After Offending the Menacing Heiress of a Powerful Family

* Career-driven heroine, happy ending, one-on-one romance, eight-year age gap

* Title: Brilliant and Unbowed

* Cool, obsessive heiress and luxury jewelry designer x radiant, resilient actress with a hidden edge

"Blurb"

Sang Yuxi is the eldest daughter of the Xinshi Group and chief designer at the S.X Jewelry Design Studio. A recognized genius in the design world, she commands fashion-industry connections, and her eccentric temper is notorious even outside the industry.

Zhu Zheng has fought her way through the entertainment industry, wanting only to establish herself and claim a place of her own. At last, one role makes her famous, turning her into a highly sought-after rising star. Her fashion career is still taking off when she loses Sang Yuxi's latest collection piece at an awards ceremony.

But Sang Yuxi gives her two choices:

"Pay me back, or keep me company?"

The entire entertainment industry thinks Zhu Zheng has offended Sang Yuxi and will never recover. Everyone is waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Instead

She gets to wear couture gowns whenever she likes, drapes herself in the finest jewelry, and even lands the S.X Asia-Pacific ambassadorship.

Everyone is green with envy.

Zhu Zheng takes her work seriously, no matter what it is. In front of Sang Yuxi, she puts on the performance of a lifetime, acting with heartfelt sincerity as she carefully advances her plans.

She hides her claws, plays sweet and pitiable at every turn, and uses Sang Yuxi's affection to help her charge ahead.

But obsessive love is like a fire fed with oil.

At first, Sang Yuxi takes it for granted that she can give Zhu Zheng the very best, never considering whether Zhu Zheng can bear the price of all that glory.

Her so-called "I'm doing this for your own good" repeatedly drags Zhu Zheng into public controversies, nearly getting her on the wrong side of powerful investors and completely blacklisted.

As they push and pull against each other, their initial disguises are gradually torn away.

Sang Yuxi: "A Zheng, are you done acting?"

"Do you think... I'm that easy to fool?"

The prey thinks she has laid an inescapable trap.

Little does she know, the hunter entered it willingly long ago.

But when Zhu Zheng realizes she has truly fallen for Sang Yuxi, she can no longer face the shame of having used her.

Consumed by insecurity and guilt, she pushes away the haughty heiress, eyes red.

"That's right. I approached you at first just to use you!"

[Bonus Scene]

Later, the media catches S.X's Ms. Sang, icy and indifferent to everyone on camera, cornering newly crowned Best Actress Zhu Zheng in a car after the celebration banquet.

Zhu Zheng clutches the "contract of servitude" in her hands, her voice trembling. "Ms. Sang, that wasn't in the contract..."

Sang Yuxi calmly straightens Zhu Zheng's coat, her voice achingly gentle:

"That's for other people to see."

"As for you, "

She leans down and kisses her. "You're my inspiration."

Theme: Love means respecting and truly seeing someone.