A Patchwork Marriage

Marriage first, love later / Two practical-minded leads / Both are each other’s first and only / Three-year age gap / Everyday-life romance Clear-headed, ambitious heroine vs. a seemingly gentle husband with a sharp edge By day, she’s a stone-faced negotiator at a bidding session. By night, she dishes out face-slapping at blind dates. “An arranged marriage? Not even a dog would, ” “Marry? Dogs won’t, but I will.” Lin Fei considers herself the one who benefits most from this marriage. It’s a can’t-lose investment. Xiao Ran understands the pros and cons perfectly. He saw the resources she had access to and decisively bought in. They thought this would be a business marriage, all physical and no feelings. Until one day Lin Fei asked, “When did you fall for me?” Xiao Ran stubbornly denied it. “Who says I’m in love with you?” Lin Fei smiled. “Is it so hard to admit you like me?” When the company went public, Lin Fei was interviewed as an entrepreneur, with Xiao Ran by her side. In front of the cameras, she was polished and confident; he was languid and laid-back. He sat with his legs crossed, all casual, and she reached over to smack him. “Sit properly.” He immediately obeyed, leaning closer to whisper, “Afraid I’ll embarrass you?” Asked what their daily life together was like, they answered in unison, but gave completely different answers. “We don’t argue.” “We argue.” Xiao Ran exposed her on the spot. “She calls arguing ‘talking things through.’ Whenever she gets mad, she makes me talk, and it goes on until the middle of the night.” The host pressed him. “How does Mr. Xiao handle that?” His tone was lazy, yet his answer came as if it were obvious. “I talk it through with her. What, should I let her stew by herself?”