Out of Tune [Boarding School]

The heroine trains dogs | The hero steals her away

Eight-year age gap | Old flames reignite | Pseudo-siblings

[A sweet, resilient deaf simultaneous interpreter and a powerful man who loves playing both mom and dad, and being a good dog]

The day her father brought home his new wife and younger sister, Fang Xiaoru was sent by her aunt to stay with relatives. She heard that the owners of the villa had lost both their parents and moved to London years ago, never to return.

She lived there without a care for a year.

The following June, a blistering hot day was suddenly swallowed by a howling blizzard. She ran to the floor-to-ceiling window and wiped the condensation from the glass with her school-uniform sleeve.

A Rolls-Royce pulled into the garage.

The next moment, a tall, striking man stepped out. His sharp brows cut through the morning mist, and his deep-set eyes swept across the window, stirring the still waters of her heart in an instant.

Her heart skipped a beat, and from then on, she reminded herself late into every night: "You have a boyfriend. You can't have your head turned."

Zhong Zhiqi returned to pay his respects to his parents, only to be trapped in Wulin by a sudden blizzard. When he got back to the villa, he learned that a high school girl had moved in.

The weather forecast warned, "Extreme blizzards are expected to continue for months."

He pulled back the curtains and looked into the yard. The girl was bundled up in a pink padded coat, her nose red with cold, wearing gloves as she built a snowman shaped like One Ear.

That night, her skin was as pale as snow, as if she would melt at a touch.

He clasped her waist and pressed her against the floor-to-ceiling window, kneeling as his burning lips traced the dandelion tattoo on her skin.

Her heartbeat went wild, and her breath fogged the glass. "Don't leave a mark. My boyfriend will check."

He chuckled. "Just think of me as a dog. What's there to worry about?"

Fang Xiaoru was afraid every minute of every day.

She was afraid her boyfriend would discover her relationship with Zhong Zhiqi, and afraid that her relationship with Zhong Zhiqi would end.

Then, when she graduated from high school, her boyfriend came to the villa to take her away.

Zhong Zhiqi handed her an opened box of condoms in front of him. "I'm your temporary legal guardian, so it's my duty to remind you to stay safe."

He added calmly, "Your boyfriend is such a flirt. Better keep plenty of these around. Even if you don't use them, someone else will."

Her boyfriend flew into a rage and raised his fist to strike him.

But Fang Xiaoru stepped in front of Zhong Zhiqi as if protecting a cub. Her voice trembled. "I'm sorry, but I need to think about our relationship."

#A barren mountain, yet dandelions grow everywhere#

Reader's guide:

1. The second male lead is a playboy who brings his troubles upon himself.

2. The heroine is deaf in her right ear, and will not recover.

3. The heroine is already an adult at the beginning. This is not a typical school story.

4. A different writing style from my usual. Check the tags for yourself; no spoilers.

Theme: Study hard