Lin Jinyan disappeared on the day of his engagement.
No one knew where he was, except his niece, Lin Li.
In a cramped, gloomy room, Lin Jinyan was tied to the bedpost, his whole body burning with unbearable heat. Lin Li lifted his chin and pressed her thumb into his mouth.
The man who had always been restrained, proper, and decisive now had tear-bright red eyes. Forced to kneel beneath the girl and look up at her, he bit his lip, closed his eyes, and sighed in surrender. "Nuonuo, what do you want?"
"You."
*
Lin Li had been left with her grandparents as a child. Although Lin Jinyan was her uncle, he had been both father and mother to her. She had always respected and loved him, until one day, drunk, she buried her face in his shirt and giggled, "It smells like Uncle."
"Lin Li, you actually like your uncle? That's disgusting!"
Lin Li started keeping her distance, but Lin Jinyan thought she was going through a rebellious phase and became even more indulgent and protective.
She inexplicably snapped at him and gave him the silent treatment. He accepted it all, thinking he was the one who had failed her.
Lin Jinyan was guilty. He had defied all propriety, crossed a moral line, and fallen for his niece.
Lin Li took him away on the day of his engagement. Those stolen five days were the happiest of his life. He smiled bitterly, calling himself a vile hypocrite, guilty beyond redemption, yet unwilling to let go.
When he woke up, Lin Li was gone, and Lin Jinyan went mad.
He searched everywhere, but never found her.
Two years later, a young man and woman were praying for love. The girl was Lin Li.
That night, before the bodhisattva statue, Lin Jinyan gripped her chin and kissed her by force, desperately pouring out his longing.
"I have a boyfriend. Show some restraint, Uncle."
"That's fine. I don't mind being the other man."
When Lin Jinyan was in elementary school, other kids played games and took extracurricular classes while he did Lin Li's laundry and fed her. When she was in middle school, his peers were studying while he picked Lin Li up from school and cooked all three meals for her. After she went to college, he had to keep the family's little cabbage from being eaten by a pig.
Later, when he found out Lin Li liked him, Lin Jinyan couldn't understand what had gone wrong with her upbringing. Then Lin Li brought home a boyfriend, and he finally understood. It wasn't her upbringing that had gone wrong. He and Lin Li were both beyond saving.
Content warning: Old-school melodrama. The leads initially believe they are biological uncle and niece, but later discover they are not.
The author writes to suit their own tastes. Please don't flame me if it's not yours. (fist bump)
Seven-year age gap. The leads aren't registered in the same household. The female lead is sexually inexperienced, while the male lead isn't.
Theme: Loving you, from birth until death
