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Second chances after a breakup | Not-quite-siblings

Ten years ago, at the orphanage, Chi Ling secretly made a wish to Ying Chao. She wanted a family.

After Chi Ling was adopted, she lost her only friend, and her wish changed to seeing Ying Chao again.

Only one person scoffed at her for it.

Her adoptive brother, the arrogant, spoiled biological son of the family, Chen Jinhua.

At midnight on Chi Ling's birthday, he leaned against the doorway and watched her close her eyes in prayer. Despite his handsome face, his words were poisonous as he asked cruelly, “You're still thinking about someone who forgot you ages ago? Chi Ling, could you have a little more self-respect?”

Chi Ling said nothing.

*

The day she reunited with Ying Chao was perfectly ordinary.

In her memory, the wind from the window stirred the pale blue curtains.

The boy lay quietly across his desk, his right hand resting loosely against his neck.

Chi Ling knew that hand. More precisely, she knew that scar.

That same night, a familiar, aloof figure appeared in Chi Ling's bedroom.

Chen Jinhua sat with his legs crossed, sinking into the sofa as he looked up at her, expressionless.

Back then, Chi Ling never imagined Chen Jinhua would feel such intense affection and possessiveness toward her.

“Come here.” “Close your eyes.” “Keep your voice down, little sister.” “Like this. I'll show you.”

So many secrets grew unseen in the darkness of rainy nights.

As everything changed, she stubbornly kept calling him “Brother.”

He clamped a hand over her mouth, his hoarse voice striking her in the chest. “Can you even tell who you're dreaming about?”

“I've been the one by your side for ten years.”

*

Chen Jinhua was impossible to understand.

Chi Ling could never figure him out. He had fought for her and stood up for her. He was cruel to her and kind to her, as if he were the only person in the world allowed to bully her.

One year, Chen Jinhua casually said, “Chi Ling, how can you have so many tears? What could my little sister possibly want that she doesn't have?”

Yet he was the one who made her cry the most.

He would never let her fall for Ying Chao.

Six years after Chi Ling left Chen Jinhua, everyone said they could never meet again or make up.

They were like a vine, and the way they had been torn apart was ugly beyond words.

An old friend said, “Chen Jinhua must have forgotten you by now.”

What no one else knew was that Chi Ling had received a text from an unknown number:

“Come back. I'll give you one more chance.”

-The last kiss, before the end of the world.

Note: The heroine was adopted by the hero's family in name only. They are not on the same household register, and they are not related. Inspiration note archived on 25.08.09.

Coming soon: Blushing. Please add it to your collection

On the Start of Winter, the weather bureau issued a warning. Temperatures plunged, and the wind made their faces turn red.

Xia Er and You Shu locked eyes for the first time in front of the old shelves in a corner shop.

They were both reaching for the last bundle of red, old-fashioned candles.

Xia Er looked up and saw a pair of aloof, irritated eyes beneath a black baseball cap.

The small town of Lindao felt like the 1990s, and even power outages came without warning.

The owner took a slow glance over his cigarette and called to the tall boy, “A Shu, don't fight the new girl for them. Come over here and make do with me.”

The boy merely tugged at the corner of his mouth, then turned and tossed the candles to her.

Later, in a rented room lit by the faint glow of candles,

Xia Er snuffed out the spoils she'd once won, then bit down hard on You Shu's lips.

The boy gripped her waist, laughing recklessly.

“Xia Er, put some force into it.”

Theme: Learning to love