Entwined Thorn

◆ An old flame rekindled / 12-year age gap / Secret crush becomes mutual

◆ Sweet, soft-hearted flirt × self-disciplined gentleman daddy | Young woman turns the tables on a cool, older man

At an upper-crust family banquet, Shi Yi was the only guest not wearing formal attire, completely out of place among the crowd.

She ate her cake in earnest despite the countless snide remarks, not noticing that a little cream had gotten on her pinky.

When she caught sight of Xie Xuannian passing in the corner of her eye, she happened to turn and accidentally smudged his immaculate suit. Her eyes widened in fear, mist gathering in them,

as if she had committed some terrible offense.

Everyone waited to see how this stern, imposing new head of the family would punish Shi Yi. But Xie Xuannian took the tissue she offered, casually wiped his suit twice, and said nothing.

As they brushed past each other, Shi Yi's palm was damp with sweat. The ink had smeared,

but she was sure Xie Xuannian had seen it just now.

Seventh Uncle, save me!

*

When Shi Yi was fourteen, she was brought from the countryside to the capital.

The capital was dazzling, but there was no place for her to stand.

With nowhere else to turn, she stopped the luxury car driving into the curtain of rain.

In the dim light, the car window slowly rolled down. The man's features were sharply defined, his angular face concealed in shadow.

The corners of the girl's eyes were red: "Seventh Uncle, please save me!"

The rain poured down. In the misty haze,

Shi Yi was soaked through and shivering violently.

When Xie Xuannian's indifferent gaze turned toward her, his dark eyes held not a trace of emotion.

In despair, Shi Yi closed her eyes, turned, and walked alone into the storm. Then a low, husky voice suddenly sounded behind her: "Get in."

The car door shut tight as the storm raged outside and the wind howled.

Shi Yi took shelter from the storm in Xie Xuannian's car for a while, and from the storms of life for the rest of her life. From then on, no matter how fierce the waves, they could never reach her.

*

Everyone had heard that Xie Xuannian kept a beautiful woman hidden away in a golden house, but his young wife had never appeared at any of the major social events. As time passed, the rumors grew wilder. People said that the grand wedding back then had only been a passing fancy for Xie Xuannian.

Those who had been waiting and watching came out again. After all, marrying into Xie Xuannian's family was like having a shield to protect you. For a time, matchmakers and self-appointed socialites all stepped forward.

At a business banquet attended by all the important figures in Beijing, Xie Xuannian stood in the center, surrounded by people flattering him. Suddenly, a girl in a white dress, as beautiful as ice and snow, walked straight toward him and downed the glass of red wine in his hand.

She staggered and fell into his arms.

"Didn't I tell you not to go out after ten?"

"There's no place without you after ten."

Everyone saw the complicated emotions gather in the eyes of this usually mature and rational man in power. In the end, he ignored everyone, lifted the girl in his arms against his shoulder, and left early.

The crowd erupted in an uproar!

So the young Madam Xie was such a beauty. No wonder Xie Xuannian and his wife were so devoted to each other. Those waiting for a chance to make their move were furious, stamping their feet.

*

No one knew that beyond the wall, rain and wind mingled,

while Shi Yi, draped over his shoulder, bit Xie Xuannian's ear.

The man winced and spoke hoarsely: "Don't push it."

After saying that, the girl pressed her lips harder against him, then slid down and stood upright. She wasn't drunk at all.

Xie Xuannian sighed. "You tricked me again."

"I was saving you."

Xie Xuannian had been clever all his life, yet Shi Yi was the one who fooled him time and time again, and also saved him again and again.

Three years ago, the Xie family suffered a devastating blow. He alone held back the rising tide. While everyone asked whether he could get the family back on its feet, only Shi Yi noticed that he had had a fever for three days. Her cool, delicate hand touched his burning forehead. Carrying a carefully prepared bowl of ginger and jujube soup, she looked at him tenderly and called, "Seventh Uncle."

When he was betrayed, Shi Yi would take the cigarette from his hand and kiss the frown from his brow with her soft lips.

When he scolded her for staying up late, she would pull him into watching a melodramatic romance with her, then tell him to learn from the male lead and lecture him in turn.

No one had ever been as bold as Shi Yi, crying and laughing in front of him and giving him so much trouble that he had no choice but to sigh. "Don't do that again."

"What if I do it again?"

"I'll punish you."

The harshest punishment he could give her was when they were lost in passionate embraces.

The girl tried to dodge away, but he pulled her firmly back into his arms. No one would have imagined that the restrained and composed Xie Xuannian could ever tremble as he breathed in the fragrance of her hair.

"If you don't want to cry so hard, then behave."

1. A bittersweet romance. The heroine leaves the hero completely flustered.

2. The heroine is an adult during the romantic scenes.

3. The leads are not related by blood. The hero is from an older generation | Both are each other's first and only | Happy ending

#Everyone thinks she's a pitiful little thing, but she only acts that way for him#

#She's not flirting on purpose, she's just worried that an older bachelor will suffer a hormonal imbalance from not dating#

#After helping a lonely old bachelor out of friendship, he finds himself falling for her#

Theme: Dawn will always come. Just hold on a little longer.