He Xibai is the most pampered young master of Hong Kong's richest family: beautiful, frail, and a crybaby who can't live without his medicine.
When he was seven, he picked a cold-eyed boy at an orphanage and brought him home as his younger brother.
From then on, He Xilin became the only cure for him.
He Xilin had been adopted three times, only to be returned each time because of his cold nature.
Until a sweet-smelling, soft, beautiful older brother, pale with illness, took his hand and asked him to stay by his side.
For the first time, he learned that someone could be cherished like that, and rely on him so completely.
He gave all his tenderness and patience to He Xibai, coaxing him to take his medicine, staying with him as he fell asleep, and shielding him from every storm.
He willingly skipped grades and studied business, all so his brother could live forever in the pure world of music and painting.
He thought his sordid possessiveness was a desecration, and hurt himself in despair, only for his brother to pull him into his arms in tears:
"You idiot. I liked you at first sight."
Later, He Xilin grew into a formidable, aloof rising star in business. He was ruthless with outsiders, but even gave up smoking when he got home.
His brother couldn't stand the smell, yet insisted on burrowing into his arms, coughing until his eyes turned red without letting go.
Everyone said the He family's adopted son was scheming and after power.
Only He Xilin knew the truth: He had lifted his head from the dust and glimpsed the moon in the sky, then gladly surrendered to it, spending his life building a cage to protect his moonlight.
[Reading Guide]
1. Two male leads, pseudo-incest, younger gong (He Xilin) x frail beauty shou (He Xibai), one-on-one, happy ending.
2. An indulgent romance to the extreme: the younger brother spoils his older brother without limits; the older brother is a hopeless brocon; their love is mutual.
3. Set in a fictional Hong Kong dynasty family, with plenty of descriptions of a luxurious lifestyle. The plot serves the romance.
4. The shou is frail (heart disease, anemia, stomach problems, and so on), spoiled but not weak. The gong is cold to outsiders and devoted like a loyal dog at home. He struggles with himself early on, then fiercely protects him.
Theme: Beyond the shackles fate has set and the paths society expects them to follow, two broken souls meet by chance and nurture a life of their own in the midst of hopelessness. One wields love as a blade, cutting through restraints and defending the other's freedom, even against the world. The other takes love as a shield, shouldering responsibility and creating a wide-open sky where his beloved can live as he pleases. They are each other's weakness and armor. In a thorny pseudo-incest relationship, they prove themselves through sincerity and courage, breaking free of the cages of blood ties and social convention to write a love story of mutual salvation that transcends all bonds, and show what it means to say, "I am who I am because you are in my life."
