Ling Wan was sent away to the countryside on the outskirts and lived as a country girl for ten years after violating a taboo within the household.
Before returning to the Shen residence, she encountered a wandering gentleman in the rain in the mountains.
He was as lofty and bright as an immortal, too far beyond her reach.
He had saved her life, yet said it was only a duty an elder brother ought to fulfill.
He was her own elder brother, Xie Zhiheng.
They had been twins, a brother and sister separated for ten years. Her brother had traveled across the land and learned to wield authority, while she had grown up in the countryside, inexperienced and naive.
Now they were worlds apart.
Fortunately, her brother was kind to her. He personally taught her proper manners and the law, and even rejected the unsuitable suitors her stepmother tried to foist on her.
Ling Wan was grateful and came to depend on her brother more and more in every matter.
After the adopted son of the Grand Tutor proposed, her brother personally prepared her bridal trousseau, chose the wedding dress, and saw to every detail. Everything went smoothly.
Until she found in her brother's room the letters that should have gone to the Grand Tutor's residence, as well as a newly made household registration for herself...
Her closest brother, the very picture of propriety and restraint, was actually planning to deceive the heavens and marry her!
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Xie Zhiheng knew that his sister was an innocent, simple flower, sincere with everyone and oblivious to the wolves all around her, ready to snap her stem.
So he had to shield her from their covetous eyes, whether as heaven or earth, and personally discipline his foolish little sister as both brother and teacher.
He let his sister meet other men because the world was driven by fame and gain. Only after she suffered a few knocks would she understand where her true home lay.
Perhaps he had not taught her enough.
As old rumors threatened to come to light, Ling Wan feared she would be abandoned. Under the influence of an outsider, she tried to flee in the dead of night.
He knew all about it.
But leave him?
The lamps in the Xie family ancestral hall burned through the night. Xie Zhiheng burned the letters and made up his mind.
How could he let go of the sister he had raised with his own hands?
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On a sultry, rainy night,
She experienced firsthand another side of her brother, one he usually kept hidden.
Forceful and surging, he nearly devoured her whole, as if he would merge with her down to their very bones!
Yet the words whispered against her ear remained as gentle as ever, making her yearn for him.
"Didn't you say you liked your brother best?"
"Be good." He coaxed her. "Say it again."
One-on-one, both are each other's first. Mainly a story about a brother and sister who fall for each other after being reunited following ten years apart. A touch of possessive romance and a dramatic love triangle, with the brother's feelings more intense than the sister's.
The younger sister is innocent and sweet, and longs for the companionship of family and love.
The elder brother appears restrained, but is actually a possessive control freak.
★ The brother is no good person. He is domineering in his pursuit of power, but pretends to be a gentleman around his sister. The sister is very naive and sees her brother through rose-colored glasses.
★ The sister does not leave the Shen residence to elope, but her brother sees her leaving as abandonment, and so he goes dark. Their feelings are mutual, and no third party can come between them.
★ Their relationship only crosses the line after they are no longer brother and sister.
First posted on October 20, 2026. The outline is complete, though the blurb may be slightly revised later.
Theme: Dependence and independence
