Trapped in a Tangled Romance [Beijing Circle]

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[Composed, powerful Beijing big shot x gentle, clear-eyed red rose]

Age gap | Old flames reignited | Powerful man bows his head

Zhouhai City is hit by its heaviest snowfall in nearly a decade.

Jiang Qingyu leaves the newspaper where she is interning and waits an hour at the bus stop without seeing a single bus. Instead, a discreet black sedan pulls up. The rear window rolls down, revealing a man with an aristocratic bearing and a calm, refined air.

She freezes for a moment. "Mr. Liang."

Liang Yiheng's deep gaze settles on her. His voice is low and unhurried. "Would you like a ride?"

-

From the first day Jiang Qingyu meets Liang Yiheng, she knows they come from very different worlds.

His family is powerful. A mere flick of his finger could change the face of Beijing, while she is just an ordinary person.

At their fourth meeting, he hands her a document and asks, perfectly composed, "Miss Jiang, do you have a boyfriend?"

He needs a fiancée in name only to handle a marriage alliance arranged by his family. She is mired in difficulties, and her mother's illness is the final straw.

She agrees, but makes one request: "I want to work for the Jingzhou Times."

He lifts an eyebrow, his tone casual. "That can be arranged."

He never hesitates to spend money on her. She only has to glance at the jewelry in a magazine, and the next day it will be waiting on her desk.

A mansion in the suburbs of Beijing, a million in savings: he gives them to her without a second thought, before she even asks.

She knows it's all a game, but feelings spread through her heart like creeping vines, winding around it before she realizes.

Later, the game ends.

To keep her from leaving, he threatens her with her mother's life.

In the dim bedroom, the red mark of her palm stands out on his face. "Liang Yiheng, I hate you."

A mocking smile plays on his lips, his features indistinct in the half-light.

He says, "You win, Jiang Qingyu."

-

They meet again by the sea in Zhouhai. The blue twilight hangs heavy as a dream. They talk about everything as if they'd only just met.

She thinks they've both moved on, but suddenly he leans close, his hot breath brushing her neck. His voice is low and bewitching. "Jiang Qingyu, could you love me just once?"

She steps away from him, her lashes lowered. "I'm sorry. I have a boyfriend."

He ignores her retreat and corners her on the bench. "Have you ever watched a soccer match?"

"Having a goalkeeper on the field doesn't mean you can't score."

A few days later, he meets that "goalkeeper."

Jiang Qingyu and the man are at a bridal shop. People around them praise how well suited they are, a perfect match of beauty and talent.

As Liang Yiheng looks at them, his normally composed exterior conceals one second of panic and confusion.

He finds a way to trap her in a fitting room. Her cold words make him lose the composure he has always maintained.

His lips crush against hers, forcing tears from her eyes, but in the end, he earns a resounding slap.

He wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes are bloodshot, his voice hoarse. "Jiang Qingyu, look at me. Please?"

-

[Bonus Scene]

After Jiang Qingyu leaves, Liang Yiheng forbids anyone from entering the villa where they once lived. Her room becomes completely off-limits.

He often spends entire days there, without eating or drinking, and refuses to answer anyone's calls.

The sachet she left behind becomes his only keepsake. He hangs it in his closet so his clothes will carry her scent.

He sleeps in the bed they once shared, holding her pajamas, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Is love a sin?"

"Worse than a sin. It's a mistake."

From Love Disguised as a Soliloquy

[Reading Guide]

1. The male lead looks old-fashioned and reserved, but that doesn't apply when it comes to the female lead.

2. Happy ending! Both leads are virgins and each other's first love! He is six years older. A bittersweet romance. The male lead is not a scumbag and does not harm the female lead's mother.

3. The "goalkeeper" line comes from the internet.

4. Fictional setting with many original details. Please don't compare it to real life. Love sensibly!

Theme: Love is a moment outside the rules