A fair-skinned, soft-hearted older-sister type heroine who fulfills every guy’s fantasy.
A tall, long-legged, painfully straight-laced hero who has no clue about romance.
(The heroine grows emotionally over time. She isn’t strong from the very beginning!)
(The hero appears later, so feel free to skip straight to Chapter 60.)
In the 1980s, Xia Yurun lives in a family that favors sons over daughters. When she reaches marriageable age, her parents, eager to collect a hefty bride price, ask a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for her with a stranger. The candidates include a widower who drinks and beats his wife, and a man who expects her to serve him and his two brothers.
Unwilling to obey, Xia Yurun goes to the post office to write to her married eldest sister, Xia Zhuyuan, and ask for help. There, she happens upon Jing Chun, the older sister of the hero, Jing Ming, calling the military camp to nag him about getting married. Seeing Jing Chun’s neat clothes and kind face, Xia Yurun gets an idea and offers herself as a good match.
After spending time with Xia Yurun, Jing Chun decides she is a good girl. With Xia Yurun’s parents pressuring her to marry, Jing Chun arranges for her to meet Jing Ming at the military district.
When Xia Yurun meets Jing Ming, she honestly tells him she wants to escape the constraints of her family. As it happens, Jing Ming doesn’t want to get married either. They hit it off and sign a contract to become a fake married couple, agreeing to divorce after three years, though they can end the arrangement early if either of them meets someone they like.
As they spend time together, Jing Ming discovers all the wonderful qualities Xia Yurun possesses and gradually falls for her. He begins the long road to winning her heart. Can their marriage of convenience have a happy ending, and where will life take them both?
