A Short Note, a Long Marriage

Radiant, charming heiress x older, restrained, fatherly man | Married first, love later + feelings grow over time + gentle, steady sweetness + both leads are sexually inexperienced + ten-year age gap + powerful man learns to yield Her older sister broke off her engagement, and her father planned to send her in her sister's place for an arranged marriage. Her intended was the head of the Sheng family in the capital, a ruthless force in business: cold and distant, with nothing on his mind but work. Before they even registered their marriage, he bluntly told her he had no time to build a relationship with her. Everyone assumed they were just a couple in name and that the marriage wouldn't last. Tang Zhaoning, too, was prepared to simply make the best of it. In the second year of their marriage, he found the divorce papers in her drawer. That night, a torrential storm poured down. Sheng Huaiting rushed to the hotel in the middle of the night. Rain clouded the lenses of his glasses, and his voice was low and hoarse, almost breaking. “Have you wanted to divorce me for a long time?” Tang Zhaoning froze, then fell silent for a moment. The usually unflappable look in Sheng Huaiting's eyes crumbled. Right in front of her, he tore up the divorce papers and held her tight, refusing to let go. “There's nothing I won't agree to, except a divorce.” “You can use all my resources. You can stand on my shoulders and reach even greater heights.” For the first half of his life, Sheng Huaiting was clear-headed and restrained. He rarely broke his principles for anyone and never let anyone matter to him. Even his marriage had been little more than a formality. The night it snowed in Berlin, it was New Year's Eve back home. His wife suddenly appeared, smiling as she said she was worried he would be lonely spending the holiday alone. He fell into that smile and couldn't escape. Later, the media speculated about trouble in their marriage and asked him about the rumors. Sheng Huaiting answered frankly, “I love my wife.” He would never divorce her in this lifetime.