Keep It Up and I'll Have to Soothe You

Weibo: @HuazhuiZ

[Check out my columns Rose Garden and Spoiled Rotten. Their blurbs are at the very bottom. Please add them to your collection!]

Blurb

Everyone in City A's social circle knew that Gu Xianli had a childhood sweetheart, Chi Sui, who was beautiful and a handful.

There had always been plenty of people who liked Gu Xianli, and Chi Sui naturally became the target of their resentment.

But she had never been one to follow the usual rules.

When faced with a scheming girl who framed her, Chi Sui would sit down in front of her, eyes red, and sniffle softly.

When faced with a hypocritical sweetheart, Chi Sui would go along with her words and act even more "considerate" than she was.

And Gu Xianli always indulged Chi Sui's behavior.

Everyone: "???"

-

Everyone who knew Gu Xianli knew he was shrewd and calculating, and never let his emotions show.

The only time anyone had seen him take an interest in something was when he found out Chi Sui was dating someone.

Later, a rumor went around their circle: before long, Gu Xianli had brought a few people along and beaten up Chi Sui's "boyfriend" in an alley.

Nobody believed it at first, until they saw Chi Sui's black-and-blue "ex-boyfriend."

Everyone: "..."

-

Everyone thought Gu Xianli was so tolerant and caring toward Chi Sui simply because they'd grown up together.

That was, until a certain business gathering.

Drunk, Chi Sui pinned Gu Xianli to a sofa and demanded to know why he didn't like her.

The usually aloof, silent man lowered his head and buried his face against Chi Sui's neck, his long-fingered hand wrapping around her slender waist.

His voice was low and husky, filled with more than ten years of hidden love.

"I do like you."

"I like our Suisui best."

-

Later, one day after they got together,

Gu Xianli lowered his eyes, about to delete a message from someone accusing Chi Sui of all kinds of misdeeds.

Seeing this, Chi Sui walked over and glanced at his screen.

She sat beside Gu Xianli. After a few seconds, she slowly said, "Tell me."

Gu Xianli turned to look at her: "?"

Chi Sui spoke earnestly: "Where does this person live? I'll cry until they give in."

Gu Xianli: "..."

A powerful man who indulges his childhood sweetheart x a cute, coquettish little troublemaker

The heroine does not have a boyfriend. The "boyfriend" in the blurb is a misunderstanding, and the hero doesn't beat him up without a reason.

Rose Garden blurb

When Shen Shitan was thirteen, a little girl came to live with his family. She stammered, blushed easily, and cried a lot. She was so exquisite and beautiful she looked like a doll in a shop window.

His mother told him the girl was pitiful and that he needed to take good care of her.

Late one night, he opened the door.

Seeing Wen You sitting at the top of the stairs, crying so hard she could barely breathe, Shen Shitan took a piece of candy, crouched down in front of her, and held it out.

In the still darkness, the boy's voice was soft and calm.

"Call me Big Brother."

-

From then on, Shen Shitan had a little tagalong trailing after him.

His friends wouldn't say it to his face, but behind his back they teased him: at an age when he should have been out having fun, he spent his days wiping his little sister's tears, picking pretty dresses for her, braiding her hair, and comforting her.

That little crybaby was spoiled into a willful little princess.

As he watched the girl grow up and attract a crowd of admirers, Shen Shitan's eyes darkened. He counted the days, longing more and more to pluck the rose he'd carefully nurtured.

-

On her twentieth birthday, Wen You drank a little too much.

The girl's face was flushed, her eyes hazy with drink. Summoning her courage, she wanted to ask Shen Shitan if he'd go out with her.

But the words took a turn. "...Big Brother, when are you going to start dating?"

At that, the man raised an eyebrow.

He quietly stubbed out his cigarette. Shen Shitan smiled casually. "Why?"

"Do you want to date your big brother?"

Spoiled Rotten blurb

Everyone in the entertainment industry thought Yu Qing was high-maintenance, troublesome, and bad-tempered, a pretty face with nothing going for her.

Yet her background was a mystery, and she had an endless supply of top-tier opportunities. Whenever something negative about her appeared online, the trending topic was removed immediately. It was said that even the famous directors in the industry treated her with deference.

Netizens were curious about who was backing Yu Qing.

Some were bold enough to dig deeper, but in the end they all came up empty, faced with blank webpages.

-

Until one evening banquet, when Yu Qing arrived in a red gown that trailed along the floor. Gauzy fabric revealed her porcelain-white shoulders, and a dignified, distinguished man in a suit stood beside her.

The look he gave her was tender enough to drown in.

The media followed the clues and discovered that the man was Shen Yishan, the current head of the Shen family, notorious in high society for keeping his distance from women and feared for his shrewd methods.

But the rumors didn't seem to be true...

The media caught Yu Qing acting coy with Shen Yishan in a corner after walking the red carpet.

Her voice softened as she threw herself into his arms like she had no bones. "I'm a little tired. Will you hold me?"

"Mm," Shen Yishan replied, his expression cool. "I'll hold you."

When the girl in his arms wouldn't sit still, he lowered his voice to soothe her.

"Be good. Don't fuss."

-

That night, the photos went trending.

A crowd of netizens flocked to the official Weibo account of the Shen Group, asking about their relationship and why Yu Qing was given so many top-tier opportunities.

Then a newly registered account appeared. It had the default avatar and was verified as belonging to the CEO of the Shen Group. It replied to one of the comments.

Shen Yishan V: "Our girl likes them, so I just tossed them to her to play with."

Netizens went wild: !!!

Those top-tier opportunities were just playthings for her!

This is so sweet! What kind of love story is this, making everyone else jealous enough to cry?!

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