[A mature older sister who seems calm and unruffled, but turns clingy just for her younger boyfriend; a rational younger man who's decisive with everyone else, but a whimpering puppy just for his older girlfriend]
[Younger man/older woman + childhood sweethearts + second chance romance / 1v1 / both leads are each other's first and only]
Content warning: Everyday life, not a power fantasy; sweet rather than angsty.
During the summer after her junior year of college, Chen Xiaoge worked up the courage to turn her childhood friend into her boyfriend. Before summer was even over, their honeymoon phase ended with a sudden, crushing breakup.
[Since we won't see each other for years, it's better to end things now than let it hurt later. Let's break up.]
When Chen Xiaoge first saw the message, she didn't feel angry. Her mind went blank, filled with confusion.
[Even if I study abroad, I'll come back to see you during the holidays.]
[We already go to school in different cities.]
After a long silence, he replied: [I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on.]
Chen Xiaoge thought she was older and more mature. She figured Li Mu might be insecure and didn't realize they could work things out another way.
[Let's meet and talk.]
But he blocked her.
After that, Chen Xiaoge told her friends she would never date a younger man again.
Li Mu thought he could keep living like this forever, until he saw Chen Xiaoge holding a child with a tender smile and calling them “baby.”
Selfishly, he wondered why he couldn't be the one in her arms.
By the time he was finally free to pursue her without reservations, she told him she didn't date younger men.
“Two years apart doesn't make us an older-woman/younger-man couple. We're the same age.”
“How does a two-year gap not count? Did someone forget calling me ‘Big Sister’?”
He regretted it terribly.
*You can live without anyone, but you can't help who you fall for.
