Gardenias Bloom in the Woods

Tsundere, sharp-tongued second senior brother × naturally spacey, slow-on-the-uptake junior sister

||Ensemble cast||Sharp-tongued male lead who talks himself into falling for her||A fun, all-around game of Dou Dizhu||

The first time they went down the mountain, Second Senior Brother complained that she was dazed. But after they made it down, he bought her the osmanthus cake she'd been eyeing.

The second time they went down the mountain, Second Senior Brother complained that she was slow. He told her to stay inside the barrier and eat ice cream while he took care of the rest.

The third time, she went down the mountain with Third Senior Brother.

When Second Senior Brother saw her return eating the candied hawthorn Third Senior Brother had bought her, he was so angry his eyes turned red.

He suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Stop eating things bought by that stingy alchemist.”

Lin Zhi didn't understand. She held up the candied hawthorn. “You want some too? Here, you can only have one bite!”

The stingy alchemist: “...Junior Sister, don't give him any!”

But it was too late.

Lin Zhi paused. “Huh? Then... Third Senior Brother, do you want a bite too?”

A lot of the time, the senior sisters would tell her stories.

Everyone in the sect told her, “Lin Zhi, you have to live to be a hundred.”

Later, everyone left the sect, setting off together to roam the world with their swords.

Only then did Lin Zhi realize that she shouldn't be the only one to live to a hundred.

Everyone should live to a hundred.

Otherwise, why would her senior brothers and sisters leave her behind in this world?

Reader's guide:

1. Tsundere × naturally spacey (the male lead talks himself into falling for her)

2. A coming-of-age story, one-on-one romance, both are virgins, happy ending

3. There is a minor secondary couple based on the author's friends' original characters. Also set in the same shared universe as “Jade Bone.”

4. Apologies for everything!!!

6. Unconventional cultivation fantasy

Note left on May 11, 2026

The main couple won't be split up or switched; feel free to criticize the author, but don't criticize the characters.

P.S. Prequels: “Jade Bone” and “Rescue.”

Also, by the middle of the story, Little Gardenia has started to show the beginnings of a sweet-on-the-outside, dark-on-the-inside personality (so cute, so cute 🥰)

Theme: Keep hope in adversity, and be self-reliant and independent