The grandmother who adopted them died young, leaving Zhu Xuan and Pei Youchuan to depend on each other.
An accident separated them forever.
When Zhu Xuan opened her eyes again, she had become a ghost, wandering around all alone.
Pei Youchuan had become a rising star in the business world, building the rapidly growing Tianrui Group. He had turned cold and ruthless, showing no mercy, nothing like the gentle boy he had been six years earlier.
Finally reunited with her family, Zhu Xuan stuck close to Pei Youchuan.
She stole his pastries, scared his kitten to tears, tore leaves off his potted pothos, and constantly nagged him for not taking care of himself.
For the countless time, Pei Youchuan was tormented by nightmares and called her name in agony. “A Xuan...”
A girl's gentle voice came from the darkness. “I'm here, big brother.”
Pei Youchuan's eyes flew open, trembling.
For seven years, he had heard her answer him countless times.
But none of those times had been as clear as this.
-
Tianrui's employees realized their CEO seemed to have gone crazy. He would suddenly chuckle in meetings and was always tenderly calling “Little sister” to the empty air when no one was around.
Who didn't know that Pei Youchuan had never gotten over his younger sister's early death? No one expected the sister from the rumors to appear before them in the flesh one day.
She had fair skin and stunning looks, spoiled and carefree. She was as beautiful and fresh as a gardenia covered in morning dew, impossible to look away from.
And the cold-faced devil who ruled the business world doted on her without restraint, keeping his eyes on her like she was his own and cherishing her with extraordinary care.
Tianrui's employee group chat exploded:
“Pei the Devil actually smiled and greeted an employee this morning. I've worked at Tianrui for four years and never seen that before!”
“His sister looks exactly like she did in photos from six years ago. Can someone really not change at all in six years?”
“Does anyone else think Mr. Pei is way too possessive of his sister...? Even if she's his real sister, this doesn't seem normal. It's suffocating.”
Zhu Xuan, lurking in the employee chat to read the gossip, quietly pouted.
How could that be?
Her big brother was the best person in the world. He never made her feel suffocated.
-
Reuniting with Pei Youchuan made Zhu Xuan feel incredibly happy, but he was getting older, and raising a younger sister wouldn't help him get married and have children. Soon, Zhu Xuan decided to move out.
She said she would share a place with her best friend and come visit him whenever she had free time. That way, she wouldn't be bored, and it would be safer. She earnestly promised to take good care of herself.
But Pei Youchuan, who had always supported her without question, didn't answer for a long time.
Zhu Xuan looked up and saw the light trembling in his dark eyes, as if he wanted to imprison her within them.
Her photos covered the walls. The intense love he had never spoken of filled every crack, quietly taking root and growing in secret.
The curtains billowed in the wind, while the shadows of the trees and vines intertwined and swayed slowly across the floor.
Unable to escape, Zhu Xuan finally gave in, trembling and whimpering in Pei Youchuan's arms.
Pei Youchuan brushed away the tears at the corner of her eyes and patted her back as if soothing a child, while his arms slowly tightened around her.
“I told you all you had to do was rely on me forever. Why won't you listen?”
An optimistic, cheerful, pampered little sister x a seemingly gentle older brother who's actually been crazy for a long time
Reader's guide:
This story is one-on-one romance, with both leads sexually inexperienced, and a happy ending. The age gap was three years before the female lead died, and nine years after her death.
Blurb screenshot taken on 2026/8/21
Theme: Love flows gently, like water
