Stealing a Kiss from the Light

Steadfast, quiet mountain girl × refined, dependable older man

Fake siblings | Healing | Age gap

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Ruan Jiayu's life was a complete mess, with only the outward appearance of wealth and splendor to show for it.

After a failed marriage, his grandfather took a feng shui master's advice and brought home a six-fingered girl whose life had been full of hardship.

She came because of him, called him big brother, and caring for her became his responsibility and duty.

He watched her grow from skin and bones into a graceful young woman, and watched her change from timid and submissive to unruly and rebellious.

Sunlight fell on her, warm and unreserved. She changed from a withered leaf in winter into the light of summer.

But he could only remain where he was, watching her take one step after another, walking farther and farther away.

-

The first New Year after escaping the mountains, Du Jianing was in France.

There were no fireworks that New Year, only a bunch of purple irises wrapped in beautiful, delicate paper, with a lace bow tied around the stems.

He said, "I couldn't find any fireworks, so I bought flowers instead."

Jianing asked, "Why irises?"

He explained, "Irises symbolize faith, hope, wisdom, courage... In short, they're beautiful, and they suit you."

Jianing lowered her eyes, her voice damp with emotion. "Then why just now..."

"I'll always be your brother." Ruan Jiayu cut her off, raising a hand to gently and carefully ruffle her hair. "So don't worry..."

His gentle tone was like bright, pale yellow, while his resolute words were like rich purple. Together, they made up the bouquet in his arms and the promise he slowly offered her.

Irises bloom for only a short time. Their spring passes in a flash, and fireworks vanish in the blink of an eye. But at least they once expressed themselves.

Jianing never got that chance.

What he probably didn't know was that irises had another meaning: whispers from the underworld.

Jianing knew she had never been a good person. She was an evil spirit who had escaped from hell, mold growing on rotting wood, an ant crawling out of a sewer...

One look, one embrace, was enough for her to covet him for the rest of her life, by any means necessary.

[Reading Guide]

1. A 16-year age gap, both leads have past relationships, happy ending.

2. The heroine changed her name, but the leads have no legal relationship and aren't registered in the same household.

3. The hero is divorced, and the heroine will have relationships. His ex-wife's child isn't his.

4. The heroine isn't a self-sacrificing saint. She can resort to any means necessary to achieve her goals.

5. This novel is entirely fictional. The countries, places, and people are all fictional. The romance comes first, and there are no real-life allusions or connections!

6. Not suitable for hardline realists. Readers like that, please turn back!

Third revision, 2025.5.6

Coming soon from Liuliu: Half a Cup of Wind's Song. Please add it to your favorites~

A cold, dazzling rose who has lost her love × a gentle, sweet deaf boy

Older woman-younger man romance | Boyfriend with a caretaker streak | Healing and comfort

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Jiang Xin works his way through school as a cook for a famous star, preparing all three of her meals each day.

The star has two faces, one for the public and one in private.

In front of the cameras, she shines and charms everyone. Away from them, she's detached and taciturn.

She has a slender waist and a picky palate, and rarely smiles. When she does, dimples appear in her cheeks. Her favorite thing is to hold a slim cigarette between her lips, like a delicate willow bending in the breeze, exhaling clouds of smoke into the wind.

The star is generous with her money, but Jiang Xin doesn't want to take advantage of her, so he takes it upon himself to expand his duties: cleaning, doing laundry, serving tea, acting as her bodyguard...

There's nothing he can't do. He can even warm her bed.

Before long, rumors start spreading that she could no longer bear the loneliness and had taken a puppy-like boy as her kept lover.

With cameras shoved in her face, she's asked if she can no longer maintain her "devoted lover" image.

She remains composed, smiling as she answers with absolute certainty, word by word: "He's just the younger brother of a relative. That's all."

That night, Jiang Xin warms her bed with unusual dedication.

After the storm has passed, Yao Ningyue sees the redness at the corners of his eyes. His bright eyes hold the desperate resolve of someone staking everything, along with naked resentment.

He's like a lamb. No matter how much she ruffles his wool, he remains pure white and soft, with the innocent look of someone forever at another's mercy.

It is the first time he's shown emotion. His calloused hand clamps around her wrist like an iron vice, and his voice, damp and hoarse, brushes her ear. "Would a younger brother warm your bed? Would a younger brother bathe you? Would a younger brother..."

Yao Ningyue closes her eyes, weary, and lets out a soft sigh.

The game should end now.

She pushes him away and says without joy or sorrow, "Didn't I tell you long ago that even without you, I could find other ways to amuse myself?"

"Amuse yourself..."

He clenches his teeth, staring at her in disbelief as a torrential storm swiftly gathers in his eyes.

For a moment, Jiang Xin wishes he couldn't hear a thing.

-

"A lone boat must cross the sea,

And face storms, be shattered to pieces,

Lose its way, and never find its way home.

Yet a boat is no boat without the sea,

And I am not myself without you.

So it isn't a lone boat crossing the sea, but the sea carrying the lone boat."

Jiang Xin

[Reading Guide]

A 10-year age gap. The heroine isn't a virgin, but the hero is. No sexual activity before the hero reaches adulthood. The heroine has a deceased first love.

Theme: Keep bravely moving forward, and surprises will always await you