“Pray that all unspoken confessions can bear fruit, we will still be together regardless of whether an alternative universe exists.”

——— Mu Gua Huang.

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... more>> To my surprise, despite this being Mu Gua Huang’s first BG novel, reading it has been quite an enjoyable experience for me.

My impression of her slice-of-life novels/campus literatures are often positive and this novel in particular is an ideal choice if you are looking to take a break from angsty reads with lotta drama or are just craving for some sugar in general.

The bond between the female and male lead is legitimate and heartwarming, and the text is sweet and healing. Moreover there are lots of subtle hints displaying the secret admiration both of our leads held towards each other if you read between the lines.... That being said, this novel isn’t the strongest plot-wise, and as Mu Gua Huang personally stated in one of her author’s notes, the content mainly focuses on relationship development between the leads~

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Our FL Lin Zhexia, and our ML Chi Yao grew up in the same neighborhood as kids and since Chi Yao’s parents are often away from home due to work, Lin Zhexia became a regular guest at Chi Yao’s house. They were each other’s best companions during their childhood days, and Chi Yao was often the target of taunts because of his sick constitution but Lin Zhexia will always be there to fend him—— This caused Chi Yao to secretly develop a desire of wanting to become someone who is capable of protecting her as well.

Despite the slow-burn romance, and mutually hidden feelings, they’ve already indirectly confessed to each other through small ways over the entire course of the novel, and the author did such a meticulous job displaying them—— The feelings that our FL, Lin Zhexia held towards Chi Yao isn’t something that were developed out of nowhere, but rather, they were accumulated through each and every moment and interactions she shared with Chi Yao. As described in the novel, Lin Zhexia’s hidden feelings were like drops of seawater that had converged over the years, only when she was about to be soundlessly submerged by the rising tide that it finally dawned on her.

Our ML, Chi Yao on the other hand is full-fledged boyfriend material, he has always been impartial when it comes to Lin Zhexia, and would go out of his way to break the principles he set for himself for her sake. Similar to Lin Zhexia, Chi Yao kept his feelings hidden because the other party meant a lot to him and he cannot afford to take risks... He silently expresses his concern by keeping even the trivialist things she said inside his heart, remembering all her likes and dislikes, and offering sweets to relieve her of stress from her studies.

*･゜ﾟ･*:｡.:*･･*.*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･

The novel itself focuses on the day-to-day lives of our leads with a touch of realism in them, and us readers get to witness their growth in the process... Moreover, the portrayal of women is done fairly well in my opinion, and cases of power imbalances that typically appear in BG novels where the male is the dominant one in the relationship do not exist in the novel... The interactions between the leads are so precious and I would definitely choose to reread it again ^^ <<less

Dropped. It's not my type. Kinda old flavor for 2022. Feels like a classic bg Chinese highschool romance. The MC is a girl who is dense, has a hard mouth/front but is cowardly, not the smartest (works hard at least), always asking the ML for favors while only having good will in return, and slightly naive (has daddy issues she knows about, so that's different).

The ML is good at everything, cold flower on the hilltop, will bicker like a dog with the MC, says one thing but always does what... more>> MC wants like a dog even if she cheats him in their deal (as usual), good looking, rich, lonely, and sharp wit. This dynamic is so old, it's like every old school Chinese romance in the 2000s. It's really a type. So I know some people will really like this kinda stuff, the ML constantly spoiling the MC on the lowdown as they insult each other constantly/bicker, until I guess they get together as a cute couple. Just not for me though. Old YA taste.

Spoiler

besides that I think there's nothing wrong with the novel and it feels fairly smooth and 2022. I'm pretty sure her mom had to get an abortion and it was so casual, no morality issue. Jusy straight up: her mom might be at risk if she has this accident baby. So they said surgery and I assumed it was an abortion. Claps for that. Idk if I'm wrong but if not, I appreciated the author for that alone. Making it casual and not a moral talking point to look down on it like so many other Chinese novels do.

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Really enjoyed reading this more than I expected! It’s a coming of age youth novel with bickering childhood sweethearts. We see them grappling with their feelings when they realise they like each other, but both hold back from confessing for fear of tainting the friendship. The chemistry is so good, with little/no unnecessary misunderstandings. Overall a wholesome and healing read!

Lighthearted high school to college romance about two childhood friends. The story isn't any special, if anything it's pretty generic, but the interactions between the FL and ML are fun and it's sweet to see how he treats her differently from everyone else. The author did a great job of capturing the confusion the FL feels when she realizes her feelings towards the ML are changing and the insecurity they both feel about their first relationship after getting together.