Reaching Above My Station [Old Flame Rekindled]

A first-generation tycoon and tyrant who loves flattery X a versatile, sweet-talking social butterfly

Marrying into a wealthy family | Older man | An old flame reignites | Exes try to steal her away and end up at her funeral

Zhang Lu's love life was full of twists and turns, and before she knew it, she had become an older unmarried woman. Though she'd had several boyfriends, she remained trapped in the emotional rut left by her first love, a rich second-generation heir, and couldn't move on.

By chance, she met the legendary industry tyrant, Tan Zongnian. The man patiently listened to her pitch, then sternly pointed out the holes in her proposal.

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She thought she'd never see someone so important again, but then she ran into him at a business dinner.

When she was drunk, the man gripped the back of her neck and brought warm water to her lips. Then he even wiped her face twice with a look of distaste. "Don't cake on the makeup. It looks awful!"

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The big shot was hard to deal with, so Zhang Lu decided to use his name to help her career take off.

But things gradually started getting strange: He drove her home, then let her sleep beside him while he silently kept her company for five hours. He called to tell her they were taking the same train, but never showed up. He suddenly asked to meet and insisted she accompany him the whole time, then ate her big steamed bun. They set a time to sign a contract, and then he abruptly called it off.

Somehow, while she was figuring out how to handle him, Zhang Lu got a new boyfriend.

"Xiao Lu, I have a bad temper. Sometimes I can be domineering, stubborn, and unreasonable. If anything makes you uncomfortable, tell me directly. Don't bottle it up."

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Ever since she started dating a big shot, her peaceful life had been thrown into turmoil.

Her long-silent first love suddenly wanted to break out of the friend zone and rekindle their romance.

The ex she'd thought was long gone returned from overseas, determined to start over with her.

Every voice was warning her: Tan Zongnian was way out of her league!

The big shot was hard to win over, and his mountain of gold wasn't easy to mine.

Did ordinary people really have to marry someone from a similar background?

She was determined not to!

PS: The story takes place between 2007 and 2018. Mature man (39) and mature woman (29), both from non-elite backgrounds. Lots of everyday romantic push and pull, a hazy sense of right and wrong, and flexible, shifting boundaries. A serious drama overall, but on the lighter side, with the sort of satisfying sweetness I write. Both leads have exes, and the heroine has more admirers. Apparently, that's called Mary Sue.

Fair warning: I like to write freely.

Theme: Break free of outdated conventions and prejudices. Dare to make mistakes and fear nothing.