Falling Onto the Wrong Path

[Foster-family setup, sweet but spoiled younger sister x steady older brother, one-on-one, both virgins, intense push and pull, five-year age gap]

When Cen Jia was ten, she met Song Shaohuai for the first time. The boy wasn't much of a talker, but he handed her a tissue when she was crying.

On the eve of her twentieth birthday, Cen Jia suddenly realized that she had developed feelings she shouldn't have for the man she'd called her big brother for ten years.

In the dim room, candlelight flickered as Song Shaohuai leaned over to fasten a necklace around her neck. His masculine scent completely enveloped her, and desire was about to break free.

Afraid of getting in too deep, she moved out of Song Shaohuai's house and back to campus. But love had already seeped into every part of her, like thread being drawn out of a cocoon. He became a regular in her dreams, his solid chest and forearms crushing her night after night, working their way into her bones.

--

Song Shaohuai never thought Cen Jia would run away. He tracked her down at school and slowly cornered her, watching as she shook her head in panic while he leaned closer and closer.

"I only agreed to let you move out. I never said we were breaking things off."

On a certain rainy night, the feelings they'd kept hidden began to swell, like a sponge soaking up water, until they were completely beyond control.

He cornered her in the damp stairwell, his burning fingertips brushing her neck, restrained yet unable to hold back.

"You know no one loves you more than I do."

After that, he often tempted her again: "Come home with me?"

Her ears flushed. "...I can't. I have class tomorrow."

Soft, close-set kisses fell, their breaths entwining until they were impossible to separate. She was forced to give in. "...Don't stay out too late."

Note: The leads are not related by blood or law.

--Coming soon: Summer Weightlessness. Please add it to your reading list!--

[Both virgins, one-on-one, Beijing social scene, four-year age gap, possessive pursuit]

The first time Song Li saw Zhou Yansi was in a private bar after an auction.

The tall, elegant man stood beside the event host, a company chairman who was raising a glass in flattery.

Song Li had heard about him: he had sent his own maternal uncle to prison.

Knowing how cold and unfeeling he was beneath that refined exterior, Song Li tried to look away. Instead, the man turned his gaze toward her.

Because of her mother's romantic escapades, Song Li had learned from childhood how to protect herself and stay out of trouble.

She never thought she'd get involved with Zhou Yansi, so when they were together, her mind often wandered.

But a man accustomed to wielding power wasn't going to be deterred by such a little show of resistance. The moment her heart strayed, he would find some way to bring her attention back.

"Bad habits need to be corrected properly."

When Zhou Yansi first met Song Li, he could tell she was obedient and knew how to follow the rules.

Someone warned him, "Don't just look at her face. You could get yourself into a whole lot of trouble."

Zhou Yansi didn't care. He had never pretended to be noble, and his methods were hardly aboveboard. He merely said, "It doesn't matter."

But he underestimated the little sparrow. One day, she confronted him with a cold expression. "Playing along has its limits."

Zhou Yansi lowered his eyes and toyed with the silver lighter on the coffee table. With a sharp click, a flame licked at the corner of the contract she'd worked so hard to negotiate.

"A Li, go ahead and see how far you can get without my permission."

Later, Song Li left anyway. Someone joked, "Like mother, like daughter. As long as you had your fun, it wasn't a loss."

No one expected the taciturn Zhou Yansi to get so angry that he threw a punch right there.

Only then did people understand: some people had already made their way into his heart.

After returning to a small southern city, Song Li lived her life one step at a time.

Then a friend found her a suitable marriage prospect, and they began making wedding plans.

She thought her life would finally settle down.

But on the day she tried on wedding dresses, when the fitting-room curtain opened, her boyfriend was gone. In his place stood the man she hadn't seen in a long time.

Before she could react, Zhou Yansi had already walked up the steps.

Something cold touched her fingertip: a diamond ring, exactly her size. The man lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

"A Li, you can only marry me."

Theme: Love is not only desire, but also responsibility.