Both leads are sexually inexperienced | Delicious six-year age gap, older man
Spoiled, hot-tempered heiress VS gloomy, scheming researcher
After her mother dies, Ji Shu changes completely. She fails the college entrance exam, is branded a criminal suspect, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and left with a ruined reputation.
In her prime, she was radiant and dazzling, and once loved someone with all her heart.
That person was Lu Xubai. She saw him as a lighthouse at sea and pursued his light without a second thought.
But when she fell, Lu Xubai stopped looking at her, leaving her adrift in a dark, endless sea.
In that sea of ruin, she encounters Cheng Yuan, who is drowning just as deeply.
He's cheap, submissive, and all looks with nothing behind them. He has none of Lu Xubai's radiance, and the two men couldn't be more different.
She's violent and reckless, ready to let herself rot for the rest of her life.
Cheng Yuan bears all the malice she has nowhere else to vent, pulling her back up time and again.
Once she emerges from the shadows of the past and takes a proper look at Cheng Yuan, she finds that he's even more dazzling than Lu Xubai.
So she takes the initiative and asks him out, without giving a thought to their future.
In a hidden corner, Cheng Yuan keeps his dark side buried.
He's a mad dog starved of love, and all he asks of Ji Shu is that she love him obediently.
But when his mask of kindness comes off, Ji Shu chooses to run from him.
That leaves him with little choice but to lock her in a gilded cage.
PS:
This isn't a bittersweet story, nor is it a tale of a traditional meek, gentle flower being forcibly possessed.
They're both twisted. They torment each other and understand each other in a way only two twisted people can.
All fights, everyday meltdowns, and each partner has their own special brand of crazy.
Bonus scene:
Ji Shu can't stand the man her family has picked out for her. He's impossible to shake off.
Cheng Yuan coaxes her.
“Want to get rid of a tedious suitor? Kissing another man is the best way.”
When Ji Shu is pining for her first love, Cheng Yuan guides her hand to his chest.
“Men all have a weakness: they want what they can't have. Why not use me to make your sweetheart jealous?”
Ji Shu agrees, letting Cheng Yuan act so affectionate with her that she even gets carried away.
Only when they end up in the same bed does she come to her senses and slap him across the face.
Cheng Yuan drops the act and grabs her wrist. “You're in my bed. Where do you think you're going?”
After seeing Cheng Yuan for who he really is, Ji Shu tries to run away in the middle of the night, only to discover that the family power she relied on has all fallen into his hands.
To escape Cheng Yuan, Ji Shu runs away abroad with her first love.
The day Cheng Yuan corners her back inside, Ji Shu realizes there's no escape.
After he's dragged her back, Ji Shu thinks Cheng Yuan only gets away with acting so outrageously because he has a little money.
So she goes on a spending spree, hoping to bankrupt him.
But Cheng Yuan loves watching her spend lavishly, loves seeing her throw money around and act like she can't live without it.
“Ji Shu, every penny of mine you spend will have to be paid back in kind. Spend all you want. I hope you can handle it.”
Blurb archived: 2026.08.21
Guaranteed complete. You won't regret reading. Both leads are messed up, and neither is perfect.
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Theme: Stay true to yourself and bravely face loneliness
