Birds and Freedom

[Complete] There's a little bonus on Weibo~

[Next up: the lighthearted, sweet romance Dear Dr. Xu / the forced-marriage historical romance Cousin on Top. Please add them to your reading list~]

Yun Yao had always dreamed of escaping her mountain village.

After weighing her options, she set her sights on the young master from the richest family in the area.

That day, standing on a hilltop with the mountain wind tossing her glossy black hair and colorful scarf, she covered her stomach and said calmly, "I'm pregnant."

The young master excitedly wiped his face.

Then she said, "I'm getting rid of it. Give me money."

The young master emptied his pockets and scraped together 237 crumpled yuan.

With that handful of small bills, Yun Yao traded a motorcycle for a car, then a car for a train. After a week, she had finally left the mountains far behind.

-

With her pretty looks and an excess of nerve, Yun Yao thrived in the big city's glittering nightlife, even managing to climb into the good graces of Yan Boyu, the future head of the city's most powerful family.

That day, as she walked out of a bar with her arm linked through Yan Boyu's, she noticed a man staring fixedly at her from the road and stopped without thinking.

Yan Boyu asked, "You know him?"

She smiled coquettishly. "Some country bumpkin? Never seen him before."

That night, the man cornered Yun Yao against a wall and asked in a cold, low voice, "Where's my child?"

*

When old flames meet again, Zhou Mingkun is publicly mocked and driven away by a woman outside a bar.

Later, on a night of torrential rain, he hears her weakly pleading on the phone: "Wutong Lane. Help me, please..."

"Why should I come?" he says, gripping his phone, his voice cool and detached.

-A wicked woman × a devoted man

-The leads are each other's first love. After they break up, the heroine will sleep with a secondary male character as part of the plot. The hero remains devoted to her throughout. If that bothers you, please don't read.

-The heroine uses other men to get what she wants, then seeks to atone and ultimately redeem herself. If you have high moral standards for the heroine, please don't read.

Modern romance Dear Dr. Xu. Please add it to your reading list.

After graduating from university, Tang Yining moves in with her older brother for a while.

One day, she goes downstairs to throw away the trash and sees a tall, long-legged man stepping out of the elevator. He has thick brows, a high nose, and dark, aloof eyes. Even in the height of summer, his collar is buttoned to the very top, giving him an untouchable, cool elegance.

Tang Yining's heart pounds.

On Monday, Tang Yining follows her brother to the hospital. They happen to encounter a violent dispute, and in the middle of the crisis, a man in a white coat steps forward and knocks a knife from the attacker's hand.

Tang Yining, who grew up surrounded by sweetness and comfort, is so frightened her legs go weak, and she falls completely for him.

When she learns that the man works in the same department as her brother, Tang Yining nervously asks her brother, Jiang Baiyang, about him.

Jiang Baiyang scoffs. "That's Xu Xingzhi. Ningning, don't tell me you're switching sides just because he saved you once?"

Tang Yining's heart stops. Oh no.

Jiang Baiyang and Xu Xingzhi have been sworn enemies who couldn't stand each other ever since they were classmates in high school. After graduation, they joined the same hospital, and their rivalry only got worse.

For over a decade, Tang Yining has heard the name Xu Xingzhi so often that she's practically grown calluses on her ears.

Wiping away a bitter tear, Tang Yining firmly declares that she'll stand with her brother and never let herself fall for the man who saved her life.

Jiang Baiyang nods with satisfaction. "At least you've got a conscience."

Until one day, Tang Yining steps out of the apartment across the hall wearing a nightgown, and locks eyes with Jiang Baiyang, who's just come home unexpectedly.

Seeing her brother's expression turn cold, Tang Yining thinks: I'm doomed!

*

One day after they start dating, Xu Xingzhi searches his own name in Tang Yining's WeChat. The screen fills with insults, and he scrolls until his fingers cramp, only to find that the messages span seven years.

The man's dark eyes turn to her, perfectly calm. "Care to explain?"

Tang Yining: ...This is somehow even worse.

Bonus scene:

After Xu Xingzhi discovers the chat history, Tang Yining frantically asks her brother for help. She never expects Jiang Baiyang to call Xu Xingzhi directly.

On the phone, Jiang Baiyang is as cold and arrogant as ever. "Seven years is just how long Ningning has had her WeChat account. It's not the limit of how long she's been insulting you."

Tang Yining: ...

He's not here to save her. He's here to finish her off.

A heartwarming story about someone who tries to