Taking the Loss

[Spoiled, High-Maintenance Heiress x Traditional Patriarch]

After her family went bankrupt, Ji Tingxue lost her source of income. With her food running out and the prospect of dropping out looming, she had no choice but to set aside her heiress's pride and take a job as a greeter at a private club.

A man in a black coat, his eyes cold and sharp, often came by.

At first, he paid her no attention. Then he began to linger, until one day he personally drove away a drunken troublemaker who had been harassing her.

Only belatedly did Ji Tingxue realize what was happening. One snowy night, she tearfully told him her sad story:

"A bankrupt father, a mother who ran off, a gravely ill brother, and me, working to pay my tuition."

The lofty man didn't care whether it was true. He approached her under the pretense of offering financial support.

He was composed and dependable, always putting on the air of an elder as he told her to study hard and not waste her days away.

Ji Tingxue rolled her eyes. As he wished, she pretended to be an innocent, naive little flower, opening her mouth to be fed and reaching out to take his money.

The day she had saved enough for tuition at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Ji Tingxue came to say goodbye.

She thanked him sincerely: "Mr. Zhai, thank you for supporting me."

The man sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, leaning forward to stub out his smoking cigar.

His brows lowered, and a chill showed in his narrow eyes.

"Ji Tingxue, have you misunderstood something?"

"Or do I have to teach you personally that there is no such thing as a free lunch?"

*

After Zhai Yucheng got together with Ji Tingxue by more or less forcing her into it, he watched coldly as she became increasingly unruly, no longer the obedient, sensible girl she'd once been.

He thought, It doesn't matter. I have plenty of ways to make her give in.

They argued and gave each other the silent treatment. As time passed, Zhai Yucheng began to think that this was fine, too.

She was the only bright spot in his life. They ought to be together forever.

Until he decided to talk to her about marriage. He had everything ready, from the diamond ring to the betrothal gifts, only to discover that Ji Tingxue had taken the check he'd given her and run away.

He sent people to investigate. The report revealed that she had been traveling with another man.

She was running away, and she'd even brought a man with her!

Zhai Yucheng chased her overseas and saw the two of them supporting each other intimately with his own eyes.

He sneered, caught up to her, and grabbed her wrist.

His eyes were cold and restrained. "Childhood sweethearts, supporting each other. Is this the gravely ill brother you told me about?"

Ji Tingxue had no justification whatsoever, but she was still indignant. "A sweetheart is a brother, too!"

[The blurb is subject to frequent revisions] [The coercive possessiveness and the willingness to be the other woman for love remain unchanged] [Both leads are sexually inexperienced]

Theme: True affection exists in this world