Neon Jellyfish

[Novella, complete / HE / Simplified Chinese publication updates: @Huai Song Ya]

[Coming soon: Accomplices. Brooding older brother x rebellious younger sister. Please add it to your favorites!]

■ Reunion after years apart | Bittersweet unrequited love | Small-town story

■ Unperceptive little ray of sunshine vs. sensitive wolf in sheep's clothing

Chi Yousheng has a bad reputation at Xixiang County High School.

People say he skips class, robs people, and does every kind of evil. He's rotten to the core.

Students at school all steer clear of him, their eyes filled with fear and disgust.

The only exception is Sang Muning, who transferred in just one semester ago. Time and again, she stands in front of the boy and tells her friends firmly:

“Chi Yousheng really is a good person. He's actually very kind.”

Her friends can't believe Sang Muning is so bad at judging people, and warn her not to be fooled by appearances.

Protected behind her, Chi Yousheng lowers his eyes and tugs lightly at the girl's sleeve. His voice sounds as if he's been holding back for far too long: “Don't argue with your friends for my sake.”

The onlookers fall silent: “...”

Dude, you were nothing like this when you were fighting.

*

What Sang Muning doesn't know is that while she's sitting beside Chi Yousheng, carefully bandaging his wounds, the silent boy beside her is thinking about how to keep her by his side forever.

Her friends are right. He really does repay kindness with evil and forget those who help him. He's a born bad seed.

For example, right now, the girl feels so sorry for his injuries that her eyes are red, while he cruelly wonders what her tears would taste like.

And her lips.

Chi Yousheng's gaze drops. He thinks they must be wonderful to kiss.

Reader's Guide:

* A slow-burn slice-of-life story with a touch of ensemble cast. No intimate scenes before the characters reach adulthood.

* The male lead's bad reputation comes from being misunderstood. The female lead is steadfast and kind, with her own social principles. She's not a naive airhead, and everyone is a good person.

* Each other's first and only love.

* Weibo: @Huai Song Ya

Coming next: Accomplices

■ Forbidden love | Repressed tension | Three-year age gap

■ Restrained, self-controlled, aloof older brother x seemingly obedient, carefree bad girl younger sister

Growing up as “siblings” forced to live under the same roof, Chen Yao never liked Chen Fangshu.

He was always so unromantic and indifferent. His dark, distant eyes often treated her as if she were nothing but thin air, arrogant and cold.

His personality was strange, too: taciturn and gloomy, like the most disliked cold-blooded creature in an aquarium, cold and clammy, always silently watching the outside world from the shadows.

He seemed to have no redeeming qualities. If he didn't have such a stunning face, he probably wouldn't have so many admirers.

The lollipop rolls around inside her cheek. Resting her chin on her hand, Chen Yao stares blankly and calmly writes in her diary:

Anyone who falls for someone like Chen Fangshu is digging their own grave, like a moth to a flame.

-

Not long after, Chen Yao suddenly realizes that something seems off about her older brother.

Whatever she does, she can feel a gaze following her, almost tangible.

The night she announces that she's dating someone, Chen Yao is pinned against the wall by Chen Fangshu. Her usually composed older brother stares at her intently and says, word by word, “Break up with him.”

“Chen Fangshu, you're getting a little too involved in my business.”

“You two aren't right for each other.”

Chen Yao looks up and snaps back, furious. “Then who am I right for? You?”

The man falls silent for a long time, his dark eyes resting quietly on her.

In that moment, Chen Yao's hair stands on end.

Because the answer in those eyes is unmistakable: yes.

And the burning gaze on her feels so familiar.

* The male and female leads are not related by blood.

Theme: Live life positively.