Stars in the Sky

Mang Zhaoshi first met Yuan Ye in her best friend's bar.

The young man wore black workwear, with a close-cropped haircut and a cold expression. His voice was low and husky, enticing as he sang love songs, but when he looked up, he was as aloof as a wild, untamable wolf.

She teased him, brushing the wine stains from the back of his hand with her fingertips. Smiling, she said, "If you need someone to help pay your tuition, remember to call me, sweetheart."

Mang Zhaoshi thought he was just an inexperienced kid, and that teasing him a little was harmless.

But with all the frankness and ardor unique to a twenty-year-old man, he blocked her way, his gaze burning. "I'm still young. I won't disappoint you."

Only later did Mang Zhaoshi find out that this untamable little wolf was the chubby boy who had once lived next door.

It was clear that his transformation went far beyond his appearance.

At thirteen, on the eve of moving away, Yuan Ye had slipped Mang Zhaoshi a love letter and a rose.

She had told him, "I'll keep the letter. Take the flower back."

At twenty, after they reunited, Yuan Ye seemed determined to give her the flower he hadn't been able to give her all those years ago. Despite her refusals, he brought her a fresh red rose every day.

Unable to withstand his relentless advances, she dragged a friend into it and pretended he was her boyfriend.

Yuan Ye still wasn't deterred. He cornered her inside a locked car and murmured suggestively, "Sis, until you break up, I don't mind being your secret."

Clearheaded, rational screenwriter older sister x devoted younger actor

Reunion after a long separation / Older woman-younger man romance / Slow-burn healing

This is what I'll write next. Please visit my author page and add it to your collection:

"Keywords"

[An ill-tempered beauty deserves a loyal dog by her side!]

The relationship between Wen Tang and Qi Zhou is simple enough.

They've known each other since birth, neighbors living opposite each other.

His parents divorced early. Wen Tang's mother felt sorry for him, so whenever she made something delicious, she'd have Wen Tang take a bowl over.

Wen Tang would bring it over. He'd open the door, take it with an expressionless face, and say thank you without changing his expression.

Wen Tang wondered at the time if his parents' divorce had left him paralyzed in the face.

Later she realized he wasn't paralyzed. He just couldn't be bothered to show other people much emotion.

With her?

He was expressionless with her, too.

But he was willing to do anything she didn't want to do: tie her shoelaces, carry her schoolbag, tutor her...

Wen Tang would occasionally have a guilty conscience and ask him, "Am I kind of bullying you?"

Qi Zhou looked up at her. "I'm used to it."

Used to it.

That word perfectly summed up Wen Tang and Qi Zhou's relationship.

Wen Tang was used to having him around, used to his kindness, used to him always being there, ready whenever she called.

In high school, someone asked, "Wen Tang, Qi Zhou does everything you say. Does he like you?"

Wen Tang answered without a second thought. "How could he? We're practically brother and sister."

Wen Tang genuinely didn't think there was any chance of that.

How could you fall for someone you'd known since birth?

She couldn't imagine their relationship becoming anything other than childhood friends.

Until one day, a girl appeared by Qi Zhou's side. She was pretty, did well in school, and seemed to be able to talk to him about anything under the sun.

A friend said, "If Qi Zhou starts dating, you two won't be able to carry on like this, right?"

Wen Tang paused. "Why not?"

"Obviously! If he has a girlfriend, he can't spend all his time running around after you."

Wen Tang couldn't sleep that night.

She still didn't think she liked him.

She just... didn't want to give him to anyone else.

Her friend watched the drama unfold and said, "Whether you want to or not doesn't matter. We've all grown up. He's a decent-looking guy. If he doesn't date someone today, he'll date someone tomorrow. If he doesn't date this girl, he'll date the next one."

At a loss, Wen Tang made up her mind: she'd strike first and date him herself.

There was nothing especially difficult about seducing Qi Zhou.

He was highly intelligent, but when it came to this sort of thing, he was no match for her.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before they really got together.

After they started dating, it took Wen Tang a long time to get used to being physically intimate.

They'd been childhood friends for nearly twenty years, practically family. Even seducing him had felt like a sin.

But once she'd mustered the courage to take the first step, she realized she wasn't repulsed by it.

To her surprise, Wen Tang really liked his body.

Wen Tang wasn't one to hold back, and with Qi Zhou, she didn't even know how to be polite.

Qi Zhou went along with everything. In bed and out of it, he'd do whatever she asked, and from his reactions, it seemed he liked it, too.

But he never touched Wen Tang first.

Before Wen Tang touched him, his hands never reached for her.

Taking the lead felt good, but after a while, Wen Tang grew tired of always being the one to make the first move.

One day, she couldn't help asking, "Do you like me? Or did I force you into this relationship, and you're just not good at saying no?"

Qi Zhou's life had never contained much of anything.

The year his parents divorced, he was too young to understand. He only noticed that one person had disappeared from the house, and before long, the other one rarely came home either.

The house was huge, but there was hardly anyone in it. It was so quiet, as if someone had pressed pause.

One winter, he came down with a fever and thought he could tough it out.

Wen Tang saw through the window that something was wrong, ran over and knocked on his door, then got her parents to take him to the hospital.

While he was on the IV, she fell asleep beside him, still holding the IV tube in her hand. Foolishly, she thought she could warm it for him.

From then on, Wen Tang became the only anchor in his life.

He was willing to do anything she didn't want to do: tie her shoelaces, carry her schoolbag, tutor her...

Sometimes she'd have a guilty conscience and ask, "Am I kind of bullying you?"

He'd say, "I'm used to it."

Used to it.

For Wen Tang, that meant he would always be there.

For Qi Zhou, it meant he only wanted to be there for her.

She didn't know that he'd given up his guaranteed university admission in high school because she'd casually said it was a shame they wouldn't graduate together.

She didn't know that when she thought she was seducing him, he was doing everything he could to play along because he wanted so badly to let her have her way.

He'd liked her for far longer than he'd realized.

He'd fantasized about her far more than he dared admit.

One day, when it finally dawned on him, he realized that every keyword in his life pointed to the same person.

Family was her, friendship was her, and love was her, too.

No one else beside her.

No understudy.

No second page.

She wasn't one of the options in his life.

She was every answer, the only keyword.

[Reader's Guide]

1. Sexy, taciturn bookworm x pretty, lively little troublemaker.

2. Childhood friends, each other's first love, both virgins, happy ending.

Theme: Love is a game for the brave.