Scent of Jade

Before Xi Xi turned seventeen, her three older brothers pampered her to the heavens.

Whatever she wanted, she got. If she asked for the stars, they wouldn't settle for the moon.

But after she turned seventeen, everything changed.

She said the top-ranked graduate was handsome, charming, and learned. Her eldest brother gave a cold laugh. "All shine on the outside, rotten within."

Her second brother's expression darkened as he murmured, "He's not the right man for you, little sister."

Her third brother rolled his eyes as if she were blind and pronounced, "Looks good, but useless."

Unconvinced, Xi Xi turned her attention to the stern-faced general who had returned from the border. He was a man of iron and righteousness, nothing like those powdered young noblemen in the capital.

Her eldest brother didn't even look up. "He has no virtue to match his looks. He's just a brute."

Her second brother gazed at her with gentle concern. "The borderlands are bitterly cold, and the sandstorms blot out the sun. How could you bear it, little sister?"

Her third brother was the most infuriating of all. He drawled, "Oh, he's just a silver-plated wax spearhead."

Xi Xi: ...

Furious and embarrassed, Xi Xi stormed out of the manor to clear her head, only to be abducted by villains and forced to swallow a drug.

As her body burned and her consciousness blurred, a familiar warmth enveloped her.

Xi Xi opened her eyes and tried to make out the man, but his face remained indistinct.

Then, amid the storm, she heard his hoarse voice: "Call me big brother."

"Big brother." Xi Xi was very obedient.

And so, he gave her exactly what she wanted.

But when it was all over and her mind cleared, Xi Xi realized there was a problem.

Which one of her brothers had she called "big brother" in her confusion?

Reading Guide:

1. Before they confirm that they are not blood-related, they have not established a romantic relationship or had sex.

Theme: Love means holding back, and also rushing toward you without a second thought.