The Stutterer

[Complete] My other novel, Sweet Little Sparrow, is now updating. Please add it to your favorites!

Wen Ling has had a stutter since she was a child.

She got used to keeping quiet and never thought about changing.

Whenever someone pointed a finger at her and berated her, she could only stand there in silence, eyes red and helpless. She knew that if she spoke up, the other person would only mock her more.

That changed when a man offered to help her overcome her stutter. Wen Ling's "nightmare" began.

In a secluded corner, he held her in his arms, his long, slender fingertips carefully tracing her lips as he patiently taught her, word by word: "Baby, read this whole sentence smoothly: Shang Chen is my boyfriend."

Nervous, she stuttered even worse: "Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh-Shang Chen is... is my... mmph..."

Before she could finish, the man swallowed the rest of her words. As her mind drifted, Wen Ling heard him say, "This kiss won't end until you can say that whole sentence without stumbling."

"...Shang Chen, you bastard."

-

They first met in his dorm room. Wen Ling wore a simple white dress, her shoulder-length hair loosely gathered with a fluffy claw clip. A few mischievous strands escaped and swayed in the breeze. Shang Chen felt as if those strands had swayed straight into his heart.

He heard his new roommate call her "Sis." "We're pretty much done. Let's go get your dorm room sorted out."

Shang Chen's eyes darkened. So they went to the same school.

Later, whenever his new roommate video-called his sister, Shang Chen would come out of the shower and casually reveal his perfectly defined eight-pack abs to the camera.

Wen Ling's cheeks were always rosy. One day, as he once again made a very deliberate trip past her, Shang Chen heard her speak slowly and quietly to her brother: "You were right. He's such a strong bro. I'll definitely never date someone like him."

Memory lane over.

Wen Ling was already nestled in his arms, tears on her cheeks and the corners of her eyes red. Shang Chen smiled and wiped the lipstick he'd kissed all over her lips. "Baby, my memory's not what it used to be. Who was it you swore you would never date?"

Wen Ling wanted to cry but had no tears left.

If she'd known he was so petty and held grudges, she wouldn't have made such a grand declaration back then.

Innocent, pure, stuttering beauty x scheming, dark-hearted strong bro

Blurb for Sweet Little Sparrow

Shen Que has a face blessed by the Creator, but no respectable background. She's so broke she can barely scrape by. In her senior year, a friend pointed her toward a way out: get close to Wen Tingsi, the famous young heir of the capital, and she'd never have to worry about food or clothes again.

Turns out, the competition in this field is pretty fierce.

After two or three months of engineering "chance" encounters, Shen Que unexpectedly caught Wen Tingsi's eye. She fought her way through his many admirers and successfully claimed her place at his side.

One day, Wen Tingsi rubbed her earlobe and asked, "What do you want the money for?"

Shen Que blinked and answered honestly, "I want to open a dessert shop."

Wen Tingsi laughed and kissed her first. "You're so cute."

-

Shen Que always understood the terms of their relationship. So when she happened to see an unfamiliar woman by Wen Tingsi's side, she wasn't surprised. Instead, she reassured herself that it was time to end things.

She left without a sound.

She had no idea the man was turning the outside world upside down looking for her.

When he finally found her, Shen Que still had a little cake between her teeth. Furious, Wen Tingsi snatched it from her mouth and kissed her, his voice choked with tears: "Queque, I was going crazy looking for you. Don't leave me."

Shen Que: "…"

Well, she couldn't bear to leave him either.

Theme: Work hard and keep striving every day.