How Did the Top-Tier Male Lead Fall in Love With Me? 1

Chapter 1

SW: Pay attention to me!
SW: (cat baring teeth.jpg)
SW: ?????
M: What’s wrong?
M: ?
[Missed Call]
[Call Duration 0:58]

Ever since that drunken blunder, Shen Wu hadn’t sent “M” a single message for a full three months.
Every time Shen Wu opened his phone and saw the messages he’d sent while drunk, he would grab his hair in frustration.
“M,” who had been silent for three months, suddenly sent a new message.
Shen Wu jolted and tapped it open.
M: Almost done. Tentatively returning to the country next Saturday.
Shen Wu replied with a “Got it,” then immediately put his phone away, the corners of his lips unknowingly curling up by a fraction.
However, not a single unusual detail could escape the eyes of Xiang Zixu, the assistant who had been with him for three years.
“Wu-ge, what’s so funny? Did your wife message you?”
Shen Wu rolled his eyes, picked up his racing helmet, and turned to leave. “I told you, there’s no wife. I’m going to train.”
“Liar!” Xiang Zixu said dismissively. “I saw that marriage certificate with my own eyes. It couldn’t be more real.”

As a genius racer who was the center of attention with countless adoring fans, Shen Wu had gotten married at a young age.
This was a secret few people knew, but Xiang Zixu was Shen Wu’s personal assistant. Being by Shen Wu’s side every day, he was bound to know more than others.
While helping Shen Wu move, he had accidentally discovered a little red booklet.
Of course, the moment that booklet, buried at the bottom of a chest, saw the light of day again, Shen Wu had snatched it back with lightning speed.
He hadn’t seen the contents, but the three large characters for “Marriage Certificate” on the red booklet were emblazoned in his memory.
Xiang Zixu chased after the hastily departing Shen Wu. “Why are you training so hard right after the off-season started… Wait, Ge! The lollipop stick! You haven’t spit out the stick yet!”
Shen Wu froze at his words, then rubbed the small mole on the tip of his nose as if nothing had happened. He casually threw away the lollipop stick in his mouth and put on his helmet.
He flicked down the visor, covering his pair of lustrous peach blossom eyes.

[T.N:A term used to describe beautiful, alluring eyes that are thought to attract romance.]

Not long ago, Shen Wu had finished the Formula 2 Championship, holding the champion’s trophy as he transferred to a new team. He was now preparing for his first-ever Formula 1 Championship race, the world-renowned F1.
The car was still his old one, with some new modifications.
He had already tested the new car many times. He ducked into the seat, skillfully pressing buttons, pulling levers, and stepping on the gas…
However, midway through, the brakes failed. The beautiful race car spun rapidly in circles on the grass. Even under the control of a top-tier driver, the situation was unsalvageable, and it crashed head-on into the protective barrier.
“Wu-ge!” Xiang Zixu was terrified and sprinted over.
…

“Meng Huaizhi hasn’t released a single album in the three years he’s been studying abroad, how can he still be this popular? Ten thousand people picking him up at the airport, that’s too much.”
“Damn, I have to admit he’s pretty handsome. No wonder my little sister is always drooling over her phone, muttering his name in my ear.”
“The ‘abstinent’ persona really is a hit with male celebrities, but setting up a persona like that is also risky. Who knows when some ‘wife’ will be exposed and ruin everything.”
“Hey, I actually quite like his song ‘Vexation’. The ‘legendary musical genius’ title people give him online is no exaggeration at all. To be able to write such a huge hit in college… and he can compose and sing it himself. A jack of all trades, so incredible…”
Xiang Zixu scrolled idly through his phone, muttering to himself.
After a long while, Shen Wu, who had been staring blankly from his position against the headboard, finally responded, “He wrote that when he was in high school.”

Five days ago, Shen Wu’s race car had malfunctioned, causing him to suffer a mild concussion. When Xiang Zixu helped him out of the car, he was dizzy and staggering, but thankfully he hadn’t lost consciousness and could still walk on his own.
The team manager, terrified that he might suffer even the slightest injury, insisted on calling an ambulance to take him to the hospital, where he had been for five days.
Although the doctor claimed Shen Wu was fine, Xiang Zixu felt he had likely been left with some aftereffects.
The most obvious symptom was that Shen Wu had been abnormally quiet these past few days, always staring out the window in a daze, giving curt replies, and reacting very slowly.
It wasn’t until he brought up Meng Huaizhi that Shen Wu was finally willing to chat with him.
“Wrote a song in high school?” Xiang Zixu frowned. After searching online, he still sounded skeptical. “I just checked, the album with this song was released when he was in college… but I couldn’t find when it was specifically written. Writing a hit song in high school, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”
Shen Wu gave a noncommittal response, picking up a lollipop from the bedside table.
His eyelids drooped, his expression languid. His long, slender fingers toyed with the lollipop, an item that was completely at odds with his aura.
After a moment, he lifted his peach blossom eyes and glanced over. “Xiao Xiang, you got a cigarette?”
“Yeah,” Xiang Zixu answered first, then reminded him, “but aren’t you trying to quit? You’ve managed to hold out for three months. One puff and all that effort will be for nothing.”
Shen Wu lied without batting an eye. “I’ve been smoking in secret. You just didn’t see me.”
In reality, he had been seriously quitting for three months, but because of those extra memories, he suddenly felt that his persistence had lost its meaning.
Xiang Zixu didn’t suspect a thing. He pulled a cigarette from the pack and handed it over, his movements swift, though he continued to earnestly persuade, “It’s only been a few days since your concussion. If you can bear it, you should. Smoking isn’t good for your recovery.”
The white cigarette was held between Shen Wu’s well-defined knuckles.
He lowered his gaze and thought for a long time, but in the end, he didn’t smoke it. He picked up the lollipop again. Lollipops were a bit childish, but they were very effective for curbing his nicotine cravings.

The undisputed top-tier singer, Meng Huaizhi. He also had a pair of hands that were very suited for holding a cigarette.
However, those hands had never been stained by the slightest filth, never wreathed in pungent smoke. They were hands for caressing piano keys, nimble and swift, and had also tapped out moving rhythms on a synthesizer keyboard.
Meng Huaizhi embodied his ‘flower on a high mountain’ persona in every aspect of his life.
He was cold and distant, as unreachable as a celestial god. He didn’t smoke or drink and hated the smell of strong perfume. Perhaps only the purest, cleanest, and warmest person could be fortunate enough to receive his downward glance.

“Right, Wu-ge,” Xiang Zixu pointed at the exquisite fruit basket that had appeared on the table. “Manager Tan came by earlier. He saw you were sleeping, so he didn’t wake you. He sent this fruit basket and told you to rest well. You can stay in the hospital a few more days to make sure you’re okay before going back. Your health is the top priority.”
A concussion wasn’t trivial, but it wasn’t overly serious either. Usually, two or three days of observation in the hospital were enough before discharge. Tan Wenxuan treasured him dearly, so it was inevitable that he would make a mountain out of a molehill. After the check-up on the day of admission showed nothing serious, he had stayed in the hospital for a few more days.
On the fifth day, he slept in until ten in the morning, had a meal, and then took a comfortable afternoon nap. The extra memories, tangled like a ball of yarn, had finally been sorted out.

The unexpected concussion had allowed him to know many things he wasn’t supposed to know.
For example, his future, his… cause of death, and even the emotions and destinies of others.
This world, which couldn’t feel more real, was actually a novel, and everyone’s fate had already been decided.
Meng Huaizhi was the male lead, the son of destiny in this book world. He was the untainted flower on a high mountain, the top-tier singer adored by all.
He was destined to attract countless admirers and pursuers, but unfortunately, he would only ever show a pleasant face to the special main character shou.
Shen Wu was probably the unluckiest of all the cannon fodder. He was the male lead’s former fiancé, an important catalyst for the romance between the male lead and the main character shou.
For the main character shou, who came from a humble background, the male lead’s well-matched former fiancé was the biggest thorn in his side.
Later, spurred on by his love rival, the flower-on-a-high-mountain male lead finally learned to communicate, telling the main character shou that the engagement had been arranged by his family and was not of his own volition. Although they had grown up together, he had always seen the other as a younger brother.
In the end, this thorn—the former fiancé—died in an accident on the racetrack he loved, no longer able to interfere in the world of the two main characters.
This plot development was sudden but not without foreshadowing. After all, the male lead had repeatedly stated that he was a “young, reckless, rebellious younger brother who needs to be looked after.”
The male lead had advised him many times to switch to a safer profession or sport, but he was stubborn and refused to listen, right up until he died because of racing.
As a pure love novel, the two main characters were, of course, devoted to each other in body and soul. The male lead and this former fiancé had no relationship beyond that of brothers, and the engagement had been canceled.

However, the plot had deviated somewhat.
Xiang Zixu suddenly asked, “Right, Wu-ge, shouldn’t you tell your wife about the concussion?”
Shen Wu’s gaze flickered. He didn’t persist in denying the existence of that “wife” and subconsciously replied, “No need.”
Xiang Zixu wore a smug, “I knew it” expression.
A moment later, Shen Wu’s topic of conversation took a 180-degree turn, shifting from the so-called “wife” to the popular top-tier star Meng Huaizhi. “Why did you bring up Meng Huaizhi just now?”
He really didn’t know how someone who was quietly studying abroad could cause such a stir, to the point that even he, recuperating in the hospital, couldn’t find any peace.
“He’s dominating the trending searches! I hadn’t even opened Weibo yet, and the push notifications were already popping up,” Xiang Zixu said.
Slightly surprised, Shen Wu opened his own phone and saw the same name appearing repeatedly at the top of the trending list.
#Meng Huaizhi Returns to the Country#
#When is Meng Huaizhi Releasing a New Album#
#Meng Huaizhi and Ning Ran Spotted Together at the Airport#
#Ning Ran Greets Meng Huaizhi#
#Meng Huaizhi and Ning Ran Are So Shippable#
…

Why did Meng Huaizhi return to the country early?
Shen Wu glanced at the date. It was Thursday, two days earlier than the return date Meng Huaizhi had previously mentioned.
He then opened WeChat, only to discover several messages he had missed while engrossed in digesting the novel’s plot.
M: Changed my schedule. Flight is tomorrow night, will arrive in the morning.
M: Asleep?
For a moment, Shen Wu’s heart pounded wildly.
Xiang Zixu was also looking at his phone, feeling more and more puzzled as he scrolled through the trending topics. He muttered to himself, “Between ‘Ning Ran greets Meng Huaizhi’ and ‘they’re so shippable’… isn’t something missing? That’s too big of a leap.”
Shen Wu replied distractedly, “You’re missing Meng Huaizhi’s scandal-prone constitution.”
Xiang Zixu snorted with laughter. “That’s true. He couldn’t stay out of trouble even when he was abroad. He got used as a background for some influencer’s selfie while eating out, and the next day the tabloids were saying he was on a secret date with his girlfriend at a high-end restaurant.”
Xiang Zixu knew Shen Wu wasn’t a celebrity chaser, and even if he were, he wouldn’t chase male celebrities—he might as well chase himself. As for female celebrities… with a wife at home, that was absolutely out of the question.
Thinking of this, Xiang Zixu asked again, “Wu-ge, isn’t your wife planning to come see you at the hospital?”
“Mm… he’s not coming.” Shen Wu’s reaction was mild, and he didn’t correct Xiang Zixu’s wrongly gendered term of address. “He’s very busy. Don’t tell him I’m in the hospital.”
“Busy with what?” Xiang Zixu couldn’t understand. What could be more important than one’s spouse’s life and safety?
Shen Wu glanced at his phone and said peevishly, “Busy having romance rumors with someone else.”