The Dentist Older Brother Who Always Invites Me to Meals

*

In the third month after moving into her new apartment, Qu Yu found herself falling for the dentist next door, the one who often invited her over for meals.

The dentist was named Fang Tingjie. He had refined features and a gentle disposition, but his hands were strikingly imposing: broad palms, sharply defined bones, and prominent veins. They were exactly Qu Yu's type.

Once again, Fang Tingjie invited Qu Yu over for dinner.

Qu Yu downed three cups of plum wine she'd brewed herself, then knocked on Fang Tingjie's door, a little tipsy. "Dr. Fang, this can't go on like this. You don't have to keep inviting me to dinner. I'll be with you..."

"I think you may have misunderstood," the man said, pausing for a moment before smiling with gentle detachment. "I invite you to dinner because I can always smell your cooking from your apartment, and I wanted to ask you for some cooking tips."

Qu Yu: "..."

-

As a food vlogger with a million followers, Qu Yu had always been proud of her cooking. She never knew being too good at it could lead to such mortifying moments.

The dentist who often invited her to dinner didn't seem embarrassed in the least. He continued to drop by openly to ask for her cooking secrets, help fix her broken appliances, and deal with the obsessive fan who had been stalking her for ages.

On the thirtieth day of her social death, Qu Yu downed another three cups of green plum wine and knocked on Fang Tingjie's door with a grave expression. "Dr. Fang, I still don't think this can go on..."

Afraid she might fall, Fang Tingjie discreetly drew her into his arms. "Did I make you misunderstand something again? Just tell me, and I'll change."

"Was it really a misunderstanding? Then why is your heart beating so fast?"

Qu Yu rested her fluffy head against Fang Tingjie's chest, her fingertip slowly tracing the raised veins on the back of his hand. "Fang Tingjie, I think I still really like you. What about you? Do you feel anything for me?"

-

The first day after rejecting Qu Yu.

Fang Tingjie: Headache. How do I tell Qu Yu we're really not suited to be together?

The second day.

Fang Tingjie: At a loss. Qu Yu came to see me again, full of enthusiasm, as if she hadn't been rejected at all.

The thirtieth day.

Fang Tingjie stood by the window for three hours, finally waiting for Qu Yu to come home late.

Qu Yu had arranged to shoot a restaurant-review vlog with a friend, and didn't get home until the early hours of the morning.

The neighbor's door suddenly opened. Fang Tingjie, usually so warm and gentle, came out with a gloomy look on his face. His broad, strong hand kneaded the back of Qu Yu's neck, and the heavy smell of alcohol hit her. "Didn't you say you liked me? Who was that man downstairs, laughing and talking with you?"

* A gentle dentist who's warm on the outside and cold within x a brave, enthusiastic, straightforward puppy

* My take on the older-brother-and-puppy trope. The pursued is the pursuer, the pursuer dotes on the pursued, and they spoil each other. Every tag is sincere. This couple is head over heels for each other, so this may not suit readers with strong preferences about either role.

* Older man, 12-year age gap, both are each other's first love and both are virgins

* Blurb written on June 16, 2026. Everything is tentative; the story itself takes precedence.

Theme: Love takes courage