The Little Crybaby

[Complete. Occasional update notices are just the author fixing typos.] [1] When Xia Yi was sixteen, she found out she wasn't an orphan. Going from an ordinary little house to the enormous Beilu Mountain Estate, which was almost frighteningly grand, Xia Yi gained countless beautiful dresses, could finally buy a complete set of practice exam books, and could even let herself dream about the two men who were so dazzling they seemed to make time stand still and so gentle they seemed to soften the years. There was just one problem: someone seemed to have their eye on her first-place ranking. After the monthly exams, Xia Yi looked at the boy beside her, whose features were as lovely as a painting, and tears pattered down her cheeks. He'd taken her identity for sixteen years, and now he wanted to steal her top rank, too. [2] Lu Xing had known since childhood that he was the sole heir to the Lu Group. Then one day, Grandpa brought a little crybaby home. The crybaby was the real heiress of a wealthy family. He was the fake. Lu Xing quietly went back to his room to pack his things and leave. Suddenly, the little crybaby knocked on his door and, sobbing, told him that as long as he didn't steal her first-place ranking, she'd give him all her pretty dresses. Lu Xing: Damn it! He was absolutely going to take first place! [3] At the coming-of-age ceremony, the little crybaby's identity was made public, and people mocked Lu Xing for occupying someone else's rightful place and having no shame. Just as Lu Xing was about to leave, the little crybaby tugged at his sleeve. Though she was terrified, she still stepped in front of him to defend him, coldly asking the mockers to leave. With red-rimmed eyes, Lu Xing hugged the little crybaby. He was willing to wear her pretty dresses and take second place for her. Reader's Guide: 1. Xia Yi is devoted to studying. Before she came home, she really was poor, so poor she couldn't afford the practice exam books high school students use. 2. Xia Yi is insecure and cries easily. The kind to sneak off, crouch in a corner, and hug her knees while crying. Don't read if that's not your thing. 3. This is a healing story. Xia Yi will grow stronger later, but she'll stay a crybaby for life (whispering). 4. Don't argue with me about how the boy and girl got switched. There's more to the identity swap, and it'll be explained in the story. Theme: ...