Shouldn't

Reunion After a Long Separation | 5-Year Age Gap | “Siblings” Turn into Lovers

Li Nian and Cheng Jun had been together for three years. From their looks to their family backgrounds, everyone said they were a perfect match. Li Nian also thought a relationship without any ups and downs was the best kind, and that marriage was only a matter of time.

The day they returned to Yizhou from Hong Kong, heavy snow suddenly began to fall that night.

Hand in hand, they visited Li Nian's grandmother at the old family home. The old lady was in high spirits and offered to grind ink and write a blessing for them. Li Nian laughed, leaning against her boyfriend's shoulder, but a sudden gust of cold air made her shiver.

She instinctively turned around. Song Qiran, who had just come through the door, was looking her way too. His sharp, austere features were as deep and somber as the quiet winter night.

During those few seconds of eye contact, Li Nian's smile faded.

Cheng Jun asked her, “Are you and your brother not close?”

Li Nian stared at the words “A Perfect Match” on the red, gold-flecked paper, her expression and tone both calm.

“He's just an adopted son. We haven't seen each other in seven years. How close do you think we could be?”

But the brother she claimed to have a poor relationship with insisted on meddling in her private affairs.

Around that time, rumors about Cheng Jun became common knowledge, nearly turning Li Nian into a laughingstock among their social circle.

Song Qiran blocked her path. “What's going on with that fiance of yours?”

Li Nian couldn't care less. “I'm not bothered, so why are you in such a hurry?”

Song Qiran looked at her beautiful, stubborn face and remembered how, as a child, she would come to him for comfort over even the tiniest cut on her finger.

How could she possibly put up with this kind of humiliation?

When he spoke again, his tone was more forceful than ever.

“Will you handle it yourself, or should I do it for you?”

* A doting brother with no limits x a sharp-tongued tsundere with a soft heart

* Adoptive siblings, internet mogul x hotel founder

* The protagonists have no romantic feelings for each other before adulthood or while their sibling relationship remains in place.

Blurb dated February 27, 2024 (screenshot saved)

New upcoming novel: Beyond Moonlit Romance

Xu Shufan made two decisions that outsiders found difficult to understand.

She took in the daughter of a deceased friend and quit her job at the best top-tier hospital.

Life went on as usual, and Xu Shufan's new job fell into place smoothly.

The private hospital she joined was both grand and luxurious. Even the air conditioning in the interview room was turned up as if it cost nothing.

Xu Shufan answered every question carefully, but the man sitting across from her tapped his pen against the table, his tone loaded with meaning. “Unmarried, with a child?”

Jiang Yicheng's probing gaze seemed to see right through Xu Shufan, leaving her puzzled.

“May I ask what this has to do with my work?”

They were strangers, with no history or grievances between them. Xu Shufan simply assumed that this major behind-the-scenes investor at the hospital was picking a fight out of boredom.

Until she accidentally overheard Jiang Yicheng's opinion of her.

It was just one word: fake.

-

Jiang Yicheng had never cared much about getting married and starting a family.

It took every trick Mrs. Jiang could think of, desperate as she was for a grandchild, just to get her son to add a prospective blind date on WeChat.

The woman said her surname was Xu. She had graduated from a prestigious university and was a dentist. After a brief acquaintance, Jiang Yicheng quickly reached a conclusion.

Beautiful on the outside, but empty-headed. A bona fide “pretty ornament.”

What Jiang Yicheng didn't expect was that the “pretty ornament” he looked down on would become the hospital's star, while acting as though she'd never met him before, a stark contrast to her warm attitude on WeChat.

Most unbelievable of all, she had a child.

“Mr. Jiang, we haven't met before, have we?”

“Are you sure?”

“Do you have something against me?”

Not only did he have something against her, he was also becoming interested in her.

-

One late night, before the man's shadow fell over her, Xu Shufan slapped him without hesitation.

“Fake.”

“Yeah, I am.”

Theme: Life is vast, and a sincere heart is rare.