Bloodline of the Hong Family: Xie Yuchen, Loving You Is My Doom

Hong Ruotang was named by Er Yuehong. He said he wanted her to live as brightly and passionately as the begonias in the courtyard.

But as far back as she could remember, all that remained of her mother was a yellowed portrait. Her father would hold her and sit in front of it for a long time, calling her “Niannian.” She didn't understand how much longing those two words held. She only knew that her father's operatic voice was always wrapped in unfading tenderness, and that although her senior, Chenpi, was fearsome to outsiders, he would do anything she asked.

When she was five, begonias blanketed the opera house floor, and her father was gone. She was sent to live with the Xie family. Her senior, Xie Yuchen, was four years older than her and had taken charge of the entire clan by the age of eight. He taught her to read, kept her safe, and gave her all his tenderness. She watched him grow from an inexperienced boy into the head of the Xie family, capable of standing on his own. As the weight on his shoulders grew heavier, all she could do was hand him a cup of warm tea whenever he let his weariness show.

In the end, she never became the begonia her father had hoped she would be. She was as quiet as a potted plant. Then, one day, as she shielded Xie Yuchen behind her, a cold blade pierced her chest. Warm blood splashed across the begonias behind her, staining them a shocking red.

She fell into his arms and saw his eyes turn red. For the first time, he panicked like a child. She wanted to lift a hand to touch his face and tell him not to grieve, but she couldn't summon the strength.

It turned out that some longings are etched into your bones, and some people are worth protecting with your life. But by the time she understood what she felt, it was too late. Her feelings were buried beneath that sea of begonias, stained red with blood.