The 85 Movies He Watched

Ling Muchen:

Outsiders think I'm living the good life, but they don't know how many years I've spent holding back. When the appalling videos of my wife were etched into my mind, our marriage slowly became a living corpse.

And all she said was, "I guess I finally let my true nature out." I couldn't laugh, not even a self-mocking laugh, but I still had to face her fake smile and carry on.

Everyone talks about the seven-year itch, and the voice inside me is clamoring too...

I can't say there was anything wrong with how we met, but I did fall in love with Si Yuke.

Even though she's eleven years younger than me, even though her family was shattered, even though she got sick and wanted to escape from me...

Love is something you can't explain.

After leaving the marriage with nothing, I could only start over once I was labeled a divorcee. I wanted to give her the best, too.

From the beginning of our relationship to the day we return to dust, this is the eighty-fifth and final movie we'll watch together.

I want to spend the rest of my life with her, taking things slow. In my heart, she's still the little girl I first met.

No one in this world loves me more than she does, and no one else can take care of her in my place.

Time won't stop for lovers in a tender moment, but I'll spend the rest of my life giving her all the tenderness she deserves.

Si Yuke:

My terrible allergies make love itself feel the same. It keeps flaring up, itching and hurting right down to my bones.

I couldn't choose the family I was born into, but I try to stay clear-headed and be myself.

My parents remarried separately, and my opinion didn't matter at all.

My mother needed IVF and the money I earned from my part-time jobs, while my father... did nothing but blame me and talk at me without listening.

My rebelliousness led me into the abyss. The care and warmth Ling Muchen gave me were things I'd never received before...

His proposal was unusual. Our wedding had only heaven and earth as witnesses.

He was romantic, and he didn't give up on our love because I was sick.

He's the kind of man I'd marry if he offered me a veil.

Content warnings:

1. First-person POVs for both leads. Ages 35 and 24.

Group chairman and game designer x digital media student and part-time car model

2. The male lead's ex-wife betrayed him first. Her family had kept him under their thumb and treated him as a money-making tool. They had a sexless marriage for years. But they were truly in a cold, distant phase when he met the female lead.

3. Two unfortunate people meet in a crowd, but the timing isn't right. They spend some time apart and each comes to their senses. They don't love blindly, they'll pay for their mistakes, and they'll take responsibility for their love.

4. The leads truly love each other, but the author isn't endorsing this kind of relationship. Don't try it lightly. Reality is complicated, and only you know what you're going through. (There's no helping it: that's how the story is written. They're truly in love. If you don't like it, don't read.)

5. About the love scenes: suggestive in mood, explicit in action. The older man can be pretty scary when he's jealous.

6. It has angst and sweetness, and there will be two chatty kids.

7. There are plenty of good stories out there. Don't take things too seriously. Just enjoy the read. (Bows.)

Theme: It's not that love doesn't exist, you just haven't met the right person