Private Territory

*The setup has been changed. Feel free to add it to your collection, and sorry!

*Cold and aloof, yet devoted *Clear-headed and level-minded

The summer she turned eighteen, Xia Fei came to stay with the Jiang family, who were sponsoring her.

That was the first time she met Jiang Yan.

The young man walked down the steps one by one, looking languid. He gazed at her with undisguised disgust.

At the table, Jiang Hongyuan introduced her to Jiang Yan. "From now on, treat Feifei like your little sister."

The young man curled his lip as he looked at her, not a trace of amusement in his eyes. "I don't need a sister that much younger than me. What I'm missing is a girlfriend. So, how about it? Want to be one?"

On a summer night, rain threatened to fall, and the air was hot and humid.

Xia Fei had just showered. Her hair was still damp, and her long legs beneath her short skirt were dazzlingly pale.

Jiang Yan stood languidly by the railing on the terrace, a cigarette between his fingers.

Xia Fei rose onto her toes and snatched it from him. Tilting her head, she smiled at him. "Brother, can I call you that?"

Everyone in their circle knew Jiang Yan had acquired a little sister who wasn't really his.

At the Jiang home, the two of them were "civil and courteous" to each other. Outside, they were like fire and water, sick of the sight of each other and wishing they could stay a thousand miles apart.

Yet no one knew that on the villa's fourth floor, in a part of the Jiang home no one but Jiang Yan dared enter,

the girl had made herself at home on humid, stifling nights, brazenly lounging in Jiang Yan's private space, her snow-white toes teasing him.

Jiang Yan cursed under his breath, tossed away his cigarette, and pressed a fingertip to her lips. With a half-smile, he said, "You're getting more and more carried away, Xia Fei."

The girl lifted the corners of her eyes, her gaze rippling with mischief. "Didn't you let me?" In a bright voice, she called him "Brother."

A relationship that began with ulterior motives could never have a happy ending.

Their secret affair ended when Xia Fei left without a word.

Long after leaving Jingbei, Xia Fei would still think of how she had come there alone at eighteen. Whenever she had felt helpless, Jiang Yan had always appeared by her side.

But fate had played a cruel trick on them. There was no chance for her and Jiang Yan in this lifetime.

Four years later, the man had become a top-tier star.

That night, the man pinned Xia Fei against the wall, leaving her unable to break free. She glared at him. "Jiang Yan, have you lost your mind?"

"I have. I've been crazy since four years ago."

Xia Fei turned her head away, her throat tight. "You can be a big star, and I can live my own life. Isn't it better this way?"

Something fell onto her neck. The man's voice was hoarse by her ear, sounding more defeated than resigned. "No. Feifei, all I want is you!"

*Written on 2026.05.21

Theme: Creating a better life together