A Painful Love Affair

Please be sure to read the warnings at the bottom before starting:

(Will begin posting after 150,000 words are ready)

Foster care / Older man, younger woman / Five-year age gap / Not related by blood

Truly pampered younger sister Pretends to be aloof older brother

Part One:

The day her father went to prison, Ke Mian's world collapsed.

A court notice was pasted on the door. The person who drove over to take her away was Zhou Yingjia.

"Ke Mian, do you remember me?" Zhou Yingjia wore black-rimmed glasses, and had grown into a tall, broad-shouldered man.

Ke Mian stared at him for a long time before she remembered.

Zhou Yingjia, the only son of her father's close friend, five years older than her. He had skipped a grade in high school and been admitted to a top university in the capital.

The boy her father always praised as someone else's perfect child was now her older brother. Ke Mian moved into Zhou Yingjia's apartment.

She didn't think he looked like the sort of person who knew how to care for someone, but he could tie on an apron and cook her favorite dishes.

On weekends, he took her to amusement parks. He gave her pocket money on time every month and bought her the dance shoes she couldn't bring herself to purchase.

When he explained problems and helped her with her studies, it was as if he became someone else. Ke Mian liked this older brother who had suddenly appeared in her life.

Zhou Yingjia was the one piece of good fortune in her unhappy life.

Part Two:

Then Zhou Yingjia found a novel hidden under her pillow, and her gentle older brother disappeared.

The first time the ruler came down, Zhou Yingjia's expression was frighteningly grim.

Late that night, as Ke Mian drifted between sleep and wakefulness, she felt someone enter her room. Cool ointment was rubbed onto her burning palm.

The next morning, her brother put on his apron and made breakfast as usual. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Xiao Mian, I hit you so you'd remember what you should and shouldn't do. If you take a wrong step now, the road ahead will be difficult."

Zhou Yingjia controlled his force precisely when he used the ruler. It hurt, but never caused real injury. Ke Mian began to fear him: the way he pushed up his glasses, the calm look in his eyes when he picked up the ruler.

Part Three:

Ke Mian was always afraid of her brother, and remained afraid even after she finished her university entrance exams, until she saw the boyfriend of a ballet teacher at the place where she worked part-time.

The teacher's boyfriend had a ruler just like the one her brother used, but he used it very differently. The expression on the ballet teacher's face wasn't one of pain, but of rapture.

Ke Mian hid behind the changing-room door, her whole body cold and burning. For the first time, she realized a ruler could be used that way.

On the subway ride home, Ke Mian watched her reflection in the window and suddenly smiled.

Zhou Yingjia, my dear older brother.

He spent two years teaching her to be afraid. Now it was her turn to teach him.

She would teach him the proper way to use the ruler. She would shape him into the man she wanted.

Extra scene:

Zhou Yingjia's diary as an older brother.

June 18:

I have a little sister. I finally have a little sister. I will be the best big brother.

July 1:

My sister doesn't eat much. Learn new recipes and fatten her up.

August 25:

My sister is starting school. I need to arrange to commute so I can pick her up every day. Will she be happy?

September 18:

My sister's grades are slipping, and her school wants to talk to her parents. I found out she's been sneaking looks at novels.

Bound by My Brother?? Is it my fault? What have I done wrong?

September 19:

Posted on a forum: "What should I do if I find my sister reading an incest romance?"

Top-rated answer: "Pain teaches people to remember the rules. A ruler works better than a lecture."

Ordered a rosewood ruler. It'll arrive tomorrow.

September 25:

I hit my sister for the first time. She cried.

My sister has stopped smiling and no longer talks to me first.

Did I do something wrong?

(537 days missing)

July 1:

Something's wrong with my sister. There's her hair on my bed. She says I don't know how to use the ruler.

October 5:

It's almost dawn. I really did use the ruler wrong. Maybe I can't be a good big brother.

January 10:

Xiao Mian, goodbye. Don't blame your brother.

Reader's guide:

[1. After reaching adulthood, the heroine discovers she has a mild masochistic tendency and actively guides the hero. The story focuses on psychological and emotional interplay, with no extreme or fetishistic depictions.]

[2. During the minor's years, early events show only the heroine's ordinary experiences growing up, with no hints or encouragement of related tendencies. All exploration begins after she is an adult.]

[3. One-on-one romance, both leads have no prior partners. All interactions are between the leads and are based on mutual trust, open communication, and informed consent.]

[4. This is a work of fiction written to appeal to a particular aesthetic preference. The logic serves the story, so please don't overanalyze it. It does not reflect the author's real-life beliefs or behavior. The author is a law-abiding and positive young person. If you like the story, high-five me from afar. If you don't, please leave quietly. Personal attacks are not welcome.]

Theme: Have the courage to be yourself