A Marriage of Convenience? Mr. Fu Fell for Me Long Ago

[Reunion After Years Apart + Slow-Build Romance (Feelings Develop Slowly at First, Then at a Normal Pace) + Mutual Devotion + Both Leads Are Virgins + Happy Ending]

He Nian had kept her secret crush buried in her heart for more than a decade.

After nine whole years apart, the two, who had long since lost touch, found their paths crossing once more because of a game the man had plotted, taking advantage of the circumstances.

Outdoor garden

Fu Hengxi looked certain of victory. “I want to make a deal with you.”

“What kind of deal?” He Nian couldn’t read his emotions at all.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point.” Fu Hengxi leaned toward her.

“He Nian, would you marry me?”

He Nian was stunned. News that the Fu and Xia families were about to form a marriage alliance had already spread through their social circle.

And Fu Hengxi was asking her to marry him now?

After thinking it over, she met the man’s dark, impassive eyes and asked a question driven partly by her own private hopes.

“Mr. Fu, could it be that you like me?”

Fu Hengxi smiled faintly. “It’s just a marriage of convenience, a deal where we each get what we want. How could it so easily involve personal feelings, or make us fall in love?”

After the wedding

In the middle of the night, the man, consumed with jealousy, woke her up.

“Niannian.” His breath was warm and unsteady, his voice trembling. “Tell me, who is that man?”

“What man?” He Nian furrowed her brow.

His nose touched hers as he gently traced the bridge of her nose. “I saw the bookmark you tucked into your book. The person you’ve had a crush on for years…”

PS:

1. From the heroine’s perspective: a secret crush that leads to marriage.

2. From the hero’s perspective: he fell for her long ago without realizing it (in fact, even earlier than she did!).