Admiring the Light

The label of illegitimate daughter was stamped onto Song Buqi, weighing on her until she could barely breathe or hold her head up.

Her birth mother had traded her for money, her birth father despised her, and the legitimate Madam Xu, along with the older brother and younger sister she had on paper, hated her very existence.

Like her name suggested, Song Buqi had come into this world unwanted.

Eighteen might be a turning point, and a deadline. After she turned eighteen, there would be no place for her in the Xu family.

Just hold on a little longer. She had already endured five years. Three more, and then she could leave.

-

The sun was shining that day, but Song Buqi was in low spirits. Xu Chuyu had torn up the painting she was supposed to turn in, and she trudged along, utterly dejected.

At the turn of the stairs on the second floor of the Xu residence, the two of them collided. Three years had passed since they last met.

Tang Yun apologized sheepishly. "Sorry, kid. I'm here to see Xu Baili. Is he around?"

Her voice was as gentle and warm as ever, and her smile still made everyone around her feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

Xu Baili stood on the third floor with his hands in his pockets, looking down at them. His cold voice came from above. "Tang Yun, come up."

Song Buqi lowered her head and hurried away.

-

In the bleak years of Song Buqi's youth, Tang Yun was one of the few people who had ever shown her warmth.

If she couldn't get close, she would admire her from afar.

If she couldn't make her happy, she would wish her happiness.

That was what Song Buqi thought at first.

But later...

Reader's guide: If it's not your thing, feel free to skip!

[Happy Ending]

[Both Leads Are Each Other's First and Only]

[Angsty, Dramatic Romance]

[Slow Burn]

[Angst for the top at first; the bottom is a hopeless romantic. Our Xiao Qi is a gorgeous, strong, yet woefully pitiful girl.]

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Please add my new novel next door to your reading list! Muah, muah!

Late-Blooming Love

Shen Yimian, the pure-hearted, pitiful little cabbage, & Yu Qinghuan, who doesn't know she's already fallen in love

Yu Qinghuan is a star at Luocheng University, as well as the second young lady of the Brilliant Jewelry Group. Raised in luxury, she is distinguished and dazzling, a born favorite of fortune.

Shen Yimian followed in Yu Qinghuan's footsteps to Luocheng University, never daring to imagine that the two of them would have anything to do with each other.

Yet somehow, their parallel paths veered off course and crossed.

For Shen Yimian, Yu Qinghuan repeatedly deigned to visit her cramped, dim rental room. The space was so small they could embrace just by turning around, and the air between them was thick with flirtation.

Yu Qinghuan didn't like her making noise in bed. Shen Yimian didn't know why and was too embarrassed to ask. No matter how overwhelmed she felt, she could only bite her lip and endure it, her watery eyes glistening and the corners of them turning red.

Yu Qinghuan would hold her, kissing her as she said, "I like you."

Although they had gotten together without a confession, Shen Yimian had always believed Yu Qinghuan liked her too.

Shen Yimian secretly rejoiced. At last, someone had come to love her.

The dream ended in her senior year.

By chance, Shen Yimian overheard Yu Qinghuan talking with a friend. Yu Qinghuan smiled as she spoke, but her words were icy. "Heh, I've gotten a little tired of her, but Shen Yimian's eyes and brows look a bit like hers."

With a boom, something exploded in Shen Yimian's mind. Tears welled in her eyes, and she couldn't hear what they said after that.

So Yu Qinghuan liked her eyes because they looked like those of the person she loved.

So Yu Qinghuan didn't like her making noise in bed because her voice broke the illusion.

So the tattoo on Yu Qinghuan's chest wasn't there because it looked nice. She had engraved the person she loved right over her heart.

So Yu Qinghuan didn't like her after all. It had all been in her imagination.

Yu Qinghuan said she'd grown tired of her, so Shen Yimian would leave without making a fuss. Anyway, Yu Qinghuan didn't like her, so she wouldn't like Yu Qinghuan either.

Yu Qinghuan had always thought Shen Yimian was just a way to pass the time when she was bored. She liked Shen Yimian only because of her familiar features, and she was the one in control.

That is, until Shen Yimian disappeared from her world without a sound.

Theme: May everyone find a light of their own.