Taming

This novel was published under the title The Thornless Little Rose and is now available. Weibo: @Chun Yu Yuan [Uncle/age gap] “How far have you two gone?” “What?” “Hugging, kissing, or...?” “We hugged... though I’m not sure that counts.” “What do you mean?” Su Zhi gave a dry laugh and raised her arms. “Like this.” She loosely circled her arms behind her friend without touching her. “In the unlit garage, I was the only one who hugged him. He hugged me back like this, without even touching me.” “Why?” “Because he’s my uncle.” - Much later, they met again at a banquet. Su Zhi greeted him distantly. “Uncle Cheng.” “Mm.” Cheng Huaijin nodded, watching her turn and walk away. “She used to refuse to call you Uncle, didn’t she?” a friend asked. “She used to like calling me Cheng Huaijin.” “Do you regret it?” Cheng Huaijin stood in the bitterly cold wind and gave a silent smile. [I hope that in this world / I can give free rein to what my heart desires / and know true fulfillment / before dying in utter despair] The Fruits of the Earth, Andre Gide Reading guide: 1. Both leads are each other’s first and only. Happy ending. 2. Age gap: he is ten years older than her. Please add Three Lives of Yanran to your favorites That winter, Zhao Yanran accompanied her advisor to No. 48 Jinan Street to visit a protected historic building. The owner told her, “The ‘Ji’ in the street’s name comes from my elder brother, and the ‘Nan’ comes from me.” Zhao Yanran looked back at him. “What’s your name?” Amid the silver frost and pristine snow, he smiled softly, like a spring stream quietly thawing on a winter night. “Liang Zongnan.” Not long afterward, Zhao Yanran moved out of the architecture department dormitory and into the Jinan Mansion. Liang Zongnan drove to pick her up himself. As he opened the car door, he smiled and made sure she understood: “Yanran, I’m not exactly a good man.” He was entirely unashamed of his wickedness. With one hand on the door, Zhao Yanran smiled. “And how do you know what consequences I’m asking for?” Later, Zhao Yanran flew alone to Paris to work as an architect and never came back. Once, she heard that a small lane had been built beside No. 48 Jinan Street. It had Hui-style architecture, with gray tiles and white walls. She wondered what deity had managed to carve out a plot of land in that priceless historic preservation district to build it. Zhao Yanran asked, “Does this lane have a name?” Her friend smiled. “It does, and it has quite a connection to you.” “...What’s it called?” “Yanran Lane.” - Zhao Yanran divided her life with Liang Zongnan into three lives. In the first, he was the moon in the sky. In the second, he was a reflection in the water. In the third, he was the one in her heart. Reading guide: Female architect x male investor. Happy ending. Theme: There will always be someone who loves an indomitable spirit.