Staying together | Rekindled romance | School days to city life | Faux siblings | Older man | Beijing social circle | Winning her back
-SC + happy ending
-Poor student x spoiled rich playboy
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The first time Chen Jingmian went to Beijing was in late autumn. The weather was crisp, and Chang'an Avenue was awash in gold.
She had only been able to study in the capital because of the Chi family's sponsorship. Starting that day, she would be moving into their compound.
The housekeeper carried her heavy woven bag for her. Wearing a simple white cotton-linen dress, she walked across the stone-paved ground and followed her inside. It was her first time seeing the world beyond her own, and she looked around with bright, curious eyes.
As Chen Jingmian walked forward, she met the gaze of a man sitting casually in a chair in the courtyard. He glanced at her without a word.
He had handsome features, but there was also a distant, cool air about him, like a young master from an old aristocratic family. He seemed impossible to approach.
She later learned that he was the eldest son of her adoptive parents, Chi Yue, eight years her senior.
Chen Jingmian knew she and Mr. Chi were not alike. She made a clear line between them, deciding it was best to have as little contact with him as possible.
But things didn't go as she wished. At a dinner gathering, she was sitting quietly in a corner when somehow she managed to catch his attention.
Someone asked, "Young Master Chi, is this your new little sister? She seems very well-behaved."
Chi Yue smiled, fiddling with his expensive lighter as he looked her over. "She never says a word to me when she sees me. How is she my sister?"
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After graduating, Chen Jingmian left the Chi family to study abroad. There was no longer a man named Chi Yue by her side to unsettle her and teach her to do "bad things."
When they met again, they were still in Beijing, at Chi Yue's engagement party.
They stood in the hallway beneath the dim yellow lights. The atmosphere was tense.
Chi Yue still had the same haughty air about him. The only thing that had changed was the unmistakable, humble pleading in his eyes as he looked at her.
His gaze made Chen Jingmian uncomfortable. She looked away and forced a smile. "I gave Uncle Jiang your engagement gift, Young Master Chi. Please remember to check it. If that's all, I'll be going now."
Chi Yue grabbed her arm, and no matter how hard Chen Jingmian struggled, she couldn't break free. She glared at him. "You have a fiancee. Why are you still getting all tangled up with me?"
He lowered his eyes, gazing intently at his little sister. "Isn't this what you wanted? A secret, undefined relationship hidden from the world."
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Tips:
1. The fiancee is fake.
2. They are each other's one and only, in body and heart.
3. There are some other male characters.
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Inspired by a line from the novel Half a Lifelong Romance:
The pale blue-white moonlight had no warmth, like water.
- Eileen Chang, Half a Lifelong Romance
Cover art by Ruki
Theme: Become the best version of yourself
