Tomb Raiding: The Little Painter of Wushan Residence

The Tang family, next door to the Wu family in Hangzhou, had a precious little girl named Tang Xiaoxiao, nicknamed Xiaobao. She was five months younger than Wu Xie. Beautiful from birth, she danced classical ballet like a little swan. When she was quiet, she loved holding her sketchbook and recording every happy moment. She had also learned quite a bit of traditional Chinese medicine from her grandmother.

The two families were close, and Wu Xie had protected her since childhood. When he first started learning martial arts, he only wanted to protect his little sister. Later…

One winter, when Xiaobao was a little over four, Xie family’s Xiaohua came to visit Hangzhou. A doll-like child appeared in the courtyard, and Xiaobao’s eyes lit up. This little sister was so pretty! Xie Yuchen was taken aback for a moment when he saw her, too.

That winter and the following summer, the two “little girls” danced and sang together. Xiaobao gave her a handmade bunny doll she had sewn, named “Little Dumpling,” and stuffed her arms with ointments she had made herself. In her childish voice, she reminded her, “Little Sister Xiaohua, take good care of yourself when you practice!”

Later, Xie Yuchen returned to Beijing and never came back.

Many years later, when they met again, the “Little Sister Xiaohua” of that time had grown into a handsome young man. He looked at the two people before him, his expression faltering slightly.

The big sister who had held him dear had, in the end, been won by someone else first.

(A long, slow-burn growing-up romance with an extended timeline. Male leads: Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen. The tomb-raiding plot begins later, and the female protagonist does not take part in the early story.)