Name: Cross Swords
Author: Jing Chen

Synopsis

New novel, Northern Waters Have Fish, is now available! Please add my upcoming novel, We're Not Done Yet, to your collection.

Jiang Shu never dreamed that her marriage would be a transaction.

And the other party was Xu Jiashu, who had rejected her in high school.

From the very first day of their marriage, she waited for a divorce.

But Xu Jiashu seemed to have other ideas.

When someone harassed and pestered her, Xu Jiashu, who usually didn't meddle in other people's business, broke the man's hand.

He said, "It's not someone else's business. It's family business."

When people said Jiang Shu wasn't good enough for Xu Jiashu, he, a man who had always valued his connections in their social circle, sabotaged their careers.

After the dance, three rounds of drinks in, Xu Jiashu pinned her against the terrace railing. The evening breeze swept away the haze of alcohol.

His warm breath enveloped her as he bent down and kissed her.

After they were married, he proposed to her.

Beneath his cool, composed exterior, a peacock seemed to dance, its ethereal tail feathers unfurling into a display made just for her.

-

Jiang Shu had always wanted to know why the powerful Xu family had proposed an alliance with the long-declining Jiang family.

Someone in the know revealed, "The original plan was for him to marry into the Gu family. It was Xu Jiashu who suggested an alliance with the Jiangs. His parents disagreed at first, but he said that if he couldn't marry into the Jiang family, he would never marry at all."

Please note:

- The male lead has no first love

- They are each other's one and only

- A melodramatic romance. Don't overanalyze it

Marriage first, love later / rekindled romance / no groveling after the breakup

The peacock on the cover was photographed by me

-- Next up: Northern Waters Have Fish --

1.

Countless men pursued Ruan Yu. Rumor had it she never dated anyone for more than three months. She paid no attention to the gossip.

That is, until she dumped a man named Shen Beiming.

Her best friend, Shen Yunli, had just returned from abroad and introduced a man to her. "This is my younger brother, Shen Beiming. He got dumped recently. Help me talk some sense into him. Tell him not to waste his life pining over one woman, and to forget that awful ex!"

Ruan Yu: "...I think your sister is right. Forget her."

Shen Beiming's gaze swept over her coolly, as if they'd never met. "Funny you should say that. I hold grudges."

No one had ever told her that two people with the surname Shen might actually be related.

2.

After her family resorted to a melodramatic ploy to guilt-trip her, Ruan Yu was forced into a blind date.

The man said, "I don't like women with experience, but you're pretty, so let's give it a try."

Ruan Yu: "I don't have time to try. I'm in a hurry to get married. Next."

The next man wore her favorite navy shirt. He sat across from her, his handsome face stern.

"Someone once told me she never planned to get married in her life."

Ruan Yu pressed a hand to her racing heart. "I lied. I just didn't plan to marry you."

3.

After spending half her life being a couch potato, Ruan Yu was kicked out by her parents. Fortunately, Shen Yunli was willing to rent her an empty apartment.

The moment Ruan Yu opened the door, her smile froze.

In the dim light of the living room, Shen Beiming was sitting by a window as night fell, reading a book.

Shen Yunli: "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I sold that apartment to my brother. But he's helpful, so he probably won't mind sharing it with you for a while."

#Helpful? Who? What kind of bizarre character setting is this?

#What do I do after dumping my best friend's brother? Help, I'm in a hurry!

Please note:

- Older woman-younger man romance / three-year age gap / the heroine is not a virgin, the hero is

- A wolfdog who reverts to his feral nature, a seemingly sweet but cunning man x a mildly comedic woman who keeps up a calm front but is panicking inside

- A melodramatic romance. Don't overanalyze it

-- Upcoming novel, We're Not Done Yet --

No one knew why Ji Shuyan and Li Qingzhe broke up.

Even fewer people knew why, on the night they reunited, she got drunk and spent the night at his place.

Ji Shuyan once told him that after knowing him for twenty years, she could even guess what he was going to say next.

It was too boring. She wanted to find some excitement.

"Li Qingzhe, how about we go back to being friends?"

"Not a chance."

Ji Shuyan realized that Li Qingzhe had changed.

#What do you do when you find your boyfriend boring?

#A loyal puppy turns into a cunning loyal puppy

Please note: