My Childhood Friend on a Monthly Lease

[Reunion after years apart / Secret crush / Twin brothers with equally matched illnesses competing for her] Two-faced, gloomy fox spirit x emotionally steady woman immune to good looks 1. Because she moved frequently as a child, Ji Zhaolu was exceptionally adaptable and could quickly befriend everyone wherever she went. As a result, she had countless short-lived childhood friends, including a pair of twin brothers, He Jun and He Jing. The twins looked alike but had very different personalities. The one thing they had in common was that they were both extremely cold to everyone else and only close to Ji Zhaolu. The brothers had only one friend, Ji Zhaolu, but social butterfly Ji Zhaolu had plenty of friends besides them. One day, Ji Zhaolu ran into one of her long-unseen childhood friends. They were chatting happily and about to grab a meal together when she turned and saw a face so icy and stern, he looked just like their high school's discipline director. One of the twins said coldly, “Zhaolu, I need to talk to you about something urgent.” Ji Zhaolu followed him away. On the way, she noticed the displeasure beneath his frosty expression and couldn't help laughing. “He Jing, stop pretending to be your brother. I know it's you.” 2. Ji Zhaolu had always treated her friends equally. She maintained good relationships with them while habitually keeping a safe distance. But that safe distance was repeatedly breached by the twin brothers. In a dim room, He Jing held her hand and pretended to be harmless, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Outside the room, just beyond the door, He Jun knocked and pressed closer, his presence intensely oppressive. She was caught between the twin brothers, with a “wolf” in front and a “tiger” behind. 3. He Jing had always thought that Ji Zhaolu liked his older brother, He Jun, more. So he did his best to endure it and carefully test the waters… but every time he pretended to be He Jun, Ji Zhaolu saw through him in an instant. So He Jing, who acted arrogantly and strangely around others, silently wrote down his youthful feelings in his diary. “I'm special.” “She likes me more.” Ji Zhaolu, discovering the diary years later: Wow. 4. Since they were twins, He Jun and He Jing were often mistaken for each other as children. Until one day, someone came along who could tell them apart. Ji Zhaolu had lived in many places since childhood and was exceptionally good at reading people. She had a natural talent for observing others, so she could always tell the twins apart at a glance. From then on, there was someone else in the twins' world besides each other: Ji Zhaolu. * He Jing is the male lead. * Written to indulge my personal tastes. Neither twin is quite right in the head; both are obsessive, ghostly men. * Thanks to my dear Huanxiang Miwu for the title inspiration! (First version posted on 2023/3/5 and archived.) Coming soon: Spring Snow [Not Related by Blood]. Please add it to your library! [Not related by blood / Fake-sweet, real mad-dog older brother x upright, rule-abiding, looks-loving younger sister] 1. Yan Chunhe was a serious beauty enthusiast from a young age, and carried this trait into every part of her life. She couldn't walk past a beautiful person, ate only the prettiest, plumpest apples, and loved gorgeous, dazzling jewelry… It was also this trait that made her insist her parents take in the lovely little Yan Li, who had nowhere to go, when she was eight. But she never expected Yan Li to grow from a pretty little boy into a mature and dependable older brother so quickly. Fortunately, he was still handsome, which made up for his being too controlling and overprotective. 2. Yan Li always knew Yan Chunhe loved his face most, so he took meticulous care of it. Because she liked them, he carved the plumpest apples into adorable rabbits and earned money to buy her beautiful, luxurious jewelry… Yan Chunhe wanted a gentle, patient older brother, and he played that role perfectly too. So why was she still so fickle? Her gaze never lingered on him, and she kept falling for other people. 3. An older brother is an older brother! No matter how handsome he is, you mustn't profane him! As an upright, rule-abiding beauty enthusiast, Yan Chunhe had never entertained any improper thoughts about Yan Li. Her mind always wandered through the colorful world outside. But for some reason, every time she looked at a handsome young man for a little too long, he avoided her like the plague. At a class reunion one day, after several rounds of drinks, the still-handsome class heartthrob leaned close and quietly invited her to sing karaoke one-on-one that night. Yan Chunhe understood his implication and turned him down without hesitation. “You're still worried about your crazy brother? You're both adults now,” the class heartthrob said incredulously. “I always thought your brother was weird. He even threatened me…” Before he could finish, Yan Chunhe spat, “Pah!” “You're the weird one,” she scolded. “How dare a low-minded creep like you talk about my brother?” After giving him a piece of her mind, Yan Chunhe went home feeling refreshed, only to find Yan Li sitting in the dark living room, waiting for her. “Chunhe.” His tone was as usual when he called her name, but Yan Chunhe could tell that he was probably having another episode. Sure enough, Yan Li stared straight at her and continued in a voice so gentle it made his crazy words all the more unsettling. “Since you chose me to be your older brother, you can't just abandon me.” Yan Chunhe immediately understood. “You didn't put another bug on me, did you?” * The leads are not related by blood or family. Theme: Sincerity can be repaid with sincerity