Entwined in Dark Flames

Huai Jiu and Xu Jiachi's marriage was purely for the sake of their families' businesses. There was no love between them. Even though they lived under the same roof every day, they were practically strangers. They had never gotten along, either. Huai Jiu thought Xu Jiachi was a hypocrite, while Xu Jiachi thought Huai Jiu was a phony. One day after they were married, Xu Jiachi brought a woman home. The woman couldn't eat spicy food, so Huai Jiu prepared a whole table of Sichuan dishes. Seeing the woman's displeased expression, Huai Jiu bit her lip, her eyes instantly reddening. She choked out a nonsense excuse: "I'm sorry. The girl who came home with Jiachi last time really liked spicy food. I got mixed up..." As she fake-cried, she thought, Xu Jiachi is such a jerk. I can't get a divorce, but I can still make you uncomfortable. Just as the woman was about to blow up, as Huai Jiu had hoped... Xu Jiachi put an arm around Huai Jiu's shoulders and pulled her into his embrace, tenderly wiping away her tears. "Baby, don't cry. It breaks my heart to see you cry." Huai Jiu: "?" Wait, let go of me! This isn't how the script goes!!! -Black lotus x smiling tiger -A romance between two kindergarteners who act tough but can't admit their feelings Weibo: @Si Daxian "Let's play a game. Whoever falls first is a dog." #Also known as the 'So Much for That' Game# #Whoever falls first is a dog, and the married couple both go down together# "All along, it turns out we've both been longing for each other." [Next book: Can You Hear Me?] -Reunion after years apart / rekindled love / mutual healing / heartwarming story Seven years after they parted, Lin Ting sees her ex-boyfriend again and ends up living under the same roof as him. On her first day in the new place, she gathers her courage and knocks on the next-door apartment. "Hello, I'm the person who's going to share your apartment from now on..." She looks up and sees the man's impatient expression. The rest of her sentence dies on her lips. "Lin Ting, I know." Chi Gu looks at her indifferently from beneath lowered brows, as if he doesn't know her. "Don't bother me unless you need something." Lin Ting hesitates, then asks quietly, "So I can come if I do need something?" Chi Gu: "..." The door closes mercilessly. One night, after coming home late, Lin Ting sees Chi Gu leaning against the doorway, a cigarette between his fingers. The two of them had argued the day before, and the air between them is cold and awkward. Lin Ting stands silently in the doorway for a moment, then asks, "Are you waiting for me?" The man's eyes are half narrowed, his face partly hidden by wisps of smoke. "I'm smoking." Lin Ting nods. "Oh, you're smoking while waiting for me." "..." After a moment, he flicks away the ash and bends down to look her in the eye. "Yes. So..." They stare at each other for a long moment. Chi Gu straightens up, presses his lips together, then pulls out his phone and taps out a cheesy pickup line from who knows where, holding it up for her to see: [Don't be mad, Peppa Pig. I'm the one for you.] Lin Ting reads it, presses her lips together too, and answers softly, still a little annoyed: "Right. Chi Gu is a pig." Chi Gu: "..." -Tsundere, aloof veterinarian x outwardly gentle but inwardly strong ballet dancer "Can you hear me?" "When I see you, I hear the world coming back to life." Theme: Falling in love