Cold-hearted, pleasure-seeking big shot from Beijing's elite circles x poor, resilient female student
[13-year age gap | Guiding lover | Both each other's first + happy ending | Cold-hearted big shot falls in love | Groveling pursuit]
[The rose he tended with his own hands becomes the blade that strikes him]
1.
Before meeting Li Guxing, Che Baozhu, born into poverty, never imagined that the somber city of Beijing could offer such breathtaking beauty.
In the year she was happiest, the glittering sea of lights in the CBD, seen from a suite in the China World Trade Center, and piles of luxury goods were just the appetizers Li Guxing had prepared for her birthday.
He pinned her against the floor-to-ceiling window and kissed her. When passion overtook them, he pointed to a nearby plot of land that had just received approval.
"In two years, this will be the headquarters of Lizhu Group."
Lizhu: Li and Zhu.
She understood what he meant.
He couldn't marry her or have children with her, so he would make his company a testament to their love and support her for ten years.
When she'd grown strong enough to spread her wings and no longer needed him, he would disappear from her life.
2.
Li Guxing's policy of "maximizing material comfort while restricting spiritual freedom" finally stopped working in the seventh year of their relationship.
Che Baozhu placed her resignation letter in front of him, hoping to start a new life.
He asked why she was in such a hurry when their ten-year arrangement wasn't over yet.
She said she was already strong enough and no longer needed to be his accessory.
She spoke with such conviction that even Li Guxing failed to see the sorrow and reluctance she hid in her heart.
All she'd ever wanted was love, not the money, power, and false respect he gave her.
Li Guxing signed without even looking up.
He paused only as he put down his pen. "The world isn't as simple as you think. If you run into trouble out there, don't try to tough it out. You still have me."
3.
Now single again, Li Guxing's friends threw him a party to celebrate.
They comforted him, saying he'd only lost his deputy general manager to a rival, not gone through a divorce and lost half his assets to an ex-wife.
Amid the bright lights, clinking glasses, and lively crowd, Li Guxing felt as if he were back in the year he first met Che Baozhu.
That year, she admired him completely and asked if he would stay with her for the rest of her life.
He said a lifetime was too long, and ten years was enough to make them sick of each other.
No matter how much he drank, he couldn't forget that he was no longer young.
But Che Baozhu was still young.
Young Che Baozhu had a bright future ahead of her, but he would no longer be part of it.
Che Baozhu: hot nerd, materialistic, sensitive, proud, and with a poor sense of self-worth.
Li Guxing: older, domineering, indulgently tolerant, selfish, cold, and a little insecure.
[Content Warning] Aside from the steamy scenes, the rest of the story is realistic. It isn't destined to be very sweet. The leads fall for each other beyond their selfish transactional arrangement.
[The next book, He Once Promised Me the Light, is part of the same series. The leads of this book will appear as background supporting characters in the next one. If you'd like to see Baozhu go from a naive little rabbit to a powerful female CEO, look forward to it!]
1.
To raise enough money for her mother's surgery, Shen Shiyi sets aside her pride and seeks help from an old friend of her imprisoned father.
She feels as if she's been set up. After toasting all the uncles and older gentlemen, she hasn't borrowed a single cent, and in the end she has no choice but to turn to Yang Huailin, sitting at the head of the table, and speak to this mysterious, taciturn man.
Yang Huailin looks her up and down several times with his narrow eyes, then smiles faintly in approval. He says he can lend her as much as she needs, but he needs a girl like her to be his companion.
Shen Shiyi trembles with shame and anger.
She knows all too well what that job entails, but with no other way to pay for her mother's surgery, she has no choice but to agree.
2.
Yang Huailin lied to her.
He never made her do the sordid things she'd expected. Instead, he kept her by his side and cared for her attentively.
For four whole years, he never let anyone so much as lay a finger on her. His tenderness was like a gentle, silent poison, eating away at her defenses until she fell deeper and deeper. Then, at her graduation ceremony, she confessed her feelings to him, and he told her he had already arranged a marriage for her.
She clutched the ring she'd spent so long preparing and, with red-rimmed eyes, demanded to know why he was handing her over to someone else.
His expression was so cold that it was as if they had never spent four years together, as if they were strangers meeting for the first time. "I spoiled you and loved you for the sake of this day."
"Shen Shiyi, when did I ever say I wanted to be with you?"
3.
She tore up the agreement she'd signed with Yang Huailin, took out a loan to pay the compensation, and left with nothing tying her to him. Then she threw herself into work.
In just two years, she went from a workplace novice to a project manager who could handle things on her own.
At the reception after a roadshow, she smiled obsequiously as she offered the investors pastries she'd made herself. But one investor dug up her shameful family background and mocked her. His laughter hadn't even lasted long before a phone call silenced him. The company's chairman was interested in Shen Shiyi's project and had invited her upstairs to discuss it in detail.
Anxious, she knocked on the door. The moment she saw the tall man seated on the Italian sofa, she wanted to run.
Yang Huailin's eyes were frighteningly cold. "Didn't you say you'd never cook for a man?"
"I've changed. Is that not allowed?"
"You're lowering yourself this much just to persuade him to invest in your project?"
"I do what I want!"
He gritted his teeth, swallowing the words "I don't want you to," then pulled her tightly into his arms. "Shishi, come back."
I can't bear to watch you suffer.
Theme: Love beyond the rules
As suspicious as the emperor. As expected of two siblings, Level 3A is not as thick-skinned as the two of them [rolls eyes][rolls eyes]
There are not many articles with both male and female protagonists having brains... Many of the plots and action lines of the male and female protagonists are close to reality without losing the drama... I love reading it... It's too short, too short... I've read the best "raising a rose with my own hands" type of article... Baozhu is very clear-headed and knows what he wants... It's rare to see a novel about status difference that doesn't abuse women, but the male protagonist's character design is not flat. The stamina is so strong [vomiting blood]
(2) What about? In ten seconds I want to see 🐶🌹🐶🌹
Ex-wife and ex's Shura field, please join hands to send Lao Li to Babao Mountain. It's better for both of you to live a harmonious life than anything else. In fact, Li Laoden and Zhuzhu are the epitome of their respective families. They were both forced to assume the parental responsibility of the original family. One wanted to escape control and ended up being controlled by his mother. The other wanted to escape sacrifice and responsibility, but ended up making sacrifices and responsibilities. They are like two pieces of broken glass. Only when they are put together can they see each other, but the gap cannot be bridged.
Baozhu walks forward boldly, don't worry about Lao Li Gou behind you!
This girl is so mean and low. I really can't stand the heroine living with this kind of family in the future. If the heroine of the author continues to endure this and slaps the Li family in the face, I will abandon the article.
More updates!! More updates soon!!! Stop at this kind of node [loading] Ahhh!!!
Now I only care about my own pleasure and do not want to be irresponsible. After Baozhu has raised him, he will look for children when he gets old. Lao Li, you are gradually moving closer to the legal system and Lao Niangjiu's news. It's better not to give birth and to eliminate harm for the people.
Li Laoden is evading responsibility and is not a qualified father; he is not even able to fulfill his responsibility as an elder to Zhuzhu because of his bad behavior. His children will not be afraid of his face turning red when they know what he is doing in the future.
Tsk tsk tsk Lao Li, actually if you put it on 🛏️ if you are disgusting, it still has a bit of atmosphere, but if you usually say it... [Loading][Loading]