A Reply Beneath the Falling Snow

In the fourth year of her marriage, Qi Mingxue received an anonymous email: the husband who told her he loved her every day was cheating on her.

She had thought her marriage was ordinary but happy. Reality slapped her hard across the face.

From school uniforms to wedding dress, it had all ended in ruin, utterly defeated.

A bar filled with chatter and dim lights.

Qi Mingxue was dead drunk. She stumbled and nearly fell, but a strong arm wrapped around her slender waist.

A warm male body pressed close. A low, amused voice sounded beside her ear. "Careful, big sis."

She looked up. The man's handsome face swam before her bleary eyes, and the voice calling her big sis was just as pleasing to the ear.

Suddenly, she thought of her marriage. If he could find someone else, so could she.

Under the influence of alcohol, she boldly cupped the man's face. "Handsome, want to come with me?"

He was stunned for a second, then smiled and lowered his head, breathing against her ear. "Don't you dare regret it."

-

Qi Mingxue thought the two of them would never cross paths again, but they unexpectedly met at a dinner party.

She learned that his name was Chi Suye, that he was twenty-four, the second young master of the Hehong Group, and a doctoral student of her father.

After the party, a black Mercedes stopped beside her. The window rolled down, revealing Chi Suye's sharply defined face and his roguish, devil-may-care smile. "Big sis, you haven't settled the bill yet."

Qi Mingxue was on the verge of losing her temper. She warned him, "This is over. Put it behind us."

The man gave a carefree smile. "Big sis, there's no putting this behind us."

-

After that, Chi Suye began appearing in front of her all the time.

When he saw one of her suitors show up, he blocked her at the door and declared bluntly, "Big sis, you'd be better off choosing me. I'm younger and more handsome than him. More importantly... I've got stamina."

Looking at the man four years younger than her, Qi Mingxue thought he was childish and paid him no mind.

She accepted the blind date her mother had arranged.

She was in the middle of a lively conversation with her date when a shadow fell over them, bringing an unmistakable sense of pressure. She looked up instinctively.

Chi Suye's face was dark, his black eyes fixed on her. His voice was cold. "Finished eating? I'm here to take you home."

Qi Mingxue: "..."

Afterward, he nearly lost control and trapped her between himself and the wall. His eyes were bloodshot, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was full of barely suppressed hurt and a choked-back sob. "If you absolutely have to choose someone, then just look at me, okay?"

"Clear-headed, restrained, dazzling older woman x possessive, competitive, bold younger man"

Reader's Guide:

1. Older woman-younger man romance. He has a secret crush on her. Four-year age gap. He is sexually inexperienced; she is not.

2. A sweet, slow-burn romance.

3. The heroine does nothing inappropriate before her divorce.

Theme: Stay positive and keep looking forward.