Our Springtime

The day Li Yi moved into the He family home, she was completely at a loss. She had only been helping her friend find a date, never expecting to get caught up in the whole thing herself.

Her friend, He Yubin, had begged her, "Just help me deal with my parents. They live abroad and hardly ever come back. You can have the house all to yourself then."

Li Yi dragged her suitcase over to the He family home. But the moment she pushed open the door, she froze at the sight before her.

A distinguished man in a sharp suit was leaning against the coffee counter.

The man lifted his eyelids slightly and looked her way. His dark eyes quietly took on an intimidating edge, while his skin gleamed like fine jade. Light poured in from outside, lending even his hair an alluring sheen. Though his posture was relaxed, there was a wild, untamed quality about him.

He picked up a cup and slowly walked over, holding it out to her. "Hello. My name is He Chi Juan." He enunciated every syllable of his name, as if afraid she might not hear him clearly. Li Yi was dumbfounded. "Th-this... is this He Yubin's house?"

"Mm." The man replied softly. His gaze roiled, his Adam's apple bobbed, but all he said was, "I'm his uncle."

Without thinking, Li Yi followed her friend's lead and greeted him, "Hello, Uncle..."

But the man's presence suddenly turned oppressive, as if he were very displeased with that form of address.

He pressed the cup into Li Yi's hands. When she looked down, she saw a beautifully detailed rose in the latte art. As her gaze passed over He Chi Juan's wrist, she caught sight of a tattoo on the inside of it. Only after knowing him for a while did Li Yi learn that it read: spring.

Later, He Chi Juan held her captive in his arms. Amid the ebb and flow of their passion, he bit her flushed earlobe and murmured in a husky voice, "Try calling me that after He Yubin again. Go on."

Li Yi was utterly worn out, her tear-streaked eyes red at the corners. "Why are you so petty?"

Li Yi had a wonderful time living at the He family home.

He Yubin took good care of her. He Chi Juan was often busy with work and rarely home, but whenever they crossed paths, he was very attentive too.

The three of them sat in the living room watching TV together.

Li Yi gushed like a lovestruck fan. "Wow, that actor is so handsome! His beauty mark under his eye is gorgeous, though I still prefer one on the tip of the nose. I think those are so alluring."

He Yubin laughed. "My uncle has one on the tip of his nose too."

Li Yi looked at He Chi Juan in surprise, fixing her gaze on his nose. "He really does! It's just so tiny, I never noticed it before."

He Chi Juan silently took note.

One day, he suddenly noticed that his secretary had several new moles on his face. The secretary explained that you could draw them on with a makeup pencil.

He Chi Juan stood in front of the mirror and made the mole on the tip of his nose more noticeable.

But when he got home, Li Yi wasn't there. He Yubin burst out laughing instead. "Uncle, what's that thing on your nose? It's this big black smudge, like a bug landed on it."

He Chi Juan: "..."

As time went on, He Chi Juan became more and more skilled at drawing on the mole. At last, he finally earned a compliment from Li Yi: "Wow, your nose mole is so pretty."

He Chi Juan was secretly delighted, but kept his expression neutral. "It's natural."

Li Yi didn't think much of it.

But gradually, she began to notice something strange. This uncle of hers... seemed unusually attentive to whatever she said.

She mentioned once that she couldn't find clothes from a certain brand.

The next day, He Chi Juan said, "A business partner sent me a pile of clothes. I have no use for them, so you can have them."

While chatting with He Yubin, she casually mentioned wanting a twenty-centimeter height difference between herself and her boyfriend.

After that, He Chi Juan, who was 189 centimeters tall, kept repeating, "I'm only 187."

Li Yi realized that whatever she said, He Chi Juan seemed to do.

Afraid she was reading too much into things, Li Yi deliberately raised her voice while chatting with He Yubin. "I really like boyfriends with green hair."

He Yubin: "???"

"Are you crazy, or am I? Green hair? You like those delinquent types?"

Li Yi forced herself to explain, looking completely serious, while also making sure to leave He Chi Juan some room to back out in case he actually did it. "What do you know? It's called having personality! I like people with personality! But just a little green hair is enough! Not too much."

Two days later.

He Yubin and Li Yi stared in deathly silence at He Chi Juan, whose hair now had green highlights.

Li Yi: "Y-you dyed your hair green for love?"

But why... did the green highlights actually look... kind of handsome?

[Blurb written on 2023.9.24]

Theme: May you obtain all that you wish for.