Snowfall in Beijing, Sleepless

[Bonus side stories dropping at random]

Age gap | Old-fashioned, gentle older man gradually losing his composure | Intense push and pull

1

The night she first met He Wenzhou, a blizzard was raging.

He stood waiting for someone outside a skyscraper, one leg propped up, a thin layer of snow resting on his shoulder. His deep-set eyes and brows held a distant chill. When he noticed her staring at him eagerly, his hand paused just as he was about to light a cigarette.

"Smoking causes cancer, kid. Don't pick up bad habits."

Half an hour later, Shu Huaijin ran into him at the business dinner her brother was attending. Only then did she learn that he was her brother's best friend, and the benefactor who had rescued the Shu Group from ruin several years ago.

He Wenzhou was a full eleven years older than her. A legendary figure who had once made waves on Wall Street, he had nevertheless remained single all this time.

For her own selfish reasons, she crossed a line and called him "big brother."

He Wenzhou had heard from his friend long ago that his family had a darling little sister, adored by everyone. To have this daughter, Mrs. Shu had undergone IVF several times and suffered a great deal.

The whole family had cherished her since she was little, afraid she'd fall if they held her in their hands, afraid she'd melt if they kept her in their mouths.

He frowned and corrected her in a low voice: "Call me Uncle He."

His friend laughed. "If you have her call you Uncle, what does that make me?"

He Wenzhou didn't answer. Perhaps only that silent, snowy night knew he was warning himself not to fall for her.

2.

Shu Huaijin liked the scent of He Wenzhou, the tone of his voice, and his hands, always warm and dry.

Most of all, she liked him.

When he realized she was pushing her luck, He Wenzhou warned her with a stern expression, "Huaijin, there can never be anything between us."

Shu Huaijin refused to give up. While he was drunk, she slipped into his room.

His sleeping face was peaceful. He wouldn't turn her away, or coldly say something she didn't want to hear.

Her heart pounding with nervous excitement, she kissed his lips, like the heroine in a movie, tentatively touching her tongue to his.

He Wenzhou suddenly opened his eyes, his deep, dark gaze enclosing her. "Who taught you that?"

Startled, Shu Huaijin stammered in confusion, "I'm nineteen."

He Wenzhou remembered the young man who was always following her around. He had to admit, at that moment, he was so jealous he was about to go mad. "Are you dating him?"

"He was just teaching me..."

So she was stringing someone along without giving him a proper status.

He Wenzhou laughed in exasperation. "You're quite good at sweet-talking people."

He caught hold of her with his other hand, covering the traces he'd left again and again.

"Don't contact him anymore. I don't trust other people to teach you."

A few notes:

1. Both leads have only ever been with each other. The male lead is 29, and is pure in body and mind. Having no ambiguous romantic entanglements is the best dowry a man can offer.

2. Mischievous and clever heroine × gentle, aloof hero

3. She pursues him, intense push and pull, lots of sweetness!

Please add my next book, "Kiss on the Neck," to your favorites.

I'm starting this one in August. Please add it to your favorites ^0^

1. Wen Chengze is five years older than Chu Yueyao. Racing, ice hockey, skiing, and running an entire conglomerate: he excels at it all.

To her, he's an overwhelming presence, and a peerless heir feared by half of the powerful families in Beijing.

He may be handsome, but he always wears a cold expression, and no one dares approach him at parties.

Thinking their families got along well enough, Chu Yueyao did a rare good deed and delivered a love letter for someone.

His displeasure was plain on his face. Without a word, he tore it up.

"Why are you delivering letters for just anybody? You'd count the money for the person who sold you."

2.

Chu Yueyao always thought he looked after her so closely because her older sister had asked him to.

After a rally, he would drive hundreds of kilometers through the night just to watch her perform, looking as relaxed as ever. When she had nightmares at midnight, he would speed to the villa below her home and ask if she wanted him to keep her company on a call until she fell asleep.

Chu Yueyao went viral online, and her talent earned her the position of principal.

With bodyguards clearing the way, Wen Chengze's aura was so cold and intimidating that the crowds who had come to see him instantly scattered in fear.

"Yao Yao, come here."

Since their last argument, when she'd used his harshness as an excuse to complain, his tone had grown much gentler. His controlling desire, which allowed no refusal, remained just as strong.

Chu Yueyao didn't want to fall any deeper, so she pretended not to see him.

He stretched out an arm and drew her into his embrace. "Every one of those men out there has bad intentions. You don't know how dangerous they are? Stay away from them."

Chu Yueyao muttered under her breath, "...But I think you're more dangerous than any of them."

After all the careful groundwork he'd laid, jealousy had already consumed him.

After a brief silence, Wen Chengze's gaze darkened.

"You're right." He covered her neck, his voice gentle, but his movements forceful and allowing no refusal. "So when I force a kiss on you in a moment, be brave and don't cry. All right?"

Theme: Take charge of your own life