I Heard I'm a Hearthrob - Chapter 1

She had once deeply loved a woman.

Qiu Shuang always felt she was different from other girls.

Looking back on her past, she struggled to recall any of the so-called “beautiful and striving youth.” What remained most vivid in her memory were the towering willow trees beside the basketball court.

She would forever remember how, during every class break, she would stand in their shade, watching the sunlight filter through the leaves and cast dappled shadows on the ground, waiting for the person she longed to see.

No matter the season, Qiu Shuang could always spot her in the crowd at first glance.

How strange, she thought. Even though everyone has similar hairstyles and wears the same uniform, why can I always find you in the crowd?

Later, she realized that this unique sense of connection and uncontrollable gaze was called love.

But the budding romance was quickly cut short. She could never forget the other girl’s look of disgust, the suffocating feeling of having her head submerged in water.

“Qiu Shuang, you’re disgusting…”

Breaking News! Breaking News! Our student Chen Wanjun has achieved a score of 742, becoming the top science student in the province on the national college entrance examination!

The news instantly set the senior class group chat ablaze.

“Holy crap! Sister Chen is amazing! She just crushed the high school in the neighboring city! 666!”

Qiu Shuang had no interest in the flurry of messages in the class group chat. She sat there, staring blankly at the red exclamation mark on her phone screen.

Above the notification, Chen Wanjun’s earlier words of encouragement remained:

Chen Wanjun: Do your best on the exam. I believe in you. I’ll be waiting for you in City A.

“Why… why did you leave me behind?”

Qiu Shuang buried herself under the covers, her rare private sanctuary. Only here could she let her vulnerability show, even if just for a moment.

Why did I fail…?

The constant notification pings interrupted her sorrow.

Qiu Shuang picked up her phone and saw multiple messages. She scrolled straight to the bottom until she found Lu Chen’s profile picture and tapped to open their chat.

Lu Chen: Still couldn’t beat her by a hair. I got 738. How did you do?

Ever since discovering she’d been blocked, Qiu Shuang had been in low spirits. Besides, she’d already checked her scores before and, finding herself blocked, hadn’t given it much thought. It was only when Lu Chen mentioned it that she reopened the link and checked again. When her score appeared, she wasn’t particularly surprised.

Qiu Shuang: 706. About what I expected.

Lu Chen: I’ll be waiting for you in City A.

Qiu Shuang: Okay.

Qiu Shuang tossed her phone aside and lay back on the bed. Her eyes, still blurry from crying, gradually drifted back to memories of the past.

The July summer was still sweltering, but by late night, a gentle, slightly melancholic breeze would stir. For the soon-to-be college students who had just finished their college entrance exams, these rare gatherings were precious.

At the class reunion, now that they were officially adults, everyone was eager to test their limits.

Hair dyeing, drinking alcohol—all the behaviors once strictly forbidden—took center stage. Even now, Qiu Shuang couldn’t recall exactly how much she’d drunk that night, only that Chen Wanjun had taken her back to her apartment.

“Do you think you have the stomach of a prime minister, capable of holding a boat? Drinking this much at once—are you trying to kill yourself? What’s going on in that head of yours? I swear, I want to crack it open and see for myself.”

Qiu Shuang was a bit drunk, her mind hazy and unable to make out what Chen Wanjun was saying. All she could see was Chen Wanjun’s mouth moving under the dim yellow light of the living room lamp, words forming and dissolving into the air.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head: Why not kiss her?

The moment the thought surfaced, the bold Qiu Shuang was ready to act on it. As Chen Wanjun continued talking, she noticed something different about Qiu Shuang’s demeanor—her face was flushed an unnatural red, and she kept giggling foolishly.

Then, without warning, Qiu Shuang threw her arms around Chen Wanjun, startling her so badly she nearly kicked her away in reflex. But when she realized it was Qiu Shuang hugging her, she froze, slowly wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist.

Chen Wanjun could only comfort herself by thinking, It’s all because she’s so foolish that she’s acting like this. She looked down at Qiu Shuang, the lamplight making the girl’s beautiful face appear especially captivating as she leaned against her chest, cheeks flushed crimson.

Chen Wanjun felt like her brain had malfunctioned. She knew this wasn’t right; she shouldn’t let this strange situation continue. She should have stopped it long ago.

She watched Qiu Shuang rise on her tiptoes to kiss her. She could have pushed her away or scolded her outright, but she didn’t. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, allowing the kiss to land on the corner of her lips.

The soft touch jolted Chen Wanjun awake. She shoved Qiu Shuang away.

The pain from landing on her butt cleared Qiu Shuang’s head a little. She didn’t understand why Chen Wanjun had suddenly pushed her away—this kind of thing had happened before.

Dazed, Qiu Shuang watched Chen Wanjun grab her and drag her into the bathroom.

Confused by being inexplicably dragged into the bathroom, Qiu Shuang could only watch as Chen Wanjun turned on the faucet and then shoved her head under the cold water. The icy shock instantly snapped Qiu Shuang awake.

“So cold!”

“Are you awake now?!”

Qiu Shuang couldn’t understand why Chen Wanjun had suddenly turned like this. She cautiously reached out and grasped Chen Wanjun’s fingers.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to do that… Please forgive me.”

Chen Wanjun was about to continue scolding her when she noticed tears streaming down Qiu Shuang’s face, soaking her white shirt and revealing the color beneath.

“What’s wrong…? Don’t be silent… Weren’t we doing fine?”

Qiu Shuang couldn’t understand why Chen Wanjun had suddenly changed. Why had the first friend who had barged into her life, the Chen Wanjun who had stood up for her and fought with classmates, transformed into this terrifying, unfamiliar figure?

Chen Wanjun grew even more irritated. Compounded by the color now visible before her, she acted without thinking, tearing open Qiu Shuang’s shirt. Qiu Shuang was confused by the sudden action but remained silent.

After all, changing clothes face-to-face was a common occurrence in the girls’ dormitory. She simply couldn’t understand what Chen Wanjun was trying to do.

The moment Chen Wanjun ripped open Qiu Shuang’s white shirt, the view beneath was completely exposed. After a few glances, Chen Wanjun hastily pulled the fabric back together.

“Change out of this. You look like a dog—it’s hideous.”

“This isn’t my house. I don’t have any clothes here…”

Hearing this, Chen Wanjun grabbed Qiu Shuang’s arm and dragged her to her own room. Qiu Shuang’s face was filled with curiosity as she entered Chen Wanjun’s bedroom—it was the first time she had ever been allowed inside.

Chen Wanjun then pulled a shirt from her closet.

“Take it off.”

“Oh, okay…”

Qiu Shuang removed her shirt, revealing her snow-white br3asts straining against the pink half-cups of her bra. The sight caught Chen Wanjun’s eye. She immediately threw the shirt at Qiu Shuang’s face, urging her to put it on quickly.

After putting on the shirt, Qiu Shuang rolled up the sleeves. Her height was average, around 1.65 meters, while Chen Wanjun stood over 1.7 meters tall.

Chen Wanjun’s shirt was slightly too large for Qiu Shuang, so she had to tug it up.

“Get out.”

“But this shirt…”

“Get out!”

Qiu Shuang stared at the completely unhinged Chen Wanjun, utterly bewildered. She could only silently leave. Once Chen Wanjun’s figure had vanished completely, she collapsed onto the bed. The moment she closed her eyes, all she could see was that expanse of snow-white skin. Finally, she buried her face in her hands and whispered, “I’m not a lesbian… I’m not… I can’t be.”

Wearing the slightly oversized shirt, Qiu Shuang walked alone through the night. It was late, but suddenly she heard another voice.

“Qiu Shuang, where the hell have you been?!”

Song Ya’s voice carried from down the road. She looked visibly anxious, her usually impeccable appearance disheveled. Only when Qiu Shuang appeared did Song Ya exhale in relief. Qiu Shuang, however, said nothing, her expression clearly displeased.

Song Ya didn’t dwell on it. Her gaze swept over the baggy shirt, her brow furrowing, but she said nothing as she pulled Qiu Shuang into the car.

Qiu Shuang remained silent in the car, watching the luxurious vehicle carry her to an equally opulent house.

After climbing several flights of stairs, Song Ya pushed Qiu Shuang onto the bed the moment they entered the room and immediately yanked open Qiu Shuang’s shirt. Qiu Shuang instinctively tried to stop her, but when her hand brushed against Song Ya’s, she recoiled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Whose shirt is this?”

“Wan Jun’s…”

“Why are you wearing her clothes for no reason?!”

The mention of Chen Wanjun’s name ignited Song Ya like a lit bomb. She tore off Qiu Shuang’s shirt.

“You’re not allowed to wear her clothes! I hate her so much!”

Qiu Shuang rolled her eyes but said nothing, covering her chest with her hands.

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it myself. Don’t get angry.”

Seeing Qiu Shuang obediently remove Chen Wanjun’s shirt, Song Ya felt a surge of satisfaction. She then walked to her closet and began her familiar routine.

“My clothes are much more expensive and better quality than hers. Why would you wear that cheap shirt? She doesn’t even know how to pick something nice for you.”

Song Ya rummaged through her closet, muttering under her breath and occasionally glancing at Qiu Shuang’s pants. Finally, she pulled out a top that perfectly matched the style of Qiu Shuang’s pants and handed it to her.

“See? I have good taste! You look so much better now!”

Qiu Shuang tried on the top and checked herself in the mirror. Song Ya’s fashion sense had always been consistently on point. The change of clothes indeed made her look significantly more stylish. She nodded in approval. Seeing Qiu Shuang wearing her clothes, Song Ya grinned smugly.

Chen Wanjun, you always act so pretentious. What’s the point of being a good student if you can’t even pick out decent clothes? You’re just a useless waste…

“It’s getting late. You might as well stay over. I’ll have my mom tell your mom you’re staying, and we can sleep together tonight.”

“…Okay.”

Author’s Note:

Warm reminder: This story contains excessive elements, including rivalries between multiple love interests, relentless backstabbing, and all characters being utterly twisted. However, rest assured that the female lead’s academic achievements, future prospects, and wealth remain unshakable. All lawbreakers will face imprisonment, and no one will escape accountability.