Also titled: Beneath the Golden Age. Thoroughly revised after completion. The modern-day bonus chapters focus on everyday life and Su Yuan's pursuit of the heroine.
The male and female leads are not related by blood! Both are virgins.
Blurb:
To keep the person she had loved since childhood from being implicated, Jian Yirou betrayed her organization and went into hiding at another household. Now, what could she hope for from this life besides a place by his side…
Unexpectedly, after a drunken night, Su Yuan mistakenly believed they had slept together and spoke cruelly to her. "There was never any affection between us! I only acknowledged you as my sworn sister to avoid trouble."
Heartbroken, she left without a word.
She had barely left the Su residence when the organization captured her. On the brink of death, she was selected by [Qi Guan] and entered the Xiao residence, pretending to be a lost daughter!
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After her identity as a fake heiress was exposed, the eldest Xiao brother kept kissing her.
How could a fake heiress marry the real young master so easily? Besides, the real young master had a childhood sweetheart of his own...
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Only after Su Yuan had hurt her enough to drive her away did he realize that she had truly fallen into hardship and lost her home.
They met again at the academy. Unable to resist his feelings, he kept approaching her, only to be repeatedly stopped by her elder brother.
He watched Xiao Jiaqian touch her cheek without the slightest restraint, gently wiping away a shining tear with his fingertip. The broad hand cast a jagged shadow across the gauze screen. His expression was indulgent and smiling, his gaze so full of affection that he could no longer hide it.
*Only then did I see that after repeatedly stopping me, he was merely wearing the false guise of an elder brother while secretly intending to claim her for himself.
If we're both fake elder brothers, why should I back down? I have the bond of a childhood friendship on my side!
He pulled Xiao Yirou into his arms and pinned her in a corner where the walls met. Half his lips pressed against hers, then pulled away after the briefest touch.
In a gentle, lilting voice, he said only, "Come home with me."
Coming soon:
Getting Close
Blurb:
Li Wenjing had a secret crush on Qi Simiao. She always thought his heart belonged to someone else and never dared to hope for more. Even when she was by his side, she never once crossed the line of friendship.
In her spare time, she wrote stories about many people, including her own secret love.
*
He had read every story she wrote, yet never realized that one of them contained their own little chapter. From his perspective, it was a completely different story.
He left the coffee machine at his law firm unused and came to her coffee shop every day to support her business.
He wasn't drinking coffee. He was drinking in an excuse to get close to her.
After one wild night, she opened her eyes to a floor strewn with coffee beans and him lying there naked. It turned out that, like the coffee beans in her shop, friendship could go bad if left sitting around for too long.
Mutual secret crushes; friends become lovers; they grow closer to each other; both virgins; happy ending
Theme: Struggle to survive, make the most of what comes. Better to rely on yourself than others!
The author is great ~ I've updated it recently