When the Spring Night Falls Silent

My next book will be called Trapping Her in Marriage.

1.

Opening on July 7

At a friend's introduction, Lin Jinyi went with her fiance to one of the top law firms in town to draw up a prenuptial agreement.

As she pushed the door open, she accidentally caught sight of a man smiling gently with his eyes lowered, his fingers tenderly tying a ponytail for a young girl.

Their eyes met, and both were stunned for a moment.

After learning why she'd come, Cheng Yejing stubbed out his cigarette. "Sorry, we're closed today."

Lin Jinyi glanced at the sign on the glass door that said they were open.

2.

Back in high school, Lin Jinyi had a first love tucked away in her heart.

During lunch break, everyone rested with their heads on their desks.

Amid the stuffy air, Lin Jinyi felt a refreshing breeze. When she opened her eyes, she saw the boy's wolf-cut hair damp with sweat as he gently fanned her with a folding fan, chasing away the heat.

She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, accidentally overhearing a friend say that someone as wild as him could actually be sincere about love.

She thought he would explain, would deny it.

Instead, she heard his clear voice, stern as he warned them:

"Don't wake her."

On graduation day, she planned to ask which school he was going to.

Instead, she saw Cheng Yejing embracing another girl.

After she got home, she sent Cheng Yejing one last text:

"I always thought we were in love."

Then she pulled out her SIM card, snapped it in two, and tossed it into the sink along with the feelings she had kept hidden as a girl.

3.

The second time they met, Lin Jinyi smiled coolly and pushed the medical report documenting her fiance's domestic abuse toward him.

"I'll have to ask you to help me win this case again, Lawyer Cheng."

Cheng Yejing was provoked by the deliberate distance in her manner. He shoved her against the wall.

Once again, she was enveloped by a familiar scent.

Lin Jinyi's eyes reddened at the corners. "Lawyer Cheng, you've lost your composure."

Cheng Yejing buried his face against her neck.

"Don't push me away. Let me protect you, okay?"

[Perhaps you and I will one day vanish without a trace, but you should know that I once fell in love with you.] -- The Flowers of Evil, Charles Baudelaire

Gentle teacher x scheming lawyer

-- Reunited after years apart -- Mending a broken relationship --

A secret admirer’s monologue.

Includes school-life scenes.

Trapping Her in Marriage

Blurb: The husband’s long road to redemption, first love, revenge on scumbags, marriage before love

1.

Everyone in Hong Kong's upper circles knew that the Shen family's most beloved younger daughter had defied her family for years over a poor boy named Qiao Yuning.

After several years, the Shen family couldn't bear to see their precious daughter suffer any longer and agreed to the match.

But on the eve of the wedding, Shen Jiaoyue broke up with Qiao Yuning.

According to someone in the know, the night before the wedding banquet, Qiao Yuning was playing around with his childhood sweetheart when he accidentally swallowed Shen Jiaoyue's wedding ring.

The childhood sweetheart had to go to the hospital for her stomach to be pumped. Feeling guilty, she faced Shen Jiaoyue with red eyes. "I'm sorry, Sister. Brother Qiao had the ring washed clean for me. It's not dirty!"

Qiao Yuning looked at his childhood sweetheart with concern, then reproached Shen Jiaoyue. "We're about to get married. You should know what's important. The ring's been cleaned, so don't complain about every little thing."

Watching the two of them act like a couple in love, Shen Jiaoyue suddenly realized that letting go of someone wasn't so difficult.

"Don't come to the wedding tomorrow. Take good care of your childhood sweetheart."

2.

Hong Kong's wealthy circles were all waiting to laugh at Shen Jiaoyue.

No one expected her to announce that the wedding would go ahead as planned.

Everyone thought it would be a wedding without a groom, but they couldn't see any embarrassment or helplessness on the faces of the Shen parents. Instead, they looked positively radiant.

Qiao Yuning stopped the wedding car halfway there. His eyes bloodshot, he looked at Shen Jiaoyue inside. "Jiaoyue, get out. We need to talk this through."

The car door opened, and a man's leather shoes stepped onto the asphalt.

The man had a distinguished air about him. His white suit was impeccably tailored, and he looked at Qiao Yuning with a naturally compassionate gaze.

"Whatever you need to say, you can say it to me."

3.

Two major events took place in Hong Kong that day.

One was that the younger daughter of the wealthy Shen family switched grooms halfway through her wedding.

The other was that the eldest son of a prestigious family, who had spent years in Buddhist seclusion, had returned and become the younger Shen daughter's groom.

A night of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Facing Zuo Qinglang, a few years older than her, Shen Jiaoyue felt a little guilty. "Once I've taken care of everything, naturally I'll..."

"Naturally, you'll grow old with me." Zuo Qinglang gazed at her with bright, intent eyes, as if reminding her: "Jiaoyue, divorce isn't allowed in the Zuo family."

[Prestigious family's unattainable first love x wealthy heiress]

Theme: Someone will protect your kindness forever.