Diary of a Runaway Bride with a Baby

[Designer x Jewelry Tycoon]

[Rekindled romance after a breakup / Raising a child / Older dom]

The year her family arranged a marriage for her, Zhong Xi ran away. On the surface, she was going to Manhattan as an exchange student for a year. In reality, she was escaping the arranged marriage.

In her first year in Manhattan, she met a Chinese American man named Shannon.

Shannon was handsome and wealthy. Zhong Xi pretended to be a pitiful girl with no one to rely on and took the initiative to get close to him. After deliberately tempting him several times, she successfully won him over.

During the year they were together, Shannon always gave her whatever she asked for.

Then, after graduation, Zhong Xi suddenly discovered she was pregnant.

She didn't want to get married, so she fled back to China again.

She'd originally planned to get an abortion, but the doctor examined her and said her health was poor. If she terminated the pregnancy, it would be very difficult for her to conceive again.

In the end, Zhong Xi kept the baby.

After giving birth, Zhong Xi got back to work and opened her own design studio.

Six years later, the studio was thriving and Zhong Xi had built a successful career, but her family inevitably started pressuring her to marry again.

Her family introduced her to a man said to be handsome, wealthy, and worth a fortune.

Zhong Xi was forced to agree, only to find the person she least wanted to see waiting at home:

Shannon, Xu Shaoshang.

Her ex, who was supposed to be far away in America, had become her arranged match.

Xu Shaoshang was discreet and mysterious, yet he was the man at the very top of America's jewelry industry, presiding over a luxury empire worth billions.

His wealth was immeasurable. He had private homes all over the world, and so many sports cars that even he couldn't remember all their names.

But wealth had never been what Xu Shaoshang pursued.

Before he turned twenty-five, there was nothing he wanted.

After he turned twenty-five, all he wanted was to catch the woman who had toyed with his feelings.

But his influence in China was nowhere near what it was in America, and it took Xu Shaoshang several years to track down Zhong Xi.

Only then did Xu Shaoshang discover that Zhong Xi wasn't the pitiful girl she'd claimed to be, with a father who didn't care about her and a mother who didn't love her. She was the daughter of the Zhong family, one of the four great families of the capital.

When he learned the truth, a faint, icy laugh escaped Xu Shaoshang's lips.

Zhong Xi, I've come to catch you.

The capital's four great families had recently been discussing a partnership with a jewelry tycoon from America. Xu Shaoshang had decided to expand his business into China, and the four great families of the capital were his ideal partners, especially the Zhong family.

At the time, Zhong Xi still didn't know Xu Shaoshang had come to China. When her parents pressured her to marry yet again, she was forced to say, "You can look for someone. As long as Qingli likes him, that's all that matters."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhong cheerfully set about looking for a suitable young man in the capital. They put every unmarried man in a little notebook and even asked Zhong Boxuan to help pick one.

Xu Shaoshang, who was discussing a partnership with Zhong Boxuan, happened to see the whole scene. His gaze darkened at once.

Looking at Zhong Boxuan, who seemed troubled by the matter, he said casually, "Looking for a son-in-law? Why not consider me?"

Zhong Boxuan's expression instantly turned spectacular, full of disbelief.

In the end, though, Zhong Boxuan still brought Xu Shaoshang home.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhong were pleased with everything about Xu Shaoshang, right up until Zhong Xi came home.

Xu Shaoshang's lips curled as he faced Zhong Xi, who had run away from him six years ago. "Hello, my fiancée."

[Bonus scene]:

Back then, to keep Xu Shaoshang from finding her, Zhong Xi had deliberately changed Zhong Qingli's birthday to make her a year younger. She hadn't expected it to prove so useful years later.

When Xu Shaoshang saw the little girl beside Zhong Xi, Zhong Xi took the child's hand and said, "Sweetie, say hello to your uncle."

In that instant, Xu Shaoshang's face turned as dark as a cauldron, storm clouds gathering over him.

One day later, little Zhong Qingli tugged at Zhong Xi and asked, "Mom, why does Uncle always want me to call him Dad?"

[Reading Guide]

1. Rekindled romance after a breakup + everyday life raising a child. The child will take up most of the story. Zhong Qingli is an adorable little girl and the catalyst that brings her parents together.

2. The male lead is devoted and pure in both body and heart. He has no fiancée or ex, and loves only the female lead.

3. When they first got together, the female lead was 21 and the male lead was 25, a four-year age gap. When they reunite, the female lead is 27 and the male lead is 31.

4. One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first and only. All the details serve the story. The setting is fictional, with plenty of authorial liberties. Don't overanalyze it, and don't apply the fictional world to real life.

Theme: Positive, uplifting love.