The Ming family is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Overnight, Ming Yan goes from a rich young heir to penniless.
For his family, Ming Yan is forced into an arranged marriage.
Sitting in a café, he looks at the person across from him, with their deeply pockmarked face and imperious manner.
He thinks that maybe this is just how life is going to be.
But after his blind date leaves, someone pulls out a chair and sits down, revealing a face Ming Yan knows better than any other.
Lu Ji'an, the Ming family's archenemy, the biggest old fox in the business world, and a rival who has clashed with the Ming family for years.
Ming Yan assumes he's here to laugh at him.
Lu Ji'an slides a contract across the table. "Want to take a look?"
Ming Yan: "...What is this?"
The other man is silent for a few seconds. "A marriage agreement."
Ming Yan: "???"
"I'll pay off your family's debts. In exchange, you marry me."
Ming Yan stares at him for ten seconds, making sure he hasn't been possessed. "Why?"
"You don't need to know. Just tell me whether you're willing."
*
Ming Yan grits his teeth and signs, but married life turns out to be unexpectedly peaceful.
Lu Ji'an doesn't restrict his freedom or interfere in the Ming family's affairs. He even genuinely helps Ming Corporation get through the crisis.
But Ming Yan doesn't dare let his guard down. This man is ruthless and cunning, the kind who devours people without leaving a trace. He doesn't believe Lu Ji'an does charity.
A friend asks what he'll do in the future.
Ming Yan says, "We're going to get divorced sooner or later anyway."
But Lu Ji'an overhears him.
At first, Ming Yan doesn't think much of it. After all, this is only a marriage of convenience.
Until Lu Ji'an, usually so mild and aloof, changes expression and pins him against the wall, his voice dark and menacing.
"Divorce? You can forget about it."
*
Later, Ming Yan learns that this bastard has had a crush on him for eight whole years.
Eight years.
Every time Ming Yan called him a smiling tiger, every time Ming Yan's older brother and Lu Ji'an stabbed each other in the back in the business world,
this man had been secretly in love with him the whole time.
When Lu Ji'an heard Ming Yan was going on a blind date, he panicked more than anyone. He canceled all his meetings and rushed over, yet still insisted on putting on a calm, composed front.
Ming Yan pouts as he watches a certain man busy in the kitchen.
"What a fake."
May every year be just like today, and may every day be just like this morning.
A seemingly cold, actually calculating top x a lively, prickly, cat-like bottom
Reading guide: 1. One-on-one, both are each other's first, happy ending
2. Same-sex marriage is legal in this setting
Theme: Love is a long-laid plan
