Let Her Be Spoiled

[Mutual redemption / raising him / faux siblings]

Ning Zhaoying was the Lu family’s adopted daughter, and she could have anything she wanted. Except... a friend. Then one rainy day, she saw a boy beneath the covered walkway, soaked through and brimming with stubborn defiance and an untamed spirit.

I should take home that stray puppy no one wants, Ning Zhaoying thought, barely able to contain her excitement.

A puppy’s job is to protect its owner forever. Bound by no blood ties, Ning Zhaoying held her chin high and awkwardly called him “Big Brother.” At death’s door, the stray dog Ying Huaizhou found a sense of home in that one word: “Brother.”

The boldest, most reckless thing Ning Zhaoying ever did was take the hand the boy held out to her with a lazy smile on a summer afternoon.

Thirteen years later, everyone knew that the acclaimed President Ying kept a reclusive young darling at home. She was spoiled and precious, and naturally claimed all of Ying Huaizhou’s free time. A man who had always been indifferent made careful plans and paid close attention to everything concerning her.

Ying Huaizhou taught her to behave and mind her manners, using his connections and resources to help her climb toward the life she wanted. Her youthful feelings were innocent and uncertain, and for the first time, Ning Zhaoying fell for the older boy who had been by her side since childhood. In a moment of unclouded boldness, she confessed.

But Ying Huaizhou merely stubbed out his cigarette and raised an eyebrow as if nothing had happened, patiently reminding her, “Ning Zhaoying, mind your manners. Call me Big Brother.”

One night when they crossed the line, Ning Zhaoying wore the man’s shirt, her cheeks flushed as she sat on the soft sofa, watching the famed President Ying carefully make her favorite mushroom soup.