When the Moon's Branches Part

Gu Zhi's parents divorced when she was very young. Her mother went to the city to work as a nanny while Gu Zhi was still little. It wasn't until she was seven that her mother brought her from her rural grandmother's home to the Xie residence in the city.

The Xie family was the richest in Beicheng. Their mansion backed onto a quiet mountain, and the estate alone covered six thousand square meters.

Madam Xie was kindhearted. Seeing how much Gu Zhi's mother missed her daughter, she let her bring the girl over for a two-month stay that summer.

The Xies had a younger son, Xie Yu, who was Gu Zhi's age. He was arrogant, domineering, and unruly. Every time he saw Gu Zhi, he picked on her.

Enough was enough. By the time the adults found out, Gu Zhi was sitting on top of Xie Yu, beating him until he kept yelling for his mom.

From then on, Xie Yu listened to no one but her. Overjoyed, Madam Xie invited Gu Zhi to stay at the Xie residence permanently and even transferred her to the same school as the little menace.

The two children grew up together, playing and bickering.

But every so often, just as they were getting carried away, the slow, heavy sound of a wheelchair rolling would come from the second floor.

The long, dim corridor framed a thin silhouette in the shadows. The boy in the wheelchair looked down at them coldly. "You're noisy."

The little menace actually put down his toy and stood at attention, obediently calling, "Big Brother."

Gu Zhi remembered her mother mentioning that the family had an eldest son, Xie Yanzhi, who could no longer walk after an accident. He lived on the second floor and didn't even go to school, relying on tutors at home instead.

Seeing him struggle to push his wheelchair, Gu Zhi ran over to help. He turned his head and fixed her with a cold glare.

"Don't come up."

*

Years later.

Gu Zhi returned to the mansion for a family dinner. She was no longer the little country girl she'd once been. Now a celebrated composer, she was elegant and confident, with an engagement ring from Xie Yu on her finger.

At dusk, the little menace called her pet name affectionately from downstairs. "Zhizhi, come down for dinner."

Meanwhile, in a shadowy corner of the second-floor study,

a man's broad hand gripped her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He slowly slid the ring from her finger. His voice was hoarse as he kissed her earlobe. "...Don't go down."

A sunny, wild child who fights back x a gloomy, insecure, emotionally troubled genius with a possessive streak

Brothers turn against each other / the hero's secret crush comes true / age gap / size difference / sunshine-heals-the-wounded story / plenty of over-the-top drama / both leads are virgins

1. A love triangle between two men and one woman, with brothers turning against each other. With the younger brother, it's a bickering, love-hate relationship as she tames a cocky wild dog. With the older brother, it's the jealousy and possessiveness of a sensitive, insecure man who hides his feelings and longs for what he can't have.

Theme: A warm heart can pull someone out of the abyss