[Older, caring man x gentle yet resilient girl]
-
On the second day after returning to the country, Chen Shutong ran into Ning Xunian.
A few years had passed, and just as people had said, he now sat firmly at the helm of the group, untouchable.
His familiar features had grown even more stern and mature. In that moment of distraction, Chen Shutong felt that the man before her was a stranger.
Ning Xunian's expression was unchanged, his voice cool. "Are you coming home?"
"No. I've already booked a hotel."
He nodded as if it didn't matter and asked no more.
-
With a relative's passing, there was a lot to take care of, and Chen Shutong went in and out of the Ning family home several times. Word got around, and she somehow became a romantic rival in the eyes of certain rich young women.
Someone asked Chen Shutong, "What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Ning?"
She said, "We don't have any relationship. I just hate him."
They had laid everything out years ago, yet even now he still wanted to control her while putting on a cold front.
Not long afterward, the two of them tentatively made up, but somehow the words "I hate him" reached Ning Xunian's ears.
When she was little and did something wrong, he used to smack her palms. This time, he smacked her bottom.
"Who raised you from a tiny little thing? You spent years abroad without sending a message, and now you're back but will only stay in a hotel. How can you be such a heartless little ingrate?"
Chen Shutong felt wronged and refused to back down. "You were the one who made me angry back then. I told you I didn't want you to be my brother forever."
He sighed, helpless. "And aren't I pursuing you now?"
-
"Su Shi wrote a line that goes, 'The waning moon hangs over sparse paulownia trees,' so I can never have a full moon."
"You will. With me here, we'll have a home where the moon is always full."
Not-quite-siblings | Reunion after a long separation | Both inexperienced
P.S.
1. The leads are not on the same household register and are not related by blood. Their relationship begins when they are adults.
2. Blurb written in April 2025, screenshot saved.
Theme: Don't lose yourself. Love yourself.
