When Wen Lu was sixteen, her mother was about to remarry.
She moved into the Pei household with her mother.
Her stepfather had a son from his previous marriage. He would become her older brother.
The first time the young man saw her, his expression was cold and his gaze gloomy. His temper was so exacting that even his sugar intake had to be measured to 0.1 grams.
But he was undeniably beautiful.
Her mother told Wen Lu to get along with him.
Her stepfather told Pei Ji to look after his little sister and teach her some social graces so she could fit into their new social circle.
The moment their eyes met, they knew they were at odds.
But in front of other people, they had to pretend to be a harmonious pair of siblings.
Everyone knew Pei Ji was a man of impeccable virtue, and he turned down his many admirers without a second thought.
Until one day, his friends noticed a little shadow following him around. He was clearly trying to suppress his impatience, yet still looked after her at every turn.
A friend teased him, "Your girlfriend?"
"She's just my sister," he replied coldly.
Wen Lu stood outside the door and smiled.
She hated Pei Ji.
She hated how he hauled her out of bed at six every morning to study, how he pressed a riding crop against her waist to teach her to stand like a lady, how he made her practice shooting even when her arms had gone numb, how he pinched her tongue with his fingers and forced her to practice pronunciation, how he made her go appreciate the theater, and how, even when he found out she had a fever, all he did was mix vodka with pepper and make her drink it...
Every day, waking early and staying up late, she dreamed of the day she could make her neurotic older brother kneel at her feet and beg for mercy!
Wen Lu got her wish.
After her parents' marriage was officially over, a mutual friend from their social circle ran into Wen Lu again and asked about Pei Ji.
Wen Lu denied it flatly. "We're not close. We barely keep in touch."
At the half-open private-room door behind her, Pei Ji stared at her with dark, unblinking eyes.
That night, she was kept in her older brother's room until dawn. On the paper on his desk, she was forced to fill the page with the words, "I only love my brother."
A few things to know before reading:
1. This is melodramatic, cringe-inducing fiction. They aren't blood-related and aren't registered in the same household.
2. They love each other intensely, enough to go crazy, but that doesn't stop them from arguing and causing trouble every day.
3. They have no romantic relationship while their parents are still married.
Theme: Strive forward and broaden your horizons
