That Won't Work on Me

[Blurb updated July 5, 2025, archived on Weibo] When her father died, Yu Wan was still underage. According to his will, all the estate was to be managed on her behalf by Yu Zhi. The man who was no blood relation to her, the “older brother” she had personally chosen from an orphanage and brought home as a child. The Yu family was tangled in complicated relationships and competing factions, but Yu Wan had never learned anything about finance or management. Amid the complicated upheavals, it was Yu Zhi who used a series of forceful measures to secure control of the company for the two of them. “Everyone has ambitions. Do you really think he’s doing all this for your sake?” “Even if he gives your shares back when you graduate from university, what good will it do? Won’t everyone at the company still listen to him?” “Your uncle and you are the only ones who are truly related by blood.” Though she wasn’t particularly close to Yu Zhi, Yu Wan had never taken these rumors and warnings to heart. Until one day, she found a note beside her father’s grave: [Your brother is the real murderer who killed your father] From that moment on, everything Yu Zhi did took on a different meaning in Yu Wan’s eyes. Picking her up and dropping her off at school on time every day, setting no limit on her allowance, offering to send her abroad to study ballet at a prestigious school, arranging for a top visual designer to plan her debut... It could all be poison disguised as honey, meant to let her guard down and turn her into a useless plaything! She wouldn’t fall for it! She firmly refused every temptation that wasn’t his good looks! * Yu Zhi. A gentleman knows what to do, and when to stop. Yu Wan’s father chose this name for Yu Zhi in the hope that he would always remember his debt of gratitude, and care for and protect his daughter Yu Wan no matter the time or the circumstances. Do what benefits Yu Wan, and never do what harms her. It was also a warning. A reminder not to entertain improper thoughts, and to remain forever a “good older brother” who sheltered Yu Wan from the storms. Yu Zhi had planned to do just that. When he first flew back from overseas to be by Yu Wan’s side, she was easy to get along with, and looking after her wasn’t difficult. The servants knew what she liked and what she couldn’t stand. But as time went on, perhaps the young lady’s temperament began to show. Faced with Yu Wan’s coldness and rejection, Yu Zhi had to rack his brains trying to figure out what she was thinking. His browser search history was full of: [Do girls really crave sweets during that time of the month?] [How many days does it take to get tired of a new handbag?] [Delicious fruit you can eat while losing weight] [What teaching method should I use when she just can’t learn calculus?] Eventually, it became: [Can two people get married if they share a household registration book but aren’t blood relatives?] Attention: 1. The male lead is the heroine’s adoptive older brother in name only, with no blood relation. The heroine only falls for him after reaching adulthood. 2. The heroine is a modern ballet dancer. Her career will feature in the story. It’s a wish-fulfillment romance. 3. No characters are based on real people. Please read respectfully and do not mention real-life entertainers. Theme: Stay true to the one you love, always