Jasmine Lane

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When she was young, Chen Qingye especially hated summer.

In past years, the endless midsummer in that little town of Yuncheng could be the moss between flagstones that never dried, the glossy green ivy clinging to gray brick walls, or her long, clammy, endlessly repeating nightmare.

Then one day, she got a big brother next door. He was the boy from the old neighbor's home, the one she thought of as her brother: upright, gentle, well-read, and courteous. Just like Yuncheng, a place she could never escape, he trapped her in that summer that repeated over and over.

From the moment they met, Chen Qingye had a wish. She wanted to monopolize all of Ruan Shuchi's attention and indulgence, to become the only one for him.

But Ruan Shuchi had another little sister.

The day Ruan Shuchi left Yuncheng, Chen Qingye met his biological younger sister. The frail little girl was far more sunny and lovable than she was, and had a better claim to everything Chen Qingye coveted.

Chen Qingye was briefly distracted. She didn't seem to care how much of Ruan Shuchi's kindness toward her had actually been meant for his sickly little sister.

She had only ever had one goal.

To have Ruan Shuchi, no matter what role she had to play.

"...Xiao Ye, don't be ridiculous."

Once again, Ruan Shuchi saw Chen Qingye at a blind-date restaurant, pretending to deliver flowers. He frowned thoughtfully and said nothing for a long while, but when he finally spoke, his words were a stern warning.

Of course he knew she'd been testing the boundaries on purpose all these years, like that sweltering, windless old house years ago, and the time he pretended to be asleep. He'd kept his silence, hoping to leave them both a way out.

They couldn't, and he especially shouldn't.

Chen Qingye nodded, lowering her head with a self-mocking smile. Then she stepped in front of Ruan Shuchi, grabbed his tie, and pulled him down to bite his lips hard.

It didn't draw blood, but she put real force into it. Their lips met, cold and carrying the scent of alcohol.

"Ruan Shuchi, don't worry. I've given up."

The road Chen Qingye took home was lined with jasmine, just like the courtyard of the Ruan family's home in Yuncheng. She crushed a half-open blossom in her palm, and its faint fragrance drifted into the air on the evening breeze.

She'd given up.

But after leaving Yuncheng, her summer had become a jasmine-lined road with no end.

Content notes:

The leads are not related by blood and are not legal siblings. There is no remarriage, adoption, or fostering.

Scheming, sharp-tongued black lotus x genuine, pure-white jasmine flower. The male lead is the jasmine.

Older childhood friend vs. younger newcomer. Lots of rivalry and romantic confrontations.

The male lead pursues the female lead after she leaves. Both are sexually inexperienced.

The male lead is her big brother.

The second male lead has a considerable role, including a period when he becomes the female lead's partner.

The female lead is no innocent white lotus. She's self-interested.

Every character has their own agenda, and each is tangled up in their own way.

Theme: When there's a problem, think about how to solve it constructively.