A Long, Loving Marriage

Chen Tingyu had always been clear-eyed about life. Her goals were simple and straightforward: money and pleasure.

After working hard in a big city for several years, she saved up a decent amount.

At twenty-eight, she returned to her hometown and opened a dance studio. Just as her business was getting started, her family began pressuring her to get married.

At her wit's end, she blurted out, "I want a man with no parents, who's handsome, tall, strong, never comes home, and has money."

Her family just shook their heads and said she was being deliberately difficult and dreaming the impossible.

Chen Tingyu was enjoying this rare bit of peace and quiet when, a few days later, her family actually brought someone home.

Xie Cenhe was a coal magnate, with rugged features, a high nose bridge, and a solid build. He was exactly the rough-and-tumble type she liked, standing right there in front of her.

At 172 centimeters tall, she somehow looked petite and delicate beside him.

Best of all, he met every condition she'd listed. Without a second thought, she went straight to the marriage registry with him.

Married life was comfortable. Her husband was rarely home, and she got to enjoy the carefree life of a rich man's wife.

But good times don't last forever.

After too long a spell of happiness, something is bound to go wrong.

For some reason, the coal magnate who "was rarely home" had lately started coming back all the time, leaving her unable to get out of bed in the morning.

That day, Chen Tingyu finally exploded. "Xie Cenhe, if you don't learn some restraint, I swear I'll kick you straight into a coal mine."

Xie Cenhe hurried over to coax her. "Honey, I'm already being very restrained. At the beginning, we were doing it eight times a day..."

Chen Tingyu clapped a hand over his mouth. Looking into his suggestive eyes, she realized for the first time that she might have been a little rash when she put "strong" on her list of requirements.

Xie Cenhe grinned smugly. "Having second thoughts? Too late. We're already married."

Actually, the first time Xie Cenhe saw her was through the window of her dance studio.

She was wearing her practice clothes, sunlight falling across her profile. He still remembered her smile.

Of all the requirements she'd set, the only one he didn't meet was "never comes home."

He thought it over for a long time and made a decision: he'd live in the apartment complex across the street from Monday to Saturday, and come home on Sunday.

He'd planned to take things slowly, but once he'd gotten a taste of the good life...

He didn't want to spend even one day living a dull, passionless life again.

Theme: Hard work leads to success