How to Raise a Beautiful Childhood Friend

Everyone who knows Yue Yan says he's even-tempered and as gentle as jade. His smile is like a spring breeze, and he's the sweet, gentle senior type.

Who would have thought that, as a child, he was a little menace who gave his parents headaches?

He was naughty and mischievous, always climbing onto rooftops and tearing them apart. Even the neighbor's husky kept its distance from him.

It all changed on a rainy day when he was eight.

His parents brought home a boy as beautiful as a porcelain doll: Lin Zhunlu. Quiet and pale, he was just like his name, his eyelashes fluttering like a startled fawn whenever he looked at someone.

He was the son of one of his mother's friends, they said, and their family would be looking after him for a while.

Yue Yan rubbed his hands together, thinking he had a little follower who would do whatever he said.

Who could have guessed that instead, this boy would become a little prince who needed to be coaxed every single day?

Lin Zhunlu was afraid of the dark, so Yue Yan told him stories every night to help him sleep.

Lin Zhunlu was a picky eater, so Yue Yan fed him himself, one spoonful at a time.

When Lin Zhunlu felt wronged and sulked, Yue Yan could only put his hearing aids back on and repeat, "I like you," over and over into his ear.

Time passed. The fawn Yue Yan had carefully looked after grew taller, his beautiful features taking on the shape of someone between boyhood and adulthood.

Lin Zhunlu was still quiet, still clingy. But as his dependence on Yue Yan quietly grew, it seemed to have become mixed with something much more intense and passionate.

The air conditioner sent cool breezes through the room, but they couldn't dispel the heat inside.

The person on the bed curled up beneath a thin blanket. Suppressed panting and faint movements came from underneath.

At first, Yue Yan thought he was having a nightmare. He lifted the blanket, planning to comfort him, but the sight before him made his breath catch.

Lin Zhunlu opened his eyes. His gaze was still wet and innocent, but his voice was hoarse beyond recognition.

"Yanyan..."

"I feel awful... Please help me..."

His voice quavered with tears on the brink of breaking down, but his gaze burned frighteningly hot.

His grip was strong, impossible to break free from. He pulled Yue Yan's hand toward the blanket.

Reading guide:

‖Both are pure, and this is both their first love‖

‖They only get together after both are adults, during university‖

‖The top uses tears as one of his tricks. He's not a crybaby, but he really is clingy, and also a bit of a creepy stalker...‖

A peek at a coming title:

The Bad Dog

[Beautiful, malicious bottom x younger, nurturing top]

Jiang Qingli died.

By suicide. You could say he got what he deserved.

Unfortunately, evil people live long lives, and he was reborn.

He returned to eight years earlier, before he had ever crossed paths with Mu Ying.

Jiang Qingli didn't consider himself a good person, though sometimes his conscience did stir. In his previous life, Mu Ying had hated him to the bone. Since he'd already died once, Jiang Qingli figured he might as well grant Mu Ying's long-held wish.

But a few days later...

Jiang Qingli gazed thoughtfully at Mu Ying lying beside him.

He'd worked so hard to convince himself to stay away from him, so why had this man come to him of his own accord?

His father didn't care for him, his mother didn't love him, his stepmother was cruel, and his illegitimate younger brother was a hypocritical white lotus. It was already an achievement that Jiang Qingli had grown up. And people expected him to become an exemplary student and citizen?

What a joke.

With a notorious reputation and a long list of crimes, Jiang Qingli was planning to repeat his previous life's routine of coasting along until the end. But while he was flirting with someone in a bar, Mu Ying hauled him home.

From then on, handsome women and male models were out, while exam-prep books and practice tests came one after another.

Jiang Qingli: ?

He stared at Mu Ying in disbelief.

His ex-boyfriend, who once had nothing but his pride, was still poor, yet dared to pin him down in front of an old desk.

He forced him to study and work through practice papers, with a ruler ready at his side to smack his palm for every wrong answer.

"Get into Jing University." Mu Ying said only those three words.

Jiang Qingli laughed in disbelief. "Are you crazy, or am I?"

He'd never passed Chinese in his entire life!

"A little scene"

The white-lotus younger brother found Mu Ying, eyes red.

"Senior Mu, don't let him fool you. Jiang Qingli is a bad person. He only got close to you back then to get revenge on me."

"He knew I liked you, so he deliberately stole you from me. He doesn't really love you."

The wind fell silent.

Jiang Qingli stood around the corner and heard Mu Ying give a soft laugh.

"I know."

"So what?"

"No matter how bad he is, I'll teach him."

"If I can't teach him, I'll be there to catch him when he falls."

Reading guide:

[The top is poor right now but works hard to support his lover, and gives him the very best. He'll be rich later.]

Theme: Study hard