Sleeping in Your Arms

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Long-planned pursuit / Seven-year age gap / Secret love becomes mutual

Ruan Yimian is sweet and lovely, with bright eyes and a beautiful smile. She's famous for being a little ray of sunshine. But the new instructor's brutal training makes life miserable for everyone in the unit.

Ruan Yimian once saw Gu Huaiyi expressionlessly haul up someone who was sprawled on the ground, press his stopwatch, and say coolly, "Not good enough. Again."

She's afraid of Gu Huaiyi. To her, he's cold, ruthless, and extremely strict.

Her best friend jokes that she should dare to go after him, and she looks horrified, hurriedly waving her hands.

"There are plenty of handsome men in the world. I don't need this one."

Until one rainy day, the man carries her along a narrow path, his hands holding her securely from behind.

"Hold on tight. If you fall, that's on you."

The familiar scent of mint eases her unease. She presses close to him, feeling the warmth coming from his body, and her cheeks quietly turn red.

¤¤¤

His friends are surprised that Gu Huaiyi is willing to work as an instructor in a small city.

He's been single for years, so the rumor that a young woman has appeared at his side comes as an even bigger shock.

At a gathering, a friend brings up the subject. Gu Huaiyi looks up and says in a mild tone, "She's a pretty innocent girl."

His friend hears that and thinks, Well, no chance, then.

Later, someone who loves meddling refuses to take no for an answer and decides to play matchmaker for Gu Huaiyi.

The instant he knocks on the door, he hears a young woman's dissatisfied voice from inside.

"You promised, so you can't go back on your word!"

The usually stern Instructor Gu doesn't even notice the person frozen in shock at the door. He lets the young woman plant lipstick mark after lipstick mark on his face, his eyes full of tenderness.

"..."

#Weren't you supposed to have no chance?

#He said she was innocent, not that he didn't like her!

[Military base instructor x child psychologist]

Little scene:

One day after they get together, Ruan Yimian unexpectedly finds an old photo of herself in Instructor Gu's book.

On the back is Gu Huaiyi's handwriting, a little childish, with the words: "Mianmian promises to give Big Brother Gu a wife when she grows up."

Beneath it is her crooked signature.

His familiar scent surrounds her as the man embraces her from behind. Soft kisses fall behind her ear, and there's a hint of reproach in his voice.

"We should have gotten together a long time ago, you little liar."

Reader's guide★

This story has a mountain of fictional details, many of them added to move the plot along. Please don't scrutinize them or draw parallels with real life! The setting is fictional, with no real-life inspiration!

The blurb has been heavily revised, but the premise is unchanged.

A slow burn. The characters aren't perfect. You don't need to tell me if you're dropping the story. Hope you enjoy reading!

Premise set on June 2, 2023; revised on December 6, 2023.

Preorder: Sneaking Closer to You. Please add it to your favorites!

Secret love becomes mutual, from the male lead's perspective | Three-year age gap | Happy ending

After her college entrance exams, Ying Qian does two things.

First, she ends a three-year-long secret crush.

Second, she stops being a good girl.

When filling out her college applications, she stubbornly chooses a city in the south and starts over, leaving behind all her old ties.

On an unfamiliar street, Ying Qian lets the drizzle soak her clothes. In a daze, she walks straight into someone and instinctively apologizes.

The other person steadies her swaying body, gentle and polite.

"Junior, long time no see."

Ying Qian's thoughts fly back to her second year of high school.

Back then, this person often came to her classroom to share study tips and cheer them on.

He was talented and sunny, a topic of conversation, an idol, the ideal type all the girls admired.

But at the time, she was wholeheartedly focused on someone else and never paid him any attention.

Perhaps meeting someone familiar in a strange place makes them feel especially close. The two begin seeing more of each other.

One evening, after drinks, they accidentally end up in bed together.

Afterward, the man looks at the young woman clutching the covers and too shy to show her face, and chuckles.

"You've gotten bold."

"I don't care about anything else, but you have to take responsibility for me."

**

In high school, Cheng Siyi often saw a girl with a ponytail lingering by the corridors and stairwells, looking around with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

After a while, he grew curious. His companion laughed.

"You don't get it, do you? She's enjoying the view."

He didn't understand at the time, but later he learned what "the view" really meant. The girl's mischievous, lively gaze would turn cautious whenever a certain person walked by, and her eyes would be full of unmistakable admiration.

Later, he became one of those watching the view, too. He knew Ying Qian had someone in her heart, so he kept his distance and never crossed the line.

After the college entrance exams, her secret crush quietly came to an end. He never expected to see Ying Qian again so soon. Nor did he expect that, one day in the future, his unspoken dreams would come true.

#The heroine had a crush on someone else in high school, but it went nowhere

#A bit of a slow burn

Theme: Love yourself before you love someone else