How Can I Not Fall for Him?

[Complete] [Next book: Falling Into Your Tenderness. Please add it to your collection!] Song Nanxing and Jiang Sheng grew up together, and everyone in Jiangcheng considered them a perfect match. Just as they were about to discuss marriage, Song Nanxing discovered that Jiang Sheng had hidden his first love in his home. The two went their separate ways. * One rainy night. A girl in a flimsy dress crouched on the steps, her slender arms wrapped around herself. Her pale little face was flushed, and she looked utterly pitiful. Song Nanxing raised her eyes. A tall, broad-shouldered figure approached at an unhurried pace, holding an umbrella. A few raindrops clung to his expensive, immaculate suit. He reached out to her. "Would you be willing to be with me?" With tears glistening in her helpless eyes, she looked at the man. After a long moment, she placed her hand in his warm, gentle palm. Min Sicheng clasped her soft, chilly hand firmly in his. His thin lips parted. "Xingxing, once I've made up my mind about someone, there's no going back. Are you sure?" Tears shimmered in Song Nanxing's eyes, but her answer was firm. "Mm-hmm." A faint, gentle smile touched Min Sicheng's usually impassive eyes. * Min Sicheng was a big name in the investment world. He kept to himself, was indifferent to worldly desires, and was rumored to have no interest in women. Recently, insiders revealed that he was planning to marry, and that his intended was the eldest daughter of the Song family, who had once been engaged to Second Young Master Jiang. Everyone scoffed at the ridiculous rumor. Then Min Sicheng, who rarely made public appearances, showed up at a concert. The girl he held in his arms and softly comforted was none other than the eldest daughter of the Song family. From then on, the reserved and low-key Mr. Min acquired a new, decidedly public skill: coaxing his wife. At the party before the wedding, a friend teased Min Sicheng. "When you think about it, you're practically Jiang Sheng's elder. Isn't it a bit unfair to snatch her so openly?" Min Sicheng casually tossed down a card and said disdainfully, "Snatch her? She was mine to begin with." * Song Nanxing had thought her union with Min Sicheng was just a transaction, and that their relationship would end when it was over. When she prepared to leave, Min Sicheng tossed their marriage certificate onto the table and strode toward her, his tall, imposing figure closing in step by step. His low, sexy voice murmured in her ear. "Mrs. Min, I've got the papers. Don't think you can deny it." "..." Reading Guide: . A cherished beauty of the world vs. a cool, seemingly abstinent big shot . The darling he set his sights on was someone else's fiancee. . Scheming / long-planned pursuit / nine-year age gap. . Dramatic, old-school romance. . Both leads are each other's first. . Blurb written on 2021.11.12 and saved as a screenshot. . Blurb to be polished. Next book: Falling Into Your Tenderness [Blurb] The eldest daughter of the Ming family, Ming Jingyu, was stunningly beautiful, with eyes that seemed able to ensnare the soul and a perfectly curvaceous figure. The only flaw was her temper. She was famous for being willful. She would even steal her younger sister's fiance. Her father intended to marry her off to the Xie family of Lihai. At a banquet, Ming Jingyu got into an argument with someone. The other person wanted to humiliate her and deliberately shoved her. But she fell into someone's arms. It was April, and the owner of those arms wore a finely made trench coat. His palm, resting against her slender waist, was cool. A faint medicinal fragrance clung to him as he spoke in a gentle voice. "Careful." It was like a ray of light shining into her heart. He was Xie Qingmu, head of the Xie family of Lihai. And he was also the man she was to marry for the sake of an alliance. * The Xie family of Lihai was known as the "uncrowned king." The head of the family, Xie Qingmu, was aloof yet courteous. Nothing seemed able to stir his interest, and he was like a Buddhist monk. Rumor had it he was so sickly he had to catch his breath every few steps. He was marrying her only for the benefits. An elder of the Xie family had once been a bona fide member of the imperial family, and the Xies still kept the old ways. The usually arrogant Miss Ming was in for a rough time after marrying into the family. Everyone waited to watch the drama unfold. Ming Jingyu thought so too. Who could have guessed that Xie Qingmu would treat her gently and patiently? Not a single member of the Xie family gave her a hard time. Ming Jingyu thought that the Xies were one of the most prestigious families, and would at least maintain the proper appearances. On their wedding night, Ming Jingyu stated what was on her mind. "Mr. Xie, um, since you're not feeling well, we should sleep in separate rooms." Xie Qingmu draped his suit jacket over the sofa. With elegant movements, he undid his cuff buttons and slowly walked toward her, step by step, as if following shafts of light until he reached her. He covered his lips with a fist, a faint smile curling at their edge. Then he leaned close and whispered her childhood nickname, his gentle voice intimate and teasing. "Yaoyao, who told you newlyweds are supposed to sleep in separate rooms on their wedding night?" A faint scent of alcohol clung to him, making her heart flutter and her head spin. * After they married, Ming Jingyu kept wondering: How could someone as cool and aloof as Xie Qingmu have such a great body? And how could he be so good at teasing her? He was nothing like the image he presented in public! Coming Soon: Only Your Beauty [Blurb] The eldest daughter of the Tong family, Tong Wanshu, was a renowned model of refinement in Su City, beautiful and intelligent, and famous far and wide for her Suzhou embroidery. It was said that she had been raised deep within the inner chambers since childhood, a delicate flower of incomparable beauty. But she rarely appeared in public, and anyone who didn't know her had no chance to see her in person. Then one day, she happened to be invited by a friend to go boating and met Xie Juanhe. After the rain, the Jiangnan landscape was veiled in mist. A graceful woman with fair, delicate skin, dressed in a qipao, glided toward them in a boat. She held an elegant round fan, still and serene as a blooming flower. Even after meeting an acquaintance, she merely lifted her eyes and smiled. Her smile was composed, poised, and just right, giving her a gentle, refined beauty. Xie Juanhe, usually proud and aloof, and never interested in women, felt the urge to claim one for the first time. His friend raised an eyebrow and smiled. "That's the eldest daughter of the Tong family. Pretty, isn't she?" Xie Juanhe answered in a clipped, cool voice. "Mm." Not long afterward, Xie Juanhe learned that the woman who occupied his every thought was considering an engagement to someone else. He immediately went to her home in person to ask for her hand, and set their wedding plans in motion. * Tong Wanshu knew nothing about this fiance who had suddenly appeared. All she knew was that Xie Juanhe was the youngest son of the old master of that Xie family in Lihai. He was powerful and influential, difficult to get along with, aloof and arrogant, cool and domineering. A friend even teased her that a man as iron-willed and hard as Xie Juanhe would be too much for someone as delicate and pampered as her. Tong Wanshu knew she could no longer refuse the marriage, so she accepted with a nervous heart. When his calloused palm took hers, the stark contrast between her soft, fair hand and his iron grip made her feel both timid and reassured. * After they married, Tong Wanshu thought they would be strangers under the same roof. He was so busy that he surely wouldn't have time to look after her. But things weren't as she imagined. Xie Juanhe not only gave her patient companionship, but also often sought out all sorts of little trinkets she liked. He was especially gentle and considerate toward her. The one thing that did fit his image was that he really knew what he was doing. Theme: We all strive to shine ahead, hoping to become the best versions of ourselves.