I Once Lost the Milky Way

In high school, after a sudden upheaval in her family, Shen Xinyu was taken in by the Pei family.

The Peis were one of Ruijing's true elite families, with deep roots and plenty of rules, yet never cold or unkind.

Everyone in the family treated her with warmth and care, loving her as if she were their own daughter.

Pei Xingye, in particular, took especially meticulous care of this little sister who had suddenly joined the family.

Only after some time had passed did Shen Xinyu learn that the Peis once had a beloved young daughter who had tragically died in an accident at a very young age.

By coincidence, she and Shen Xinyu had been born on the exact same day.

Just because of that, Shen Xinyu had been given the happiness that was originally meant for someone else.

*

Shen Xinyu was sweet and reserved, and did her best to play the role of a good daughter and younger sister.

But some things simply cannot be controlled by reason.

Pei Xingye was seven years older than her. Born with an air of refinement, he was level-headed and composed, rarely showing his emotions.

Everyone else said he was hard to approach, but he was gentle only with Shen Xinyu. He put up with her little moods and made her feel that she belonged.

As they spent their days together, Shen Xinyu found herself unable to stop following him with her eyes.

Her heart would always skip a beat when he came near, only for her to feel ashamed of her own fantasies the next moment.

Then, after the college entrance exams, she mustered all her courage, wrapped her arms around his neck, and confessed her feelings.

But he pushed her away without mercy.

His voice was cold, laced with a chill. "I'm your brother."

*

After that, Shen Xinyu left the Pei family without hesitation and chose a university 2,000 kilometers away.

With a new life and a new circle of friends, Shen Xinyu changed completely. She became dazzling and uninhibited, lighting up every social group she joined and standing out in any crowd. There was never a shortage of boys trying to win her over.

One day, in the hazy, intimate back alley of a bar, she was about to accept a boy's confession when a tall, straight-backed figure appeared at the alley's entrance.

"Didn't I tell you to ask me before you start dating anyone?"

The man's starry eyes burned like fireworks. He was languid and unruly, yet radiated an imposing presence.

Shen Xinyu's heart fluttered like a butterfly. Panicking, she backed away again and again until he cornered her in a dim recess. His breath came quick and husky by her ear.

"Date me, okay?"

Shen Xinyu stared at him in shock for a moment, then came to her senses and refused with a cold laugh. "How could I? You're my brother."

Pei Xingye's Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly seized her wrist.

Their bodies pressed together, and his warm, soft lips came down on hers, fierce and possessive, filled with an intense, obsessive desire to claim her.

"Tell me, would a brother kiss his sister like this?"

*Foster care / secret crush / healing / coming of age, city life and campus

*Seven-year age gap, not-quite-siblings + a guiding lover, both sexually inexperienced, happy ending

Seeking advance readers for Spring Tide Beneath the Surface

Just back from abroad, Xia Moran was persuaded by a friend to switch identities and go on a blind date in her place.

She thought it would be a mere formality, no big deal. But when she opened the private room door, she found two men inside.

One looked like a spoiled playboy; the other was refined and laid-back.

The playboy was her blind date. He smiled warmly at Xia Moran, doted on her, and made his interest in her clear.

The other man wore casual clothes. He said little and wore a faint, indifferent expression as he lounged on the sofa, seemingly detached from everything. Yet beneath his cool brows, his eyes were dark and icy, with a predatory edge. Every so often, he glanced her way.

Xia Moran's back stiffened. She forced a smile, doing her best to play along while repeatedly checking the time.

A plate of strawberry salad was set in front of her, and her blind date smiled and invited her to try some. Then the man beside him, who had been silent for so long, suddenly spoke in a low, chilling voice.

"She's allergic to strawberries."

His words stunned everyone in the room.

*

Back in college, Xia Moran and Xiao Yuanqin had once been together.

Back then, Xiao Yuanqin was arrogant and unruly, dazzling and carefree, and the object of many girls' affections.

Yet even his pride had crumbled for Xia Moran.

Because of her family, Xia Moran had never believed in love. Faced with the pursuit of this rebellious rich young man, she didn't think he was truly sincere.

So she treated it as a game. After one reckless night together, she deleted every way to contact her and left the country alone.

Proud as he was, Xiao Yuanqin crushed the roses he had arranged himself beneath his feet and let out a long, cold laugh.

*

After the blind date, Xia Moran went out of her way to avoid Xiao Yuanqin.

After much effort, she finally landed an offer from one of the country's top architectural design firms, only to run into Xiao Yuanqin on her first day at work.

It was only when he caught her by the waist that she learned he was the company's biggest boss.

Later, Xia Moran accompanied Xiao Yuanqin on a business trip. Caught in a torrential downpour, the two of them were stranded on a remote mountain road.

The car rocked as if it were out at sea. Damp, humid air filled the cabin, and a spring tide was gathering, secretive and surging.

Xia Moran was pinned against the seat, her struggling fingerprints clearly visible on the window.

Her skirt was in disarray, and her voice trembled faintly. "You went to all this trouble to weave such a huge web just to get revenge on me, didn't you?"

The man leaned over, hidden in the shadows. He clasped her wrist, his breath brushing her neck as he fought to contain a passion almost beyond his control.

"Yes."

"You won't escape my grasp a second time."

She thought he was nothing more than a fleeting dream, never knowing that he saw her as his ideal vision of the world, and that everything he did in this life was for her.

*Scheming tycoon x dazzling secretary

*Secret office romance / rekindled love, both sexually inexperienced, happy ending

Theme: Love life to the fullest and embrace love