Midsummer Deepens

[Gentle, harmless university lecturer x roguishly handsome, refined CEO] [Strangers to lovers in an arranged marriage + seven-year age gap] She graduated from a prestigious university and now teaches at one. With everything going smoothly for Xia Xun, she gets married to the parent of a student, whom she has met only three times, to escape her family's pressure to settle down. He is Shen Qingqi, heir to a distinguished family and its head. To deal with his family's arrangements, he urgently needs a respectable “Mrs. Shen.” Faced with the gap between their worlds, they are both certain they could never fall in love with each other... The day they moved into their marital home, Shen Qingqi wasn't there. Xia Xun messaged him to say she would be staying in the room next to his. Shen Qingqi replied with five words: “Suit yourself.” The newlyweds would live under one roof, but sleep in separate rooms. They reached an unspoken understanding. One night, when it was late and quiet, Xia Xun was about to head back to her room. Shen Qingqi stood in her way. His voice was low and husky. “Mrs. Shen, you said we should be husband and wife in the traditional sense. So why are we sleeping in separate rooms?” Xia Xun looked at him, confused. Shen Qingqi rephrased the question, lowering his voice. “Will you move into my room, or should I move into yours?” Later, Xia Xun was away on a business trip. That evening, she got a video call from Shen Qingqi. The usually dignified, aloof, self-possessed man looked pitifully at her and said, “Mrs. Shen, I can't sleep when you're not here.” Every summer, I thought something would happen. But when summer ended, I realized nothing had changed. -2007, Beginning of Spring *Both leads are each other's first and only, happy ending. This is entirely fictional and should not be taken as a reflection of real life. *Everyday life, slow burn, understated. *This novel reflects only the author's personal values. If anything bothers you, please don't make it about the author.