[Unrequited Love from the Male Lead | Childhood Friends | Reunion After Years Apart]
[Human Air Conditioner CEO Woman x Crybaby Puppy Who Only Shines for His Older Sister]
*
Xun Luo sees Pei Ling again eight hours after she returns to the country.
She seems to have just come back from work and hasn't had time to change. She's still wearing that irritating outdoor jacket that appeared on the trending searches.
Four years abroad have completely erased the youthful softness from Xun Luo's memory of her. When she lowers her eyes and presses her lips together, she looks cool and distant, not someone to mess with.
Even while chatting about something amusing with his parents, who are practically family to her, she only lets the corners of her mouth lift slightly, her smile still distant.
The image in that photo resurfaces in Xun Luo's mind at the worst possible time. She was standing close to that young, handsome male assistant, and seemed happier than she does now.
He's always one step behind, both back then and now.
His thoughts churn. The moment her gaze falls on him, his mouth moves faster than his brain. "Sis..."
He sees her raise an eyebrow in surprise, her expression suddenly animated.
Pei Ling reaches out to wipe away the tear at the corner of his eye. Her voice is gentle. "Why are you still such a crybaby, just like when you were little?"
That night, a post by the book site's ten-thousand-follower unrequited-love blogger "Sister's One and Only Puppy" makes it to the bottom of the trending list.
[My sister has finally given up on her first-love senior and started dating a younger male assistant. But I'm her little brother too, and I'm taller and more handsome than him. When is she going to dump him and date me?]
[Time to show off the irresistible charms of a 188-centimeter college hottie!]
*
After returning to the country, Pei Ling's life doesn't change much: work, medical treatment, and walking her golden retriever.
That is, until moving day at her new home, when the childhood friend she'd watched grow up appears at her door looking pitiful.
He's wearing only a thin shirt, soaked by the rain. His black hair hangs over his forehead, his clothes outlining his muscles, and his puppy eyes are glistening with tears.
He asks cautiously, "Sis, can I stay at your place for one night?"
Pei Ling agrees as if possessed, never expecting him to completely take over.
He moves the leftovers into his own bowl, explaining, "That's how we did it when we were kids."
New clothes in her size appear in her dressing room. He explains, "I just wanted to give you a present."
Until one day, Pei Ling is pretending to nap on the sofa when she suddenly feels warm lips brush her forehead. She opens her eyes and meets a pair filled with possessiveness. "What's your excuse this time?"
The young man answers hoarsely, "I have no excuse."
"I... like you, Sis."
[Reading Guide]
1. Happy ending, nontraditional older-sister-and-puppy romance, three-year age gap.
2. Written for my own enjoyment, no real-life inspiration, many original settings.
Theme: A crack is where the sunlight gets in
