Marriage First, Love Later | Complete Strangers | The Iceberg Descends to Earth
Zhong Mingxi had lived twenty-two years of plain, poor life. Then, on her birthday, fortune suddenly landed right in her lap.
The man before her was tall and handsome, arrogant and refined, and judging by his clothes, rich, too. Sitting on the shabby little sofa in her home, he made the place feel positively resplendent.
The visitor introduced himself as Fu Tongzhou, the eldest grandson of her grandfather's comrade-in-arms.
"I'll give you a hundred million yuan to ensure you have everything you need for the rest of your life, but you have to marry me. It'll only be a fake marriage. I won't touch you. We'll divorce in a year and go our separate ways," the man said.
Zhong Mingxi looked a little confused. "You've explained the benefits. What are the conditions?"
Fu Tongzhou: "..."
The man rubbed his brow, seeming a little impatient.
"So, what's your answer?"
Zhong Mingxi: "Wait a minute. I'm figuring out how to spend a hundred million."
*
When Fu Tongzhou was twenty-nine, his grandfather became gravely ill. His only wish was for Fu Tongzhou to marry the granddaughter of his old comrade-in-arms, repaying the man for saving his life all those years ago.
Fu Tongzhou agreed.
But he had no intention of sacrificing himself, so he found the woman and arranged a one-year fake marriage with her.
His grandfather had, at most, a year left.
Fu Tongzhou had never met a woman like her.
Greedy, lazy, always spouting nonsense, unambitious, and obsessed with handsome men: she embodied every trait he disliked.
And yet, she had a pair of clear, bright eyes. When she smiled, they curved like crescent moons; when she cried, they were crystalline and pure.
He thought the year would be hard to endure, but it was over in the blink of an eye. And the one who reminded him of that was Zhong Mingxi herself.
One day, in the office break room, he heard Zhong Mingxi ask a coworker, "Is your cousin single? Could you introduce me to him?"
Coworker: "He is, but his family is a little poor. Would that bother you?"
Zhong Mingxi sighed. "I'm about to be so poor that all I'll have left is money, but set us up a week from now."
Her coworker was curious. "Why?"
Zhong Mingxi: "Because I can't divorce my husband until a week from now."
Outside the door, Fu Tongzhou's face darkened. For the first time in his life, he tasted regret.
*Heartless, quirky oddball x scheming, calculating iceberg
*Seven-year age gap, size difference, the male lead falls first
Written on 2026.1.21
Theme: Face life with courage.
