Dread

“So I wasn’t the only one living in constant fear.” Gentle, possessive wolf cub x scheming little butterfly who knows how to reel people in Childhood friends reunited, an unknowing mutual crush, older man/younger man. Lin Huang returned to his hometown hoping to keep his head down and coast through graduation. Instead, he became famous on the day he transferred schools: Shao Mingyao, the former and current top dog of No. 9 High, passed the classroom and stared at him for five whole minutes. Back then, the kid used to squat in the neighboring courtyard every day, pretending to be a mushroom. Shao Mingyao would sit on the wall and pelt him with apricots, but no matter how hard he threw, he couldn’t get a reaction. The next day, someone smashed the Shao family’s century-old apricot tree to pieces with a slingshot. Grandpa Shao didn’t go after the culprit. Instead, he whipped Shao Mingyao with his belt until the boy couldn’t sit down for three days. Before the marks on his backside had even faded, the little rascal moved away, taking the last big, sweet apricot with him. Shao Mingyao sent him threatening texts about it for five years and never got a single reply. Now they’d met again. Shao Mingyao had grown tall and broad-shouldered, and was learning to fight with both hands. Lin Huang… was still just as quiet. Lin Huang wanted to keep his head down, and Shao Mingyao wanted to maintain his cool, aloof image. The two of them silently agreed to ignore each other. But old grudges have a way of getting around. One day, a group of thugs cornered Lin Huang. Shao Mingyao happened to walk by, got invited to join in, and promptly did. Birds scattered in fright as the alley erupted. Shao Mingyao pinned one of the thugs underfoot and finally spoke his first words since their reunion: “Huanghai, beat him up.” The thug sprawled on the ground: ? Lin Huang’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, went thump as it dropped back into his chest. Turning away, he said stiffly, “You do it.” ** Everyone knew they had a history, but no one knew what it was. The boy in front of them: “So, are you two close or not?” Lin Huang looked a little dazed. “We’re… close, but not close.” His childhood friend: “Is that kid a friend or an enemy?” Shao Mingyao’s gaze was cold and fierce. “For now, an enemy.” “What about later?” “Ask me again when he learns to reply to my messages.” “Or when he gives that apricot back.” ** He was a proud, unruly wolf cub who looked down on everyone and never went easy on anyone. Yet he lost his heart to a quiet little boy. Count back and forth through the years, and Shao Mingyao had only ever been good to Lin Huang. Reader’s note: 1. A sweet romance, with the focus on the relationship. Pure and straightforward (sort of), and healing for both of them. 2. The bottom is Lin Huang, and the top is Shao Mingyao. The story is told primarily from the bottom’s perspective, so don’t let the blurb throw you off. 3. The bonus skits at the end of chapters turn the main characters into eggs. They’re just for fun, so don’t take egg business as part of the main story. [Dazed Egg] Lin Huang x [Bright Egg] Shao Mingyao. 4. The author’s completed series novels are Shadiao Scholar System, Repeat Student, and Million-Follower UP Master, and they’re all standalone. Just mentioning them; you don’t have to read them. 5. Wishing everyone happiness every day. [New serial] I Miss the Puppy I Threw Away, an older-man/younger-man second-chance romance [Elegant kitty bottom, beautiful ambitious schemer] x [Powerful, manipulative green-tea top, a jealous king with plenty of tricks] Sly kitty x stalking tiger * The Shen family company is on the brink of bankruptcy, so Shen Bir ran returns to China to fight for the family business. His refined good looks, gentle manner, and graceful charm land him in the middle of the elite matchmaking scene. Asked about his romantic history, he answers frankly: “I only dated one person. He’s been dead for years.” “We broke up amicably. No hard feelings, and there’s no chance of rekindling things.” His dearly departed first love becomes an instant legend and the perfect shield against unwanted suitors. After a minor rear-end collision, Shen Bir ran gets worked up and calls a phone number that has long since been disconnected. To his astonishment, one call brings back the person he thought had been dead and buried. Years after their parting, Gu Linchuan looks at him with great interest. “An amicable breakup?” “No hard feelings?” “I’ve been dead for years?” Shen Bir ran: “…Who are you?” Gu Linchuan thinks for a moment. “A male ghost.” * Gu Linchuan was once an orphan adopted by the Shen family. When his relatives came looking for him as an adult, the Shens gave him back and cut ties. Not long afterward, Shen Bir ran learned from the news that the plane Gu Linchuan was on had crashed. He quietly put up a gravestone for him and paid his respects for years. Now he’s discovered that not only is Gu Linchuan alive, he’s also the heir to an international conglomerate. Everyone courts his favor, and he wields immense power. His personality has changed completely, and he’s impossible to read. One day, after a matchmaking event ends, Shen Bir ran is spacing out when Gu Linchuan suddenly says, “A friend of mine had a puppy. He was always chasing after someone new, and when he got tired of the dog, he threw it away. When people asked about it, he even said the dog had died.” Shen Bir ran is baffled. “What kind of scumbag would do that?” Gu Linchuan: “You.” “…” Shen Bir ran looks at that tall, sharp-edged figure. “What did you just call yourself?” A p-puppy?? Theme: Don’t fear the raging fire. Even if you tremble, you’ll spread your wings and fly through it in the end.