A Bright, Sultry Midsummer

Gloomy, adorable girl x older, fatherly man

Lu Xunzhi, the founder of Bosheng Tech, went through a very difficult time as a teenager. His friend Zhao Weiming helped him out, claiming he needed someone to tutor his little sister.

Back then, Zhao Weiqing was only seven. She was the kind of child who had lots and lots of money and only wanted lots and lots of love, but whom everyone hated.

His impression of her: She looked obedient and timid, but was actually gloomy and yandere. Precocious and world-weary, she hated seeing people smile, so she stubbornly made a point of making them cry.

She was a handful, but sometimes... he felt sorry for her.

"Don't be so pessimistic. Once you grow up, everything will get better," he told her, reassuring himself as much as her.

"Will it?" she asked, without much hope. "What if things don't get better?"

He had no answer. The girl was precocious and didn't believe in fairy tales. She wouldn't even pray at temples.

Still, she would curse him without a shred of conscience: "Lying to a child will bring bad karma."

"I'm not lying. Things will get better. If they don't, come find me, and I'll be like Aladdin's magic lamp and grant you three wishes." At the time, he thought that perhaps by then he would be in a position to help her. And if he couldn't, at least he could give her a little hope now, in repayment for his friend's kindness.

The girl was pretty clever. She made him write it down and sign it.

Years later, when Zhao Weiqing showed up with that piece of paper, her eyes held the same vulnerability, gloom, and stubbornness as before. She said, "Growing up hasn't made things any better. Will you marry me? If you say no, I'll die in your house and become a ghost who haunts you for the rest of your life."

Lu Xunzhi held the yellowed paper and thought, So it's true. You shouldn't lie to children. Now the consequences have caught up with me.

-

Later, Zhao Weiming described his sister and brother-in-law's relationship like this: An evil spirit adopted by a saintly father.

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Reading Guide:

1. Ten-year age gap, happy ending, one-on-one romance.

2. Not angsty. It's actually a sweet story about falling in love after marriage.

3. The romance begins after she becomes an adult.

--Next Novel: Ripples--

When Xu Lianyi's family was at the end of its rope, the Xie family gave them a large sum of money to tide them over. Even though the debt was repaid long ago, the Xu family would remember that kindness for the rest of their lives.

Their families were worlds apart, and there wasn't much the Xu family could do for the Xies. Still, every year, a few days before the Spring Festival, they would visit with local specialties from home as a small token of their gratitude.

That year, Xu Lianyi came of age. Her father told her, "Go and get to know the place. As long as they don't mind, you should visit every year from now on."

Xu Lianyi nodded, made her way there, and knocked on the door of the villa.

But this year's atmosphere was tense.

The eldest son of the Xie family had lost his sight.

He sat in a wheelchair, his expression blank. The space around him felt frozen, as if everything within a one-foot radius had turned to ice.

She swallowed and greeted them softly. "Hello, Uncle and Auntie... Hello, Brother Jiaheng."

Her hosts received her politely. As she was leaving, she heard them discussing sending Xie Jiaheng to a sanatorium in the countryside. His temper was terrible, and he was in a bad mood. The doctor had suggested a change of scenery, but he had frowned and refused.

Xu Lianyi hesitated. "The scenery where I live is quite nice. If you don't mind, Brother Jiaheng, you could stay with us for a while. I'm on break, so I can... I can look after you."

And so Xu Lianyi followed the Xie family's three luxury cars as they escorted Xie Jiaheng back to the countryside.

Xu Lianyi was prepared to wait on him hand and foot, but the young master seemed a little too well-behaved...

--You are the ripples in my heart, the waves in my eyes--

Reading Guide:

1. His sight will return.

2. Romance and farming.

Theme: Love life and embrace the good things.