A Request for Adoption from a Hot-Tempered Boy

[Blurb]

Everyone said that Shi Jing was cold and aloof, keeping people at arm's length. The only one by her side was her pet fish, with its big, beautiful tail.

Later, she took in a person.

*

He Yu had never been a good kid. He was good at skipping class, fighting, and causing trouble, and his life was always a mess.

One day, he heard there was going to be a good show. Bored, he sauntered over, only for a fish tank to smash down beside his feet. Glass shattered everywhere, and the fish was free.

Someone asked, "Where's my fish?"

He looked up and met a cool, indifferent gaze.

Short hair, a cold expression, tall and slender, dressed in an androgynous style, with blood dripping from a fist. She was the strange woman everyone talked about.

He raised an eyebrow lazily and replied, "I'm your fish."

Her bloody fist kissed his cheek.

From that day on, an annoying little tagalong followed Shi Jing everywhere.

*

If not for that letter, He Yu would have thought they would have countless summers filled with the scent of disinfectant, medicated ointment, and chilled sweet fermented rice wine.

There was only one photograph in the letter.

Long hair, gentle and graceful, dressed in a white gown, her face almost identical to Shi Jing's, with her arm linked through that of an elegant man.

On the back of the photograph were the words, "Jing, come back."

*

Shi Jing was leaving.

When she arrived, she had brought a fish. When she left, she was alone.

The most notorious troublemaker in Linquan Street Town chased after her and blocked her car, shouting, "You can't just leave after messing with me!"

He had hurriedly thrown on a wedding dress with a huge skirt, looking just like her fish, stubborn and aggrieved. "I'll make it up to you by giving you myself. If you've got the nerve, take me with you."

Shi Jing remained unmoved, still cold and distant, keeping everyone at arm's length.

But He Yu clearly heard one word:

Little extra:

He Yu was chased by his rivals for several streets and ended up covered in wounds, collapsed at the end of the street. He called Shi Jing and pretended to be pitiful, asking her to take him home.

Shi Jing refused, but "happened to be passing by."

He called out, "Wife, over here."

Her fist came down, adding to his injuries. "What did you call me?"

He grinned. "Sis Jing."

Reader's Guide:

Older woman-younger man romance. Blurb subject to revision.

Shi Jing: mysterious identity, rock-hard fists, a cool-faced but warm-hearted, handsome older woman.

He Yu: dark-skinned, proud, rebellious delinquent boy.

The original blurb was posted on July 5, 2024, and has been screenshotted.

Theme: Leave the small town and head out into the world.