After the Sickly, Hated One Lost All Hope

[Thank you to everyone supporting the authorized version. Be sure to read the content warnings at the end of the blurb before starting. My new story about a sickly protagonist, Echoes of the Star Tide, is now open for follows.] Before he turned ten, Shen Moyao always thought he was the happiest child in the world. Though he had been frail and sickly since birth, he had a warm, happy home, so he had never thought that living was hard. That changed when he woke up after an accident. Overnight, he became a sinner in everyone’s eyes. Someone else took his place as the beloved eldest son of the Shen family. His father cursed him, his mother despised him, and his younger brother looked down on him. After graduating from university, he debuted as an entertainer. As his health steadily declined, he did everything he could to earn people’s approval, only to receive endless misunderstandings and abuse. At the cast wrap party, a fire broke out. Shen Moyao struggled through the smoke and flames to hold on to his younger brother, but when their father arrived, he took the younger brother, then walked straight toward the eldest brother without hesitation. He led them away without looking back or even sparing Shen Moyao a glance. Amid the raging flames, Shen Moyao finally realized that it might be better for this life to end sooner rather than later. He struggled to the window and leaped from the top floor. · After news that Shen Moyao had possibly died was widely reported, the world changed. His family searched for him all over the world as if possessed. His old scandals were cleared up one after another, the film he had starred in that people had boycotted received nominations for all kinds of prestigious awards, and his fans wept and begged him to come back. Then Shen Moyao really did appear. In the video, he leaned wearily against a sofa, looking ill. His thin lips were pale, and his expression was listless. But what he had to announce was his retirement from the entertainment industry. His fans fell apart. His family refused to give up and rushed to find him. They collapsed at his feet, weeping and begging for his forgiveness, swearing they would love him properly. He only looked at them with indifference. “Sorry. I don’t need it anymore.” · Two years later, in his first interview since retiring, the host asked the question everyone in the world wanted answered. “Why did you decide to retire? So many fans are waiting for you...” In just a year and a half, Shen Moyao seemed to have become a different person. He was still slender, but no longer pale and wan. He was elegant and refined, radiant with vitality. “My dog at home is a little clingy and needs me to take care of him.” He coughed twice, a smile in his eyes. “Oh, Teacher Shen has a dog? Could you show him to everyone sometime?” As viewers in the livestream held their breath, a pair of long, slender hands appeared in the frame and draped a coat over the interviewee’s shoulders. “It’s time. Let’s go back.” The young man’s voice was low and magnetic. He chuckled teasingly. “I heard what you just said.” “P-Pool, Pool Yiheng?!” The host’s microphone slipped from his hand and hit the floor. Those three characters were the name of the young head of the Pool family, a global business empire. “Why did you just...” Shen Moyao was startled for a moment on camera. His earlobes quickly flushed a faint pink, and then he smiled helplessly and leaned affectionately into the man’s arm. “Ahem, as you can see...” “This is my husband.” · That leap from the top floor in the burning building had once seemed like an escape to Shen Moyao. Unexpectedly, it was the beginning of a new life. [Cool, reserved, enduring, sickly beauty on the bottom x possessive, powerful heir from a wealthy family on top] [Important Reading Guide] * Everyone gets their comeuppance. The scum won’t be whitewashed. The family situation will be explained in the story, but the author has no regard for logic and is simply indulging their preferences. If that bothers you, don’t read. * The top first appears in chapter 17. He isn’t part of the comeuppance storyline. He and the bottom save each other, and the top is younger. * The bottom has asthma, very poor heart and lung function, and a bad stomach. He is extremely sickly from beginning to end! Please check the warnings for yourself and stop reading if needed! * The medical details aren’t professionally researched, though I’ve tried to look things up. If there are serious errors, I’ll fix them. Otherwise, please cut me some slack; it’s all in service of my preferences. * The early chapters have a lot of intense family angst. The bottom’s family are all a little abnormal. The fall from the building happens in chapter 19, followed by their comeuppance. Later, the focus is on the couple’s relationship. * To be absolutely clear: this is a story written to indulge the author’s preferences, with shameless melodrama and maximum tearjerking. If that’s not your thing, please don’t read. No unsolicited writing advice, and there’s no need to tell me if you drop the story. Thank you. [***Important: Extra chapters 2 was written to indulge the author’s sickly-protagonist preferences. It includes “misunderstandings and a cold war because they can’t say what they mean, followed by reconciliation” and “very severe physical abuse, with the bottom admitted to the ICU,” among other things. Before buying Extra Chapters 1 and 2, be sure to read the content warnings in the author’s note of chapter 67! The extras do not affect the subscription rate or full-story purchase.] [For information about bonus extras, please see the author’s note in chapter 73, everyone. It’s too long to put here.] Theme: Someone will love you.