[Marriage first, love later + forced romance + the second male lead wins + satisfying revenge]
After confessing to Xie Hengzhi and being rejected, Chu Zhuohua turned around and proposed to his friend, Shi Heci.
To everyone's surprise, Shi Heci said yes.
Chu Zhuohua was stunned. Xie Hengzhi was stunned. Shi Heci was delighted.
Once the words were out, there was no taking them back. Chu Zhuohua proposed in the morning, and by the afternoon she was being taken off to get married.
◎
Trusting his instincts, Shi Heci asked Chu Zhuohua if she would agree to let Xie Hengzhi be the other man.
Chu Zhuohua didn't believe it. Xie Hengzhi was such a refined gentleman, noble and aloof, with too much pride of his own. How could he ever agree to come second?
Later, Xie Hengzhi grabbed her hand and pleaded humbly, “Is there really no way? I'm willing. I won't make a scene in front of Shi Heci.”
◎
Shi Heci never forgot the lesson he learned the first time: hesitate, and someone else would steal Chu Zhuohua away.
Back then, when Chu Zhuohua was standing helplessly outside the villa, he had been tempted to take her home.
But Xie Hengzhi's father had longer legs than he did and reached her a few steps sooner, getting to her first.
Even after Shi Heci later got close to her, she had never noticed him.
So when Chu Zhuohua proposed to him, he seized the opportunity at once and said yes.
He knew Chu Zhuohua couldn't possibly mean it.
Maybe it was some trendy bet among young people, or maybe it was for some stranger reason.
He didn't care.
All he knew was that once he had her in his hands, she was his.
