Quitting Smoking

[My new story, Covering for You, is now updating. Please add my upcoming story, Catching Up, to your favorites!] [A five-star review from everyone who’s bought the full story would mean the world to me. Thank you!] ● Older man/strong paternal vibe/intellectual attraction│Five-year age gap│Mutual flirting and push-pull ● Super-strong sweet girl x wily, fatherly fox ● Forensic pathologist x professor of criminal psychology - When Shi Jianwei first met Yan Shen, she mistook him for a widower on his wedding day. She kindly handed him a tissue and offered her condolences. Only later did she learn that this man, who exuded a cold, unruly air, seemed mild-mannered but was actually a cunning old fox. All the tricks she used to lead other people around by the nose were laid bare before him, and he had her on the back foot at every turn. She realized she couldn’t outplay him. After a case was closed, they went out for a meal. Shi Jianwei spotted Yan Shen leaning against the corridor wall with a cigarette in his mouth, not yet lit. She casually took it from him and handed him a bottle of AD Calcium Milk. Yan Shen fixed his gaze on her and tilted his head slightly. His low voice was like a lingering spring breeze, and his deep, dark eyes held a hint of amusement. “Little Shi, do you have a crush on me?” - Shi Jianwei thinks that someone as inscrutable as Yan Shen, who can read people so easily, is dangerous. But he seems different with her. He accepts all her emotions, patiently answers her questions, puts up with her temper, and is very good at… giving her exactly what she likes. When Shi Jianwei returned from the Forensic Identification Center, she saw a pack of AD Calcium Milk on her desk. She glanced at the man by the window, playing with a lighter, and casually remarked, “It’d be nice to have free AD Calcium Milk every day.” Yan Shen looked up and said in a low voice, “That depends on you.” Who says a steady temperament and passionate love can’t coexist? Yan Shen can make them. ○ Content warnings and reading tips are in the author’s note for Chapter 1, so I won’t include them here. ○ Enjoy! ○ Blurb dated January 21, 2024 My new story, Covering for You, is now serializing ● Bratty, high-maintenance little maniac x aloof on the outside, warm on the inside big bad wolf ● Eight-year age gap|Marriage before love|A guiding partner/combative couple ● Wolf-and-rabbit romance|Sweet and sour|Testing each other and pushing and pulling - With her wedding date approaching, Lin Tingwan found herself a new husband, turning the whole world upside down and throwing everything into chaos. In her mind, everything had a fixed price. If she wanted something, she had to pay a price for it. Including Ji Chen. So she didn’t dare dream of anything more. She only wanted to use him to climb higher, step by step. Later, when they really got into a fight, Lin Tingwan was furious. Ji Chen leaned down to kiss her, and she slapped him in a fit of anger. Ji Chen scoffed and looked down at her. He caught her hand and kissed her palm. “That wasn’t as loud as last time, darling.” - Lin Tingwan was in a bad mood, so she went looking for happiness in alcohol again. As always, Ji Chen cleaned up after her. Crouching in front of her, he patiently coaxed her. “Being happy is good, but your health matters too. You should feel good emotionally and physically.” Lin Tingwan stared at him expressionlessly. “Is that what you expect of me?” “It’s a plea,” he said. “I’m begging you to love yourself.” - She dares to do whatever she wants because someone always has her back. Upcoming story, Catching Up * Pessimist x bad-tempered type * Veterinarian x fire and rescue team captain A rainy night, just after midnight. He Zhiyu carried a puppy he’d found outside the fire brigade headquarters to an animal hospital that was still open. The bright lobby was full of people coming and going. Wen Chuyin, in a white lab coat, entered his field of vision. She finished signing at the front desk and told him to take the puppy to Operating Room One. She glanced at him once as she did. A fleeting look, calm and indifferent. He Zhiyu gave a self-mocking smile. She hadn’t recognized him. - The seventh time Wen Chuyin saw He Zhiyu at the hospital, she stopped him outside the operating room. Her face was as indifferent as ever, and her voice was gentle, but each word struck like a barb. “Don’t come here again.” The memory took him back three years in an instant. He Zhiyu laughed in anger. “Wen Chuyin, do you think I’m so pathetic I’ll let you walk all over me?” - A wildfire broke out in the northern suburbs, and Wen Chuyin went up the mountain as the head of a temporary wildlife rescue team. The wind picked up during the rescue. Choking on smoke, she felt her eyes redden. He Zhiyu tried to put a mask on her. She pushed him away, but he held her in place. “Keep it on.” The man pinned both her wrists with one hand. “You’re on my turf. When you’re here, you follow orders.” The night the wildfire was put out, they caught up for the first time since their reunion. “How have you been these past three years?” After a long pause, that was all he could come up with: a cliché of an opener. Wen Chuyin’s expression remained calm. She didn’t look at him. “Not well.” He Zhiyu gave a soft scoff, turned toward her, and fixed her with a scorching gaze. His voice was steady, but hoarse. “Funny. Neither have I.” Theme: Love and honesty, welcoming the light