Marrying Cecilia

Yu Youzhi, a once-popular CEO romance novelist, was at a standstill in her career and had just been dumped by her boyfriend.

She earned only a few hundred yuan a month. Her mother urged her to change careers and get married as soon as possible, so she could live the kind of normal life older people approved of.

Yu Youzhi rattled off a list of traits from her novel’s male lead: “I want to find someone like this: he earns ten billion a year, has a PhD, speaks five languages, and keeps offering to buy me an island in the Pacific.”

She was sure there was no way she’d find someone like that.

But a week later, her mother called her. “I’ve arranged for you to meet someone this weekend. You’d better follow through.”

Yu Youzhi: ...?

Was her CEO romance novel actually realistic fiction?

/

At an expensive matchmaking restaurant, Yu Youzhi watched in disbelief as Liang Cishen took the seat across from her.

The man had sharp features and a cool, aloof air of refinement. His custom-tailored suit was immaculate, and his priceless cuff links gleamed with a cutting brilliance.

She recognized him: the head of the Liang financial conglomerate, a man who could make or break fortunes and whom everyone fawned over.

They lived in entirely different worlds. Their only connection was that, back in college, she had tutored the daughter of Liang Cishen’s butler.

Yu Youzhi asked cautiously, “Mr. Liang, did you... take the wrong seat?”

As far as she knew, he was cold and disinterested in romance, and no woman could get close to him.

But Liang Cishen merely looked up at her. “Yu Youzhi, which island in the Pacific do you like?”

Yu Youzhi froze.

Liang Cishen spoke casually. “I need a marriage partner who won’t interfere in my life. You’re a good fit.”

Yu Youzhi: “...Um, could I have the money instead of an island?”

/

"Yu Youzhi’s Post-Marriage CEO Observation Diary"

Day 7: We got married because we each needed something. Neither of us likes the other, so why does Liang Cishen get home so early every day...?

Day 15: Huh? When did he add a clause to the marriage contract requiring us to talk three times a day?

Day 20: Seriously, a CEO should wake up on a 200-square-meter bed. Why does Liang Cishen insist on squeezing into the little bed in the second bedroom with me? Is he crazy or what = =.

Day 30: (Attending a class reunion. Entry blank.)

Late that night, Yu Youzhi returned home smiling after her former crush, the most handsome guy in school, dropped her off. But Liang Cishen, his face dark, grabbed her wrist.

He pinned her in a corner and looked down at her. “Zhizhi, your mother said you wanted to find a husband like the male leads you write. Was there one more trait you left out?”

Yu Youzhi: ?

Liang Cishen leaned closer, his warm breath brushing her ear. “Possessive and jealous.”

/

Yu Youzhi had always thought her relationship with Liang Cishen started after they got married.

She never thought he would like her. But he would spend a fortune to buy her a diamond worth hundreds of millions, go out at midnight to get the snacks she’d suddenly craved, and drive eight hours to get home on a stormy night when flights were grounded, all because he was worried about her catching a cold.

Then one day, she found a trove of photos of herself from when she was working as a tutor on Liang Cishen’s phone.

At the time, she was still with her ex-boyfriend.

It turned out that even a man like Liang Cishen, standing at the very top of the pyramid, could have a secret crush he couldn’t bring himself to confess.

When she uncovered his secret, he wasn’t embarrassed. After the lights went out that night, he treated her wickedly, then bent close to her ear and said, “Zhizhi, the first time I saw you, I knew we’d end up here someday.”

[Extra Scene]

Yu Youzhi got her writing groove back, and her new book became a huge hit. On a whim, she wrote a bunch of steamy bonus chapters for her readers.

To her surprise, one day she happened to discover that Liang Cishen was following her story on his computer.

Yu Youzhi: !!!

That night, she angrily confronted him, embarrassed and upset. He pulled her onto his lap, his voice low and heated with playful mischief. “You know so many tricks, Zhizhi. How come you’ve never tried them with me?”

A heroine who’s an expert at talking a good game × a fatherly hero who’s been plotting for ages

Older man/8-year age gap/marriage first, love later

The heroine only ever held hands with her ex-boyfriend

The heroine’s pen name is Cecilia, after the heroine Cecilia in Woody Allen’s film The Purple Rose of Cairo

First posted on 2026.8.15. Screenshots have been saved.

Theme: Happiness takes effort.