Begonia Before the Rain [Marriage Before Love]

Cool, gentle genius doctor vs. privileged, scheming, unhinged heir

Secret crush becomes mutual, from the heroine's perspective; marriage first, love later, from the hero's perspective

Aloof heartthrob pursues his wife after marriage

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Song Tangxu, the icy beauty who leads the burn and plastic surgery department at the provincial hospital, is only to be admired from afar, never touched.

Shao Yunzheng, meanwhile, is the capital's privileged young master, with broad shoulders, a slim waist, and a height of 188 cm. He is refined, calculating, and ruthless.

Though they come from completely different worlds, a marriage-of-convenience agreement forces them together.

Their married life is exactly as outsiders predicted: it begins as a business arrangement, they live in separate rooms, and each comes and goes early and late on their own.

Until a massive earthquake hits, and Shao Yunzheng volunteers to go into the ruins.

Through the swirling dust, he sees Song Tangxu kneeling beside a stretcher. Her face is bare and disheveled, but her hands are steady as stone as she administers first aid.

At that moment, the young master, who has always been able to command the winds and rains without ever revealing his emotions, feels his heart stop for an instant

Few people know that his true dream as a boy was to become a doctor and save lives.

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From that day on, Shao Yunzheng starts acting “strangely”:

He spends noticeably more time at their marital home; proactively tells her about his business trips; asks when she gets off work so he can pick her up on his way...

Song Tangxu assumes this is all just part of the usual marriage-of-convenience routine, and pays it no mind.

Though they have always treated each other with courteous respect, one night they get drunk and lose themselves in passion.

A strange tide surges in Shao Yunzheng's eyes, even to him, as he grips her wrist:

“I want to take responsibility for what happened last night.”

But Song Tangxu turns away with easy confidence, without a hint of hesitation:

“We're adults. We both got what we wanted. Besides, I've always thought of you as an older brother, since our families are close...”

His ears tingle. Those words sound strangely familiar.

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Later, Shao Yunzheng finds a yellowed notebook.

Inside are ten years of a young girl's humble yet burning love.

“Today I saw Shao Yunzheng again. He looks so handsome in a white shirt.”

“He's sick. He looks a little pale, and I'm worried.”

The last few pages are scrawled in trembling handwriting: “I wish Shao Yunzheng every success and a lifetime without worries.”

He closes the notebook. He does remember a beautiful silhouette approaching him with flowers in hand and hope in her eyes.

But back then, he was laughing and chatting with someone else: “Don't get the wrong idea. Tangxu is just the little sister of a family friend...”

So the love he longs for now had been within reach all along, beneath that grand shower of crabapple blossoms!

P.S. The story opens during high school, when the heroine has a secret crush on the hero.

After they reunite, they marry first and fall in love later, with him chasing her hard! See Chapter One for other content warnings.

Theme: Find a glimmer of light in desolation, and wait for flowers to bloom among the thorns