Ever since Shen Ke, covered in blood, took her away from that place, "brother" became the only anchor in Bian Yao's world.
He was family, a gift from fate, someone she could never let go of.
He was also the deepest, most enduring ache in her heart.
*
So, was it wrong to fall in love with her brother?
Clutching her chaotic yet pure feelings, Bian Yao was lost, with no answers.
She never dared imagine that one day, they would kiss while huddled together on that broken wooden bed.
Dust filled the rented room. In the dim, stuffy air, she was drenched, leaning half against the man as she clutched his collar.
"...I'm your brother." Shen Ke's eyes were dark, his breathing unsteady.
Bian Yao slowly leaned closer, her lips cautiously brushing the corner of his mouth. Her voice was innocent. "Can't... a girl do this with her brother?"
The instant she finished speaking, he gently closed his eyes.
Then, silently, he took her chin in his hand and kissed her.
*
Bian Yao's life was gray. She often wondered if, without meeting Shen Ke, she would have drifted through life like duckweed.
Shen Ke held on to her and gave her a home.
Then he left her behind.
"The day he left me, the chinaberry flowers bloomed, and the rain knocked their petals to the ground."
"Beneath that tree, my tear-blurred eyes finally understood."
"The brief spring in my life had come to an end for good."
[Reading Guide]
1. Pseudo-incest / foster care / brother and sister / vagrancy
2. The leads are not biologically related and are not registered under the same household
3. Both leads have no prior partners; happy ending; the hero has only sibling affection for the heroine before she comes of age
Theme: You are the most precious thing in my world
