Clear as Glass

1.

Ling Xia first met Sheng Qi at the Sheng family’s ancestral home.

Her adoptive mother pointed to the young boy at the top of the stairs and introduced him. “He’s your cousin from the Sheng family. You’ll have to listen to him from now on.”

They were the same age. She wore an old plaid dress and called him “big brother” in a clear, bright voice. He wore a crisp shirt that couldn’t hide his air of privilege, and looked down at her with an arrogant, haughty gaze, carrying the innate bearing of someone born to rule.

Ling Xia boldly approached him and tried to win him over, becoming the most devoted little follower at his side, all for the chance of a peaceful, stable life.

Later, she was sent back to live with her birth parents. The cold, arrogant boy traveled a thousand miles to see her, proudly showing off all sorts of little gifts.

Ling Xia’s heart felt as if it had been carved out with a knife. She held back her tears.

“Don’t come again, Sheng Qi. There’s no need for us to see each other anymore.”

2.

Six years after she left without a word, they unexpectedly met again in a cramped elevator.

He was a powerful client visiting her company, while she was merely a low-level employee at the contractor’s firm.

Her colleagues said that the Sheng family heir was a ruthless, cold-blooded client who made decisions without hesitation. He was a difficult, dangerous man you didn’t want to cross.

Cross him, and you were as good as dead.

Ling Xia buried their past and the feelings she shouldn’t have, kept a professional distance, and never crossed the line.

Until she hit a setback at work. Sheng Qi, who should have been overseas, suddenly appeared. He straightened his rumpled tie and crouched in front of her.

“Don’t cry.”

His trembling voice still carried his usual arrogance and conceit.

“Your big brother’s here to back you up.”

“The sky is clear as glass, the oranges are brilliant” by Bei Dao

[My Spring Is Over is currently updating. Please add it to your favorites!]

Blurb:

A fallen heiress x a small-town troublemaker. Small-town setting and a story of healing.

After her father died unexpectedly, she and her mother were kicked out by his wife.

They moved to Silverfish Lane. Her mother prayed and ate vegetarian meals every day, saying she was doing it to ask the Bodhisattva for forgiveness.

Li Qinglin had no idea what she’d done wrong, but she went along with it anyway.

Later, her mother ignored her pleas and insisted on becoming a nun. On that bitterly cold winter night, after going two days without food, Li Qinglin finally fainted from crying at the temple entrance.

The one who found her was the unreliable troublemaker next door.

He said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you from now on.”

He said, “I’ll cook for you and put you through college.”

But before the next spring came,

he left her, too.

Theme: Flowers bloom in the mire