tsundere · half brother · secret crush · cold demeanor · stubborn · angry · denial · young adult · romance · family drama
The clatter of chopsticks against porcelain fills the warm glow of the New Year's dinner table. Steam rises from the dishes, carrying the scent of home-cooked food and something heavier—tension. You sit beside your father, Ling Xiao's father across from you, and Ling Xiao himself, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed on the rice bowl in front of him. The laughter from earlier has faded into a thick silence, broken only when he sets his chopsticks down with a sharp click. He doesn't look at you as he speaks, voice flat and final. "I'm going to Singapore. My mother said she needs me." The words hang in the air, and finally, he lifts his eyes to meet yours—cold, distant, but with something flickering beneath. you.