Full Synopsis

Zhai Yao transferred from one rubbish school to another rubbish school, and on the very first day, he sent shockwaves through his new class, leaving his classmates utterly bewildered.With a pale and delicate countenance and a slender figure, Zhai Yao appeared anything but the rumoured fighter who could take on ten opponents at once. Yet, the very next moment after entering the classroom, he confidently strolled to the back row, kicked a desk in the corner, and dropped his backpack on it.The male student, who had been reading with lowered eyes, lifted his head and looked up with an indifferent expression. “Need something?” Zhai Yao glanced at the name on his book, knocked on his desk twice, and said, “Shen Xing (行), right? …Move aside.”He remained utterly oblivious to the ominous hush around him—Very well, the new student had just arrived, and on his very first day, he had already clashed with the school’s big shot.The big shot sneered, rising to his feet. With a casual flick of his hand, he sent Zhai Yao’s backpack sailing into the rubbish bin. He corrected him, “‘Heng (珩)’.”Zhai Yao and Shen Heng became desk mates.Zhai Yao felt that his new desk mate was both devious and pretentious. Not only was he ruthless in fights, but he also always carried a book in his hands. As fate would have it, their academic standings left them ranked side by side at the bottom-most. To put it bluntly, he was nothing more than an overbearing king of pretence.It wasn’t until one day, by a twist of fate, Zhai Yao ended up visiting Shen Heng’s home and discovered a wall decorated with certificates and awards.Shen Heng accompanied his senile elderly grandpa. He patiently and tirelessly answered the old man’s repetitive questions while revealing his strong yet slender arms, preparing a meal consisting of three dishes and a soup.He cast a cold glance at Zhai Yao. “Come and have dinner.”Zhai Yao chuckled and approached, narrowing his eyes. “Tsk, you’re quite a homemaker, huh.”Shen Heng gazed at Zhai Yao’s exposed fair neck, his eyes lingering for a moment before he averted his gaze. His earlobes betrayed a subtle blush.Zhai Yao once thought that Shen Heng was a bit of a pitiful soul, implicated by the hardships of life, from being an all-around academic genius to falling into a delinquent.To the extent that, when Shen Heng pinned him against the wall in the stairwell and even locked the door behind them, Zhai Yao still maintained a light-hearted demeanour, joking with a mindset of rescuing a wayward youth, “Want to kiss me? Wait until you break into the top 100.”Shen Heng’s breath hitched ever so slightly, his gaze deepening. “I’ll just get the top rank instead. Would that be enough to top you?”

Zhai Yao 翟曜
(shou / MC)
Age: 17
Birthday: 19 December (Sagittarius)
WeChat nickname: Out-of-reach 要不起
Former boss of 8th High School, now transferred to 9th High School. He wears a cool, unreadable expression like it’s built into his face, carrying himself with an easy, indifferent laziness. Sharp-tongued and quick to bite, but soft where it counts. Easily flustered when it comes to Shen Heng's shameless antics.

    “Zhai Yao is vicious and has always relied solely on his fists.”

Shen Heng 沈珩
(gong / ML)
Age: 17
Birthday: 20 November (Scorpio)
WeChat nickname: 111
Current boss of 9th High School, always composed and rarely showing emotion, even when things get ugly. He’s also a fake slacker, for reasons that will be revealed later in the story. And when it comes to Zhai Yao, he’s shameless in a very specific way.

    “Shen Heng, on the other hand, is different; he targets vital points and specializes in causing internal injuries.”

Zhai Yao's Family

Zhai Bing 翟冰
(Zhai Yao's elder sister / wife of Liang Hao and mother of Xiao Lajiao)

Xiao Lajiao 小辣椒
(Zhai Yao's niece / daughter of Zhai Bing and Liang Hao)

Liang Hao 梁豪
(Zhai Yao's brother-in-law / husband of Zhai Bing and father of Xiao Lajiao)

Shen Heng's Family

Shen Ziyao 沈自尧
(Shen Heng's grandpa)

Shen Lai 沈籁
(Shen Heng's mother)

9th High School

Hou Tian 侯天
(Homeroom teacher of Class 10)

Yang Ning 杨宁
(Class 10 / classmate of Hengyao)

Song Kai 宋凯
(Class 10 / classmate of Hengyao)

Zhai Yao's Circle

Xie Ziming 谢子鸣
(8th High School / close friend)
Nickname: Xie-zi 蟹子
WeChat nickname: Xie-zi 蟹子

Shen Heng's Circle

Luo Le 罗乐
(Older, close friend)
Nickname: Le-zi 乐子

Lu Liang 陆良
(3rd High School / acquaintance from Shen Heng's fencing days)
WeChat Nickname: Deer in Sheep’s Clothing 良没反犬旁

From EN Site

I love how well written the characters are. They aren’t one dimensional cliche leads. You can truly immerse yourself in the story because they feel so real. I’m also absolutely in love with the translation it’s honestly superb and easy to follow along.

Cherrysheep.

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A sweet, heart-wrenching slow burn of love, growth, and redemption.

Arakachi

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From the character development and writing style to the overall world-building, I love every single thing about this series.

jiminah1397

From the very beginning I was drawn to how different yet very alike both of them were. I could connect to them being along and going through everything on their own without anyone to share the burdens or guide them through. I was almost in tears when SH said how could he leave behind gramps and dream for a better future somewhere else, I could relate somehow. I love stories and I equally love characters. Characters bring life to the stories.ZY is the burst of energy in SH’s mundane life. As they said themselves, they’re literally the perfect match for each other, a match made in heaven and in family status. I love everything about this story, the translation is still going on but I’ve already reread it, I just know it’s gonna be one of my favourites.

peachybun

From CN Site

This is such an emotionally delicate novel. A guiding lover is genuinely great, and the two-way redemption arc is really moving. The straightforward, gong and the prickly, easily flustered shou are just so good to read, wuu wuuu.The leads’ love line is incredibly smooth. You can see the shifts in their feelings through small details, and their love line genuinely made me cry. Love really is an incomparable kind of happiness. Everything keeps moving in a better direction, so it never turns into heavy angst. Step by step, they walk towards the happiness they’ve always longed for.Also, Hou-ge, you’re a real man. Bingbing’s character portrayal is especially vivid and three-dimensional. The way she does things matches her personality perfectly: at the beginning she’s starved for love, and later she finally entrusts herself to happiness. She becomes humble and small because she lacks love, but the responsibilities of being a mother snap her awake. She keeps growing more mature, and later, when she found love again, she returns to being the beauty-loving, pure, innocent young girl she once was.Whether it’s a mother’s love, “fatherly love,” the affection between grandpa and grandson, or the love between lovers, all of it pushes the story towards something brighter.This has become one of my top favorites. I’m usually allergic to “poor writing,” and I used to think that only love backed by material support feels more real, or that only love tested by life-and-death stakes can be portrayed to the fullest. But this author’s prose made me ignore both of those ideas. The entire story reads so smoothly. There’s no money factor and no life-or-death ordeal, yet the hardships they overcome are enough to prove how deep their love for each other runs. The courage to keep clearing every “stage” makes that love even firmer. Love is just that beautiful.Author, you have worked hard. This is truly a deeply charming, compelling work.

追逐项.

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After finishing this book, I was honestly soooo moved.At the very beginning, Shen Heng and Zhai Yao were constantly at odds, all sharp edges and clashes, that kind of “you only really get to know someone after you’ve fought them” dynamic. But by the end, they ended up cherishing each other, genuinely liking one another, and that really, truly touched me.Zhai Yao and Shen Heng worked hard together. It wasn’t just one of them “thinking for the other” all the time. They both treated the other as the most important person. Neither of them wanted to become the other’s burden. And for the sake of their lover being able to go higher and farther, they were willing to stay behind and hold things down, to keep the other from worrying. That kind of love genuinely touched me!And beyond the two leads’ romance, I thought the other character arcs and emotional threads were also really affecting, too.First, Xiao Lajiao. She’s honestly so considerate. She always thinks of others. Because she believed her parents’ arguments and unhappiness were because of her, so she didn’t want her uncle to be unhappy in the future, either. She’s really too sensible! And later, when she told Hou Tian’s parents not to hit him, and that if they had to hit someone they should hit her instead, you could really see how mature and thoughtful she was.Zhai Bing is also a character who keeps growing. From her early naivete to her later maturity, she’s been changing and developing the whole time, and I learnt a lot from her as well.And from Shen Ziyao’s initial inability to face things, to his later calm acceptance, I also learnt from it too.Author, you wrote this soo well! I really, really love this book! Your delicate writing brought the entire plotline and emotional arcs to life, and you made the characters feel full and complete. Your words made me feel like I was right there in the story. I truly love your work a lot!I hope you’ll write even better works in the future, and that things keep getting better and better for you. I’ll keep reading your stories!

Firesunstand.

Misc.

2026 0211 “Picking the Star” Publication Celebration Event(Hands over the mic: Zhai Yao, what impression did you used to have of Shen Heng?)
Zhai Yao: He didn’t talk much.
(And now?)
Zhai Yao: He talks too much.
(Hands over the mic: Shen Heng, what impression did you used to have of Zhai Yao?)
Shen Heng: Punchable.
(And now?)
Shen Heng (smiles): Can't win over him~
Zhai Yao: = = What exactly is that smile implying?
(Source: here)

Birthday

2025 1219 Zhai Yao's Birthday“Damn it. I’ve beaten every wolf in the forest to death.”Happy birthday to our little Zhai Yao. [so happy.emoji][so happy.emoji](Source: here)

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2025 1120 Shen Heng's BirthdayHappy birthday, Xing (行)-ge. [not that simple.emoji][thumbs up.emoji] 【@ 111】(Source: here)

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2024 1219 Zhai Yao's BirthdayZhai Yao’s little crocheted puppy had been handed over to Xingxing. More than once, half-asleep in the dead of night, he had searched around for it and come up empty. That was when Shen Heng would slip an arm around him and pull him into his chest, and Zhai Yao would soon sink back into sleep.For Zhai Yao’s birthday this year, Shen Heng had bought the finest wool yarn in advance and secretly crocheted him a new puppy. Knowing how attached Zhai Yao was to old things, he even made it gray.When Zhai Yao saw Crocheted Puppy 2.0, he stared at it for a long moment, locking his eyes with its big eyes. “Why does this dog’s expression look so…”Shen Heng: “Obedient.”“...Dumb.”Shen Heng’s word had come first.And so a certain someone cursed under his breath, snatched the puppy, and turned his head away, stiffly throwing out, “Thanks.”But his arms tightened around it all the same, holding it close.(Source: here)

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2024 1120 Shen Heng's BirthdayHappy birthday, Xing (行)-ge 🎂Go taste the little cake Yao-zai made with his own hands already~!(Source: here)
Note: Shen Heng's birthday extra was released as a bonus extra on JJWXC.

Qixi Festival

2024 0810Spoilers warning: Story takes place after the main storylineRecently, Shen Heng had been swamped with work. Although he was supposed to have time off for the Qixi Festival, an emergency surgery came up, and he had to rush to the hospital.Once he left, Zhai Yao struggled to drag himself out of bed.The night before, Shen Heng had mentioned that he had just learnt a new massage technique from the head of the rehabilitation department and wanted to try it on Zhai Yao. However, as he began, his hands gradually became naughty, straying far down from their intended path. As a result, Zhai Yao, who hadn’t experienced any issues before, nearly dropped to his knees the moment he got up the next morning.Frowning, Zhai Yao cursed “quack doctor,” braced his aching back, and made his way to the kitchen. He pulled out his phone, navigated to his bookmarks, and retrieved his secretly saved “Love-Filled Cooking Tutorials.”The surgery went well, and when Shen Heng returned to his consulting office, he found Zhai Yao sitting by the door. Upon seeing Shen Heng, Zhai Yao handed him a bag containing a lunchbox, saying, “Takeout!”Shen Heng was momentarily taken aback, but a faint smile tugged at his lips as he pulled Zhai Yao into the office and closed the door behind them.—The food in the lunchbox was exquisitely arranged, with ketchup artfully squeezed into a heart shape on top, and “Happy Qixi Festival” written somewhat askew in the centre.Zhai Yao: “Eat up quickly.”Previously, when he came to pick up Shen Heng from work, he had overheard the nurses in the department saying that once Doctor Shen became immersed in his work, he would often neglect his meals, leaving his cafeteria food takeout untouched all day.Zhai Yao’s cooking had always been quite decent; although it might not have the artistic touch of Shen Heng’s, the flavours were still pretty good.As Shen Heng finished the meal, Zhai Yao glanced at the empty lunchbox, lapsed into silence for a moment, then looked up and asked genuinely, “How the hell did you even manage to pull this off?”While Shen Heng ate all the food, the decorative “heart” and the “Happy Qixi Festival” message were left perfectly intact in the lunchbox.Shen Heng: “Couldn’t bear to.”Zhai Yao nodded and let out a scoffing laugh. “You're really something else.”After cleaning up, Shen Heng took Zhai Yao home, hugging the lunchbox tightly the whole way, and opening it occasionally to check inside. Eventually, Zhai Yao couldn’t take it any longer and asked, “Do you need a shelf to display it on?”Shen Heng didn’t respond, simply watching him with a steady gaze in silence, making Zhai Yao feel increasingly uneasy.Nervously, Zhai Yao asked, “Anything the matter?”“Zhai Yao,” Shen Heng began, pausing before continuing monotonously, “the head of the rehabilitation department taught me another technique today…”“Shut up!!”(Source: here)

Valentine's Day

2026Zhai Yao received another package from Lu Liang. Every Valentine’s Day, without fail, Lu Liang would mail “gifts” to him and Shen Heng. And then, by the next morning, Zhai Yao wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. [bored]But this year, Zhai Yao happened to catch a glimpse of Shen Heng’s chat history with Lu Liang… and found out the “gift” had been fucking picked out by Shen Heng!! Lu Liang was just mailing it on his behalf this time!!(Source: here)

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2024So you're asking what Xing (行)-ge and Liangzai were doing on Valentine’s Day??
......
......Here’s what happened: Lu Liang sent another “gift” yesterday, so...............They’re probably still not up yet.ʌ_ʌ(Source: here)

Physical Release extras

2026Physical release pending.