The Forest Across the Mist

Next up, the campus novel Rotten Apple. Foster care trope | Female lead pursues the male lead | Available to save

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Reunion after a long separation | Suspenseful romance | Age gap

Ever heard of growing up in proportion? I recognized you the first time I saw you.

Deep in the forest at night, Xu Zhizhi got stranded up in a tree while searching for someone. The wind howled, midnight cries rang out, and darkness threatened to swallow her at any moment.

Jiang Xun, dressed all in black, seemed to appear from nowhere and held out his hand. "Don't be afraid. You're safe now."

She followed him down the mountain to his home. She wore his clothes and ate his food. He looked after her and showed her an unexpected favoritism.

A long-dormant heartbeat and a fierce desire to possess him began to grow inside her.

Until the threatening text messages started again.

"Stay hidden. I'm coming to get you!"

The killer had never gone far. Like a monster hiding in the shadows, he watched her life.

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Another murder took place, and Jiang Xun became a suspect time and again.

Xu Zhizhi was set on saving him, but heard her ex-boyfriend and her older brother interrogating him about their relationship.

Jiang Xun replied, "We've only met a few times."

But under that flash of white light, his face had unmistakably matched the boy who had rescued her more than a decade ago.

One late night, Xu Zhizhi couldn't resist the voice inside her. She slammed Jiang Xun against the cold wall, wrapped an arm around his neck, and made him lower his head.

"Jiang Xun, we've met before, haven't we?"

"You're remembering wrong."

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Jiang Xun, who lived in the forest, had been taught from childhood that saving one life was worth building a seven-tier pagoda.

Twelve years ago, on a night of torrential rain, he sensed death for the first time in the city. He rescued little Zhizhi, who was hiding beneath a rain tarp, and promised her a room of her own. But he still lost track of her.

Later, he learned that she was no longer a frail rabbit, but a sly fox.

"Sleep with me, big brother."

Only when the night ends

will dawn truly arrive.

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*A sly fox x a steady big wolf

*A social worker with hyperthymesia x a forest therapist overflowing with compassion

Weibo: Wu Qige

Upcoming novels: Connected stories The Cat Has No Suspects and The Allure of Everything / campus novels Rotten Apple (next) and Dream Navigator / road novel The Hidden Route. Feel free to save them all!

Rotten Apple blurb:

Hot-tempered villainous girl x calculating, hypocritical top student

Mending a broken relationship | Height difference | Foster care trope | Female lead pursues the male lead

The day Lu Chen was brought home by the Shen family, Shen Zhiya was told by her parents to call him big brother.

She obediently called him big brother in front of other people, but coldly warned him in private: "Stay away from me, and keep your mouth shut!"

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That wasn't the first time Shen Zhiya had seen Lu Chen.

On the subway, where she was skipping class to go to an exhibition, she spotted a handsome guy at a glance. The name tag on his backpack swayed slightly as the train rolled along.

She shared her new discovery with her best friend: "He's really, really, really handsome. His name is Lu something, but I can't see the rest."

"Chen." A voice came from above her head. She whipped around in shock. The boy's brows and eyes relaxed as he softly said, "Lu Chen."

She fled the car as if escaping for her life, swearing never to ride the subway again and never to see him again.

Things didn't go as she wished. He became her "big brother."

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After the college entrance exams, Shen Zhiya had gone over her allowance and set her sights on "easy pickings": Lu Chen.

She summoned him to a small grove with a phone call, shoved him against a tree, and held out her hand fiercely. "Wallet!"

Lu Chen had just showered, droplets still clinging to the ends of his hair. Leaning against the tree, he smiled. "It's in my pocket."

Like a bandit, Shen Zhiya expertly searched every pocket on Lu Chen, taking not only his money but also her favorite milk candies. She took everything.

"Don't you dare tell anyone, or I'll tell Mom and Dad that you kissed me!"

Love overflowed from his eyes, impossible to hide. He said, "Okay. Then let me kiss you again."

Your sudden moment of falling in love was something I'd planned for a long time.

My love for you is a heartbeat beneath the fifth rib on my left side, a forbidden embrace hidden from everyone in the dark.

Theme: Cross the darkness and embrace the blazing light