Family

*Proud younger sister x aloof older sister *Unrelated by blood *11-year age gap

1.

Everyone at school knows Lian Hua.

Student council, campus radio, all the big events, provincial competitions: if there's a chance to be seen, she's there.

Her roommate asked how she could keep going nonstop without ever seeming tired.

The phone on her pillow glowed faintly in the dark. The hurt of her huge fight with her sister was still lodged in her throat.

Lian Hua lowered her head and cried, but there was still a smile in her voice.

"Because I have to prove myself to my sister."

2.

Shi Jingye is a star host at the provincial TV station. Word around the industry is that the national broadcaster has tried several times to recruit her, only to be turned down.

She is devoted to the provincial station, working diligently and faithfully.

On the day the interns arrived, the lobby was packed.

Lian Hua stood among the crowd, her gaze following her sister step by step.

Shi Jingye, dressed in a formal suit, passed right in front of her. Her eyes swept over Lian Hua indifferently, as if she were a stranger.

3.

That evening, Shi Jingye opened her apartment door and saw Lian Hua. Her brows drew together. "You shouldn't be here today. Go back to school."

Lian Hua didn't back away. Instead, she stepped closer.

Shi Jingye's voice turned even colder. "Lian Hua..."

She stopped abruptly.

Lian Hua wrapped her arms around Shi Jingye's waist, lifted her chin with her fingertips, and gazed at her ardently, about to kiss her. Shi Jingye's body went rigid. After a moment of tense stillness, she finally closed her eyes in silence, giving her consent.

Unexpectedly, the kiss never came.

Lian Hua smiled softly.

"Sis, I came back today just to thank you for taking care of me all these years."

"Don't worry, I'll be good."

"I'm graduating soon. I'll move out like a good girl, and I won't cling to you anymore."

She turned to leave. Just as she passed the silent Shi Jingye, a hand clamped around her wrist and yanked her back.

Those usually calm eyes could no longer hide their fury.

"Lian Hua... What do you take me for?"

Theme: Love sets the sacred flame of the soul alight.