his fierce glare said otherwise. Possessiveness and jealousy spread across his sculpted face.

“Will you tell me his name?”

His easygoing and languid voice reached her ears.

“Why?”

“So that I can shoot him down.” <<less

This time, you will be the ones who will be horribly destroyed.... more>>

There were various modifiers for the villainess Odette Lina von Albrecht, who appeared in the 19+ corrupted reverse harem game.

A deceiver who deceived the Empire by pretending to be a purifier when she was not. A witch who committed evil deeds that were too evil to even speak of and toyed with the four male protagonists who were transcendent.

However, there was something that the players who played the game and the male protagonists who hated and pursued Odette didn't know.

"You are nothing more than a toy in our house. Since your master has decided to abandon you, you should die happily."

All of Odette's terrible evil deeds were not based on her will. However, that fact was never revealed. Because Odette, who was falsely accused, eventually met her death at the hands of the male protagonists.

It was definitely going to end like that.

"...Could it be that you have come back?"

She returned to the past. And at the moment of her death, she realized that she had been reincarnated as Oddette.

***

A second life was given, a future where she knew exactly what would happen. I was going to show the family who betrayed me a real hell and use the male protagonists who hated me as a means of revenge. But,

"Damn it. I don't know why you care."

"I want to offer you my knightly oath."

The male protagonist who hated me changed. In the meantime, I suddenly awakened as a real purifier.

'When I wanted it so badly, I wasn't given anything. Why now that I've given up on everything?'

All that matters to me is revenge. I don't like anything. Really, not anything. <<less

A man known only by rumor, shrouded in mystery—Kang Moochan.... more>>

"Whether I can truly suppress the monster inside me and protect her to the very end..."

A man who loved one woman to the point of ruin.

"Just as you needed money, Lee Eunsoo, I needed you. Let’s leave it at that."

A woman who had nothing but debt, pride, and her body—Lee Eunsoo.

"...I asked him to buy me. For as much as possible. At the highest price."

Life had been so hard she had never once loved anyone.

"Please don’t make me feel guilty, sir."

—From the novel—

"What brings you here at this hour, Eunsoo?"

Relieved by the familiarity in his voice, Eunsoo lets out a soft sigh and manages a faint smile. "It’s nothing. I just haven’t been able to come for a few days. I wanted to stay by your side..."

Moochan tries to close the door on her, his tone cold. "That’s not necessary anymore. Go home."

Startled by his rejection, Eunsoo quickly blocks the door with her foot. "Why are you acting like this, sir?"

"I told you to leave."

Determined, Eunsoo pushes past him. Displeased, Moochan furrows his brow and grabs her arm, stopping her from coming any further.

"You’re hurting me, sir!"

"Eunsoo, you seem to be under a big misconception. Do you think there’s something between us? We were bound by a contract—nothing more, nothing less. And now that the contract is over, you can’t just barge in like this."

Frozen by his coldness, Eunsoo can only stare at him with wounded eyes. She knows he’s never given her any hope, but did he have to push her away so harshly?

"We can just extend the contract."

She wants to stay by his side, even if it means lowering herself, even if it means being the villain.

"I need the money anyway."

With a forced smile, Eunsoo tries to hide her pain. Moochan’s gaze is icy.

"And you need me, too, sir." <<less

"As long as I can keep my purity, it’s fine."... more>>

Jin Hyoseop, an S-Class guide, is among the top 1% talent sought after by every guild. He joins 'Onaip,' a guild infamous for its extreme laziness, with the assurance that they only require contact guiding and nothing beyond that. However, contrary to his expectations that simple contact guiding would suffice, no matter how much guiding he does, it feels like trying to fill a bottomless pit...

"...What on earth is going on?" <<less

The Marquis Yunyang was deposed by the Emperor and his family ended up in dire straits overnight. As such, the Third Miss of the Shen Household, her family’s most precious jewel, found herself abandoned by all with a sick brother on her hands. Having no other choice, she set up a cosmetics shop in Chang’an.... more>>

But to the eyes of all, especially her relatives’, she had become nothing but an alluring flower any man could pick at will.

Passing by her Baixiang Pavilion, the heir to the Grand Duchy of Zhen, Lu Yan, witnessed her being harassed by the idle sons of Chang’an’s leading class. Her appearance reminded him of dreams that had been plaguing him lately, revealing to him a past with her and the sultry love affair they had shared in a previous life.

With shaking fingers, he also remembered the bitter taste of heartbreak when she left him to marry another man.

Thus, in this life, he decided to save her once more, lure her into an affair, install her as his mistress and never let her escape his sphere of influence again.

However, to keep Shen Zhen by his side, finding her a place to stay and caring for her brother was not enough. Little did Lu Yan know he would be pulled into the darkest corners of Chang’an and take part in games of power that at times implicated the Main Gentleman of the Empire, the Emperor himself. Selling what he held dearest in the process: his integrity as an official.

All for the sake of Chang’an’s First Beauty. <<less

On Wen Xiao's first day of transferring schools, he heard multiple versions of rumors about his new deskmate — like how he skipped class all the time, got into fights, and consistently scored exactly 60 points in every subject.... more>>

His homeroom teacher advised gently, "You're an excellent student. Don't let Chi Ye influence your studies."

His classmates looked at Wen Xiao with pity and warned, "You must keep your distance from Chi-ge!"

Chi Ye, who had personally witnessed Wen Xiao knock down several opponents with a discarded plastic pipe and a cold expression, questioned soulfully, "Who the hell is influencing who?" <<less

There are only two destined outcomes for an illegitimate child of the Meng family.... more>>

One is to be useful and then being used to death. The other is to be exploited for being a useless person.

After being reborn, Meng Ting chooses the second option without the slightest hesitation.

As a result, he’s being married off.

“Oh.” =.=

***

This is a story of a beautiful young man who wants to become a degenerate after coming back to life from death, but is rejected by his upstanding husband in various ways.

This is a story of saving others, and being saved by others in return.

You are my beloved, and I am the light of your life.

Meng Ting: “Nonsense…”

Yan Sui: “Everything my wife says is correct.” <<less

Fu Chaoyun transmigrates into a GL ABO novel as the s*um Alpha.... more>>

According to the original plot, she was an uneducated bully who committed countless misdeeds… ultimately getting killed in revenge by the blackened Omega female lead, Pei Xuezhi.

To survive—

When Pei Xuezhi participates in a variety show, Fu Chaoyun immediately signs up too, taking care of her and never leaving her side.

One day when Fu Chaoyun gets drunk, she only recognizes Pei Xuezhi, wanting hugs and cutely singing "Little Jumping Frog" to please the beauty!

Audience: 【Ahhhh the childish top is the best! She only has eyes for her! ChaoyunXuezhi is so sweet!!!】

When Pei Xuezhi can't portray romantic gazes while filming a movie, Fu Chaoyun immediately calls the screenwriter.

"Adding one million to invest, change the script."

Film crew: 【Is Producer Fu jealous? Such a domineering Alpha doting on the cold beauty Omega… they're such relationship goals!】

Later, paparazzi catch them entering and leaving the same villa together.

Netizens: 【I get it! It's rut season! Seven days and seven nights non-stop!】

Though things develop strangely each time, Fu Chaoyun diligently acts as Pei Xuezhi's protector and good friend.

Until one day, Pei Xuezhi goes into heat, and Fu Chaoyun skillfully reaches for suppressants.

Pei Xuezhi knocks them away, "Fu Chaoyun, are you really an Alpha?!"

Fu Chaoyun: ???

The cold beauty's eyes are now tinged red, "I don't want those."

Her voice softens gradually, finally becoming coquettish, "I want your warmth, I want… you to mark me yourself."

Before Fu Chaoyun can consider whether to "hold back" this time, she's pulled down by the head, lips pressed against the other's nape, marking her again and again…

Waking up the next morning, Fu Chaoyun stares at the beauty's still smooth, flat belly and ponders.

As the great contributor to keeping this home, should she plan ahead… and ask the family for future baby formula money?

- - - - -

In her previous life, Pei Xuezhi endured endless torment, feeling only hatred and no love for that person in the end.

Living again, though she's black-hearted, that person unexpectedly changes completely, only knowing how to clumsily treat her well. At first, she found it ridiculous, but gradually Pei Xuezhi falls for her.

Except…

"Why are your eyes still empty of me?"

Snow-white cool fingertips brush against the other's cheek as Pei Xuezhi softly murmurs, "Sister~ In this life, your methods of ruining someone have improved."

In crisis, Fu Chaoyun looks up, plants a kiss on her lips, and Pei Xuezhi watches as that person freezes, then gradually softens.

This time, she's willing to fall in love.

*Main top, rich second generation with quirky mindset lazy Alpha × reborn more intensely blackened fake-cold true-crazy self-made super capable Omega

*ABO, GL no stallion trope, many AU settings

*Slow burn, gradual progression + heart before body, no marking before mutual understanding (important), the original plot was wrong, don't learn from it! (very important)

*Thanks to the sweeties who caught errors, I'll fix them ASAP to ensure better reading experience QAQ

*Cover art authorization: ZDC (non-exclusive) Thank you very much~ <<less

That day, I, Haruki Ogura, left my notebook at school.... more>>

Since I have a homework due tomorrow in that notebook, I decided to go back to school at night to get my notebook.

However, when I was about to enter my class, I saw a scene that haunts me to this day.

“Ahnn…hmphhh…this is the best♡”

It was my childhood friend, Niimi Yua, embracing a stranger, half naked…

Is that really Yua? What is happening? <<less

Six months ago, Cheng Liu got herself a boyfriend. Unfortunately, her work kept her incredibly busy, constantly on the move. Aside from sending money, she had no time for him, leading to complaints about their fading relationship.... more>>

Cheng Liu: Was our relationship ever that strong to begin with?

Nevertheless, to nurture this relationship (and maintain her "not single" status), Cheng Liu decided to return early, subtly hinting at her return date in a WeChat message, assuming he would understand.

On the day of her arrival, Cheng Liu scanned the crowd at the airport exit and spotted a tall, handsome figure.

That's him, she thought. Definitely my boyfriend. He looks even better than I remember, practically glowing.

Cheng Liu approached him and, taking the lily-of-the-valley from his hand, said, "Let's go."

A few days later, while shopping with her "boyfriend," Cheng Liu ran into a couple. The man, looking panicked, quickly let go of the woman's hand and accused Cheng Liu, "So, this is why you disappeared for six months! You cheated on me!"

Cheng Liu, completely bewildered: "???" <<less

A priest was sold a mixed-blooded demon on his way home. It was cheap, so he bought it.

“I am Lady Glasster, treat me accordingly!”... more>>

Aiden Fitzroy, the illegitimate child of the former emperor bearing the scars of war, and Anje Glasster, forced into an unwanted marriage,

“Now, aren’t you Mrs Fitzroy? Moreover, I’m not spending time with you because I like it.”

A farm surrounded by nature, a quaint rural village, and everything that doesn’t suit her taste. Among them, the worst is Aiden, who treats her like a pest.

“Just wait, I’ll deceive you and escape from this farm!”

But at some point, both his attitude and her feelings begin to change.

****

“So what you’re saying is that you didn’t think I was beautiful before, but you do now?”

“Ah……No, even before.”

With an embarrassed voice, Aiden mumbled like he had a thorn in his throat, but eventually, he managed to finish his sentence; though he had to squeeze his words out.

“Even before, I thought you were beautiful.”

“………Sir, your ears are red.”

Everyone thought this marriage marked the downfall of Princess Glasster, but was that really true? Was she really falling? <<less

Scream out.... more>>

Awake and pour out the grudge left in you onto me.

Then, I shall save you. <<less

Everyone says Mo Ming hit the jackpot. He was originally just a poor, helpless soul with no connections. But because his face happened to resemble Han Shaozhou’s married “white moonlight,” he was taken back by Han Shaozhou and pampered to the skies.... more>>

It’s said that Mo Ming followed President Han devotedly for three years. It’s said that Mo Ming deeply loved President Han and tried every possible means to replace Han’s “white moonlight.” Later, it was said… President Han insisted on dragging him to get married, but Mo Ming refused no matter what.

Mo Ming was obedient and well-behaved. He liked to kiss Han Shaozhou’s face and say he liked him, but Han Shaozhou thought he was shallow. They had been together for so long, and Mo Ming would always praise only his face, never trying to understand him on a deeper level…

Later, Han Shaozhou realized that Mo Ming really just loved his face, and nothing more.

Some people envied Mo Ming: “He truly reached the pinnacle of life just by relying on his face.”

Some mocked him: “A stand-in is just a stand-in, getting kicked out is only a matter of time.”

Some gloated: “Oh my, President Han’s ‘white moonlight’ got divorced. If Mo Ming doesn’t step aside for the real deal now, when will he?”

Mo Ming was truly in a hurry: “President Han, listen to the call of others, hurry up and let go.”

Han Shaozhou once worried that Mo Ming would become a clingy nuisance that he couldn’t shake off. Until that day, when he, as usual, tried to scare Mo Ming with a breakup, Mo Ming gently nodded and said, “Okay.”

Caught off guard, the man who Han Shaozhou thought loved him to the point of no return just left without looking back.

#Double Stand-in Story#

#The Clown Was Actually Me#

#Turns Out He Chose Me First#

#Turns Out He Really Only Loved My Face#

[Handsome, generous, and loaded but straightforward Gong vs. seemingly gentle and obedient but actually heartless and a bit dark Shou] <<less

「I'll always be by Shou-chan's side──」... more>>

That's what my childhood friend said, as if to comfort me after I lost my parents at a young age and was left with just my little sister.

Afterwards, thanks to the kindness of her mother, Kaname-kaasan──who was close friends with my mother, my sister and I came to live at their house.

Even so, our relationship remained unchanged, and we spent our unchanging days always together, no matter what we did.

However, in the summer of my third year of middle school, I──Chihara Shougo──met with an accident and suffered severe injuries, including full-body contusions and lower body paralysis.

One day, while spending my hospitalized days in despair, a certain incident caused us to be separated.

──A year and a half later, I was to transfer into the prestigious "Kujou Academy".

But at that academy, my childhood friend was there── <<less

As the grandmaster of demonic cultivation, Wei Wuxian roamed the world, hated by millions for committing acts of necromancy. Overthrown by the powerful clans he had attempted to subjugate, Wei Wuxian is supposedly killed by his shidi in order to save the cultivation world. ... more>>

Restored to life in the body of Mo Xuanyu, the local cut-sleeve lunatic, in order to exact revenge on his abusive relatives, Wei Wuxian quickly finds himself spiralling back into his old life when he’s taken away by the cold-hearted, stern, and ultimately quite boring Lan Wangji – who might be harbouring warmer feelings than contempt. Perhaps of the…romantic kind?

But despite his new beginning, Wei Wuxian begins to unravel a decade and a half long mystery that is set to undo the very fabric of the cultivation world as they know it.

A mysterious, action-packed thriller of a ride, this is a journey you won’t want to miss! <<less

After a long period of unrequited love, I ended up as a duchess in name only.... more>>

I endured a cold marriage, hoping that one day Ains would finally notice me…

“Please… let’s get a divorce.”

I was exhausted from a love that would never be returned. The conclusion of a one-sided love could only be disastrous.

“But I have a condition. I want a substantial amount of alimony.”

More than anything, facing death, I needed money to cure my illness. So, I decided to get a divorce.

* * *

Though there were lingering effects, my illness was treated, and I was ready to live my life.

“Cecilia, why did you hide the fact that you were sick from me?”

But for some reason, the once indifferent Ains started clinging to me.

“You don’t need to worry about the illness. It’s already been treated.”

“Treated? Do you think someone who’s fully healed would cough up blood?”

“That’s just a lingering effect.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think I’ll believe that?”

His once arrogant eyes now showed signs of anxiety and unease. It was the same look I had seen countless times before, right before I decided to leave him. <<less

Shota Mukawa, an ordinary boy with no special characteristics, was broken by the shock of being betrayed by the four girls he trusted. Heartbroken, he moved to the countryside and worked on himself while healing his emotional wounds.... more>>

One day, his mother remarried and he became Shota Nijitani, returning to the place where he was born and raised. At the high school he transferred to, there were girls called the “Four Colored Goddesses”. These goddesses are the demons who betrayed Shota and threw him into hell.

Shota was shaken by the trauma of his past, but the goddesses didn’t recognize Shota Nijitani as Shota Mukawa because he had changed his appearance and last name.

He takes this as an opportunity to keep his distance and try to live his life, but somehow the relationship grows deeper.

Gradually, the truth of what happened in the past begins to emerge.…… <<less

Tang Yan had been fostered at her uncle’s countryside home since childhood, growing up as a child of the rural area. Her mother had given birth to her out of wedlock, and her biological father was unknown. After the college entrance examinations that year, Tang Yan, through her own efforts, was admitted to Huadu University. The university was far from her hometown, and her uncle’s family, citing her coming of age, no longer took her in.... more>>

After her mother remarried, it was inconvenient for her to keep Tang Yan nearby. Consequently, her mother entrusted her to someone she said had once been kind to her and would provide assistance. "Go to Huadu and find Aunt Ji. She will help you quickly adapt to the environment in Huadu," her mother had instructed.

Tang Yan endured over twenty hours on a hard seat during the scorching summer. She remembered that on the evening her train arrived, the weather was extremely hot. A beautiful woman, impeccably dressed in the style of an urban woman with graceful manners and eloquent speech, came to pick her up. The woman took the initiative to help her with her luggage and offered a warm, lovely smile. "I am of the same generation as your mother. You can call me Aunt Ji from now on."

"Aunt Ji…" Tang Yan felt very timid, unsure whether it was due to the unfamiliar big city or the woman she was about to live with day and night.

However, she never expected that entering Aunt Ji’s household and addressing her as Aunt Ji would entangle her for life. <<less

Espers are guaranteed sufficient guiding in exchange for serving the state.... more>>

Except for runaway espers.

Runaway espers, due to their unstable metrics, are like ticking time bombs that could go on a rampage again at any moment.

Shin Joo-hyun, who went on a rampage immediately upon manifestation and spent 11 years being used by the Association like a dog, lived a life far removed from guiding despite being an esper.

In front of him appears Cha In-ho, a famous actor who manifested late at the age of 26 as a guide.

And he has come to be matched with a runaway esper.

“From now on, I will be your matching guide, Joo-hyun. Please take care of me.”

But this guide, for some reason, keeps acting like he knows Joo-hyun…

“I am the only person who knows Joo-hyun.

And you are the only one who knows me.”

Will Shin Joo-hyun be able to uncover Cha In-ho’s true identity?

Read If:

You want to see a cold, prickly, handsome Bottom hopelessly fall for a mostly gentle Matching Guide, and a beautiful, warm-hearted Top who eventually throws away his plans and regrets his hesitation once he accepts his true feelings.

Highlight quote:

"Shin Joo-hyun. Don’t make me really angry, come here.” <<less

It’s about planes landing on the ground, and also about love descending into the heart.... more>>

Gentle yet domineering star pilot x a bit stubborn and principle-driven air traffic controller

Chen Jiayu x Fang Hao

—

Three years ago, Chen Jiayu piloted Flight 416 during a severe engine incident, maneuvering an Airbus A330 full of passengers to a safe landing on the longest runway at Hong Kong International Airport with harrowing speed.

Known as the most successful crash landing in civil aviation history in a decade, his achievement made him a household name, but it also became a nightmare that haunted him for years. He thought that he had used up all his good luck in Hong Kong three years ago. Then, he met Fang Hao.

Fang Hao, who likes to be in control and holds the record for directing the most flights in a single hour at Daxing Airport, handling countless special and risky situations without batting an eye. However, upon encountering Chen Jiayu, he found himself losing control. <<less

Shen Hanxing enlisted in the military at the age of seventeen, suppressing the chaos of the sixteen states and expanding the territory of Dongning with unparalleled success. However, a nefarious conspiracy unfolded, leading to the crippling of both his legs and the infliction of a mysterious poison upon him. His elder brother fell off a cliff, his fate unknown. ... more>>

Rumors spread that Shen Hanxing became cold-blooded, bloodthirsty, and brutal. Everyone avoided him as much as possible.

The emperor chose a wife for him, and the illegitimate daughter of the Lin family, Lin Xingxue, was deemed compatible with Shen Hanxing based on their astrological signs. With an imperial decree, Lin Xingxue married into the residence of Jinning Hou as a celebratory event during illness.

On the day of the grand wedding, he sat in a wheelchair, looking towards the young girl with an indifferent expression.

Lin Xingxue suppressed her fear, held onto his hand, wrote the characters for “husband” on his palm, and silently said his name with her lips.

The skin on her fingertips trembled faintly as she, both frightened and determined, moved closer to him. Her pair of eyes were pure and clear.

Afterwards, the imperial physician asserted that he had at most one year left to live. Lin Xingxue waited until there was no one around before daring to cry.

Shen Hanxing listened outside the room for a while before finally pushing the door open. The young girl’s eyes were swollen from crying, and she didn’t dare let him see.

He took a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears on her face, casually asking, “You don’t want me to die?”

“But if I live, you’ll have to stay by my side for the rest of your life. Are you willing?”

“Willing!” The girl’s voice was firm, without a hint of hesitation.

Shen Hanxing chuckled lightly. Perhaps he believed it, perhaps he didn’t.

Later, he indeed fulfilled his words from that day. They became inseparable, sharing their lives together until death did them apart.

He seized control of the world, transferring the power from the ruler. Holding her hand with determination, together they ascended to the highest position, causing everyone to bow before them. For the rest of their lives, no one dared to disrespect or mistreat her again; just as he had vowed to protect her for a lifetime.

Friendly Reminders:

This text involves a lot of fictional settings. There are many creative interpretations.
1V1, SC, double first love.
The female lead is mute in the early stages of the novel but it will improve later on, and the male lead’s leg injury will also be healed.
One-sentence summary: In the darkness, he embraced Xingxue.

Moral: Even in the darkest times, there will be a glimmer of light ahead for you. <<less

Heartless: beings that are devoid of emotions and harm people like zombies. At some point, these Heartless began to appear in the world, threatening people’s safety.... more>>

In response, a special organization called the Special Disaster Prevention Agency was established to address this changed world and the Heartless. Han Jemyung is a low-ranking employee of this agency.

One day, due to an unresolved Heartless case from the past, Jemyung faces the risk of being fired. By chance, he meets CEO Na, the head of Pokei, an organization known as the top Heartless hunters.

Thus, Jemyung gets entangled with Pokei.

Somehow, Jemyung ends up being dispatched to Pokei, where he also gets involved with Director Kook, Pokei’s other co-head, with an oddly persistent connection…

“That’s right. I like emotions. So I know that you weren’t actually in danger.”

“What are you talking about? I was surrounded by high-risk Heartless in the lab! I got lucky and survived…”

The words I was about to argue vanished in my mouth. I don’t know. A fear that the man in front of me knew everything about me washed over me. His cold gaze locked on me as he spoke in a low voice.

“If you want to claim it was luck, go ahead. I don’t care what you did in that moment.”

“Then what do you care about?”

“You. You’re what I care about.”

It was hard to swallow. It was hard to breathe. I tried to ignore every sensitive reaction and said, “It’s because of a grudge. I made you mad, but you didn’t get a chance to get back at me, and that’s why you feel this way.”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

“It is. There couldn’t be any other reason.”

“Another reason?”

He muttered as if talking to himself.

“What if it’s because I like you?”

“No. That’s impossible.”

“I like you.”

He tilted his head to the side. His dark eyes held my gaze.

“I want to kiss you.” <<less