Second Choice [Marriage Before Love]

Marriage first, love after | Pretend feelings, real love

[Brilliant heiress x ambitious man who talks himself into love]

“Are you serious? You're marrying Lan Yin?”

“Yeah.”

The two trending topics were still at the top of the charts, but he switched off the screen as if he'd expected it.

One was about his older brother, Chen Youjin, passionately kissing a C-list actress in a car.

The other was about how he, Chen Youqian, had been adopted twenty-seven years ago and was only recently acknowledged publicly as the heir to the Hanhai Group.

Dressed in a sharp suit, the man composed himself and returned to the interrupted discussion about the acquisition. His refined bearing stood out among the clinking glasses, drawing more than a few glances. After over half a month of sensational headlines about a Chen-Lan marriage alliance, the news finally came to rest beneath his unruffled calm.

Chen Youqian was marrying Lan Yin in place of his brother, to whom he was not related by blood.

The engagement banquet became a joke in the Hong Kong media, and Lan Yin's best friend was outraged on her behalf. Suddenly, she remembered the second son of the Chen family, who'd only recently been introduced to the public. Leaning over, she asked, “What does your new husband look like?”

Seeing that Lan Yin had downed three rounds of tequila and was completely out of it, her friend shook her head, took her phone, and searched for Chen Youqian's profile.

“Damn, you've been keeping this all to yourself.”

“No wonder you agreed to switch grooms.”

After they got married, Lan Yin slept until late morning. Before she could even stop to think, she put on a composed act and walked over to the kitchen island to pour herself a glass of water. “Morning. You're up early.”

Chen Youqian didn't answer right away. As if he'd watched a poor performance over breakfast, he slowly raised his head.

“Not early. Not compared to when you kissed me.”

Later, Lan Yin successfully secured the mainland operating rights for the Azure Hotel, and Victoria Harbour shone for her all night. At the banquet, someone couldn't keep their gossip to themselves. Word had it that an old flame had returned, and the Chen-Lan marriage was on the verge of falling apart.

The man curled his lips. “The Hong Kong media got it wrong.”

But when their contract ended and Lan Yin asked for a divorce, Chen Youqian furrowed his brow. The cool air inside seemed to swirl, but the temperature kept rising. Her slender waist arched beneath him, unable to resist his icy presence.

“Yinyin, even if I'm just a stand-in, I'll accept that.”

“As long as you stay by my side. Don't leave.”

[Chen Youqian's perspective]

It wasn't the first time he'd seen the woman he'd been matched with for marriage.

Ten years ago, he went home with his “parents.” In a big family, they had to make a ceremony of welcoming him into the family. Some relative who knew a little about the Book of Changes picked an auspicious date, and three generations of the Chen family went to Leiyin Temple together.

He'd grown up in a family that put science above all else, and he was deeply uncomfortable with such formalities. He'd heard that the master they'd invited had cost a fortune, and that everyone who came to burn incense that day was lucky enough to hear him chant. He gave a faint smirk and looked around at the people kneeling with their eyes closed and their hands clasped in prayer. Then a flash of blue caught his eye.

A girl with blue hair was lost in thought. Two minutes passed, and she hadn't blinked once. She didn't see him.

Later, when he heard that his parents wanted him to marry for the family's benefit, he suddenly remembered that day as he looked at her photo.

The girl's name was Lan Yin.

Content notes:

1. Three-year age gap.

2. The male lead had met the female lead before, but he wasn't secretly in love with her. Their feelings develop after marriage.

3. The story contains extensive fictional details, including several made-up place names. The leads' professions serve the plot and aren't meant to reflect real-world industry trends.

4. Contains a mistaken-identity stand-in plot. The leads are each other's first love, and remain exclusive throughout.

Theme: A little sincerity hidden within pretense.