A Marriage Gambit

Lu Henian, the head of the Lu family in Shanghai, is famous for his cold, indifferent nature. He never cares about anything that has nothing to do with him.

Bai Qingyao thought they would never have anything to do with each other, but their first meeting was at his engagement party with her older sister.

Her sister stood by his side, smiling radiantly, looking utterly happy.

He wore a black bespoke suit, his features cool and aloof. When he looked at her, there wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes.

"Hello, brother-in-law."

She greeted him. He gave a slight nod, then turned back to talk to the person beside him.

Later, when her sister's secret came to light, Lu Henian wanted to put the scandal to rest quickly. Looking at her behind the Bai couple, he pointed casually and said, "Let's switch brides!"

After they married, they lived under the same roof, but their relationship was no more than a superficially harmonious arrangement between roommates.

Then one day, she casually mentioned that the book she wanted was out of print. The next day, it appeared on her desk. When the older generation made things difficult for her over their child, one offhand remark from him pulled her out of the suffocating atmosphere.

What she didn't know was that Lu Henian had paid a high price to buy that book from someone else, and that remark was the first time he had ever stood up for anyone.

She hadn't felt cared for since she was eighteen. Her dormant heart slowly began to beat again, and she thought he might like her a little.

Once, one of his friends came to visit. Through the not-quite-closed study door, she heard him say, "It's just a marriage alliance. It makes no difference whether it's the older sister or the younger one."

"As long as she does what she's told."

Her nails dug into her palm, stinging, but she barely felt it. So it had all been wishful thinking on her part.

After that night, the heart that had only just begun to flutter settled down again.

As the date they had agreed on approached, Bai Qingyao took out the divorce papers she had prepared long ago and pushed open the study door.

"Mr. Lu, our three-year agreement is up. I think it's time for us to part ways."

She had barely set the papers on the desk when he grabbed her wrist, his warm palm closing around it.

Seeing how serious she was, Lu Henian felt an inexplicable panic.

"Over these three years, have you felt nothing for me beyond what our agreement required?"

His earlier words rang in her ears. She pulled free of his hand and answered resolutely, "Never."

She thought it was over between them, not knowing that for him, everything was only just beginning.

Please add the next book, A Dog-Walking Job with My Ex, to your reading list

On the day of the first snowfall, Chen Siwan got the wonderful news that she'd lost her job.

Without her office drone status, the Empress Dowager at home initially felt sorry for her and kept her well fed and pampered. But after a while, the Empress Dowager grew dissatisfied.

Looking at the golden retriever that had also been kicked out, Chen Siwan suddenly thought of a way to make money.

When she got a dog-walking order, she rushed straight to the client's home. The moment she met the person's gaze, she nearly poked a hole in the poop bag in her hand.

Why had nobody told her the person who placed the order was her ex-boyfriend?!

Before Zhou Yanqing met Chen Siwan, everything in his life had gone smoothly.

Then he fell in love with her, got dumped by her without discussion, and started receiving a transfer every month, always on time, with the glaring note: "Child support." For the first time, he felt what it was like to come off worse.

In her heart, he mattered less than a dog.

After she completed that last dog-walking job, he placed another order, only to be told she was busy and had suspended her part-time work.

Then he saw Chen Siwan at a cafe, smiling brightly and chatting with the man across from her. He sneered. She was indeed busy, busy going on a blind date.

Later, on a snowy night, Chen Siwan hurried to the emergency room with someone.

Zhou Yanqing happened to be on the night shift. The moment he recognized the pale-faced man in the hospital bed as her blind date from the cafe, his gaze turned icy.

A moment later, in an empty stairwell, Chen Siwan was pinned against the wall.

Zhou Yanqing stroked her chin, his voice seductive. "Who is he?"

"My fiance," she said.

Thinking of the man's test results, a sinister glint flashed through Zhou Yanqing's eyes. "Chen Siwan, if you want to get married, take a look at me."

He lowered his head, his warm breath brushing her ear. "I'm more obedient than him, and I'm cleaner."

He put particular emphasis on those last two words.

The snow outside the window fell harder and harder. Chen Siwan suddenly remembered what he had said the year she broke up with him: "Once we split, there's no way I'll wait for you again."

And yet the one pinning her in a corner and refusing to let go was clearly him.

Theme: Learn to save yourself