The Coveted Cool Beauty

[His sister-in-law is the cinnabar mark in his heart.]

Character setup: Initially clueless, then a bitter, lovesick seme X a cool, aloof, seductive housewife uke

Qin Ziyu X Wen Shijin

It wasn't until the day he saw his older brother holding Wen Shijin in his arms that Qin Ziyu realized his feelings for Wen Shijin were no damn friendship. They were love.

But it was too late... His older brother cheerfully clapped him on the shoulder, flushed from drinking with his beauty in his arms. "Your sister-in-law and I have set the date. The wedding's next month. Ziyu, you'll have to be my best man!"

Qin Ziyu felt as if he had been struck by lightning and whipped around to look at Wen Shijin in Qin Yizhuo's arms.

Wen Shijin lowered his eyes and naturally avoided his gaze, refusing to acknowledge his unspoken resentment.

And just like that, Qin Ziyu's last shred of hope was crushed. And just like that, he boarded a plane bound for the other side of the ocean.

It wasn't until five years later that Qin Ziyu returned home. On the day he arrived, he saw Wen Shijin, just as he had expected

He was even more beautiful than before. In a white shirt and loose trousers, an apron cinched his slender waist. The nape of his neck, revealed when he lowered his head, was dazzlingly white. One glance was all it took to stir every desire he had kept hidden.

Wen Shijin politely nodded to him and softly called him, "Little uncle."

That casual little uncle shattered all of Qin Ziyu's fanciful dreams, as fleeting as reflections of flowers on water, but his taboo thoughts didn't die with them

Qin Ziyu felt like he was a teenager again, dreaming wild dreams night after night.

His longing for his sister-in-law grew stronger by the day, while his guilt toward his brother tormented him. Then one day, Qin Ziyu saw Qin Yizhuo kissing someone else.

Qin Yizhuo choked out a plea: "I lost my head. I did something wrong... Don't let Shijin find out. Please, Ziyu, I'm begging you as your brother..."

Qin Ziyu stood before him in a daze. A tide of complicated feelings surged through him. When the waves finally receded, he felt a secret joy.

So their relationship wasn't all that good after all. So the two of them... weren't happy either.

From then on, Qin Ziyu was like someone standing on a scale, with brotherly loyalty on one side and selfish desire on the other. As he wavered between them, suffering through the struggle

He somehow ended up in bed with Wen Shijin, his sister-in-law.

Qin Ziyu stared blankly at the disheveled bed and condoms scattered across the floor. The events of yesterday played back in his mind like a video rewinding.

A lighter clicked beside Qin Ziyu's ear. He turned toward the sound and saw that most of Wen Shijin's cool, beautiful face was veiled in smoke... like a bright moon obscured by clouds.

Qin Ziyu watched him for a long while, as if under a spell, then said, "I'm sorry."

Wen Shijin shook his head and casually waved the cigarette in his hand, giving him a faint smile. "You don't need to apologize for this."

"Things between him and me have long been a complete mess," Wen Shijin said. "One more person makes no difference."

Qin Ziyu felt a sudden ache in his heart. He knew he should say something comforting, but all he could manage was a clumsy, "...I'm sorry."

Wen Shijin glanced at him. "What's with that look? Do you pity me?"

"...No."

Wen Shijin chuckled softly again and turned to look Qin Ziyu in the eye. Even through the smoke, his gaze was enough to make Qin Ziyu's heart race. "Qin Ziyu, you're still just as bad at lying as you used to be."

"If you feel sorry for me, come spend more time with me..."

"Spend time with me like you did last night."

Reader's guide:

1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced.

2. The blurb is from the seme's perspective; the story is from the uke's perspective.

3. A self-indulgent passion project.

Theme: Seize your chance and hold on tight!