The Empathy Ward

[Small county town] [Rekindled love] [Angsty push and pull] [Living under the same roof]

"Tangle together, pull apart, and recognize what's in your heart."

After her alcoholic father dies unexpectedly, her mother takes fourteen-year-old Tong Jiao to live with the Jing family. The man of the house, Jing Hui, was her father's employer before he died.

Tong Jiao knows that her mother and Mr. Jing aren't in love. This is just a transaction between adults, though at the time, as a "good girl," she only partly understands.

The Jing family has a rebellious boy two years younger than her, named Jing Hui.

He's still young, but much like his father. The anger between his brows makes him look more mature than other children his age.

He makes no secret of how much he hates these "uninvited guests."

When they first meet, Tong Jiao is half a head taller than him. She looks down at him, and a silent tug-of-war begins.

After that, it's normal for them to get on each other's nerves.

To drive the mother and daughter away, Jing Hui resorts to all sorts of "elementary school" tactics, both openly and behind the scenes.

But as he tries every trick in the book to get Tong Jiao, the "uninvited guest," out of the house, he gradually grows dependent on her and develops feelings he shouldn't have.

A boy's feelings are like a spider's web, strand by strand wrapping around his heart.

A flutter of the heart makes it itch; falling in love makes it hurt.

But at the time, he doesn't think it's love, and he doesn't dare talk about love.

Seven years pass. Everything has changed.

Jing Hui never expected Tong Jiao to come back.

When she left, things ended so badly. He thinks he still hates her.

(Not long after they reunite)

Tong Jiao: "You hate me? Weren't you the one who said you'd strangle me?"

She laughs.

"So you learned to cook my favorite dishes to poison me?"

"You held me when I cried so you could choke me?"

"That night, were you waiting on me or seducing me?"

Blurb written on April 23, 2026 (revised August 23)

See the author's note in Chapter 1 for content warnings.

Also, this book may not suit readers who are extremely devoted to either the heroine or the hero. If it's not your thing, please just leave.

Theme: Rediscovering the self, piecing it together and becoming whole.