The Fake Couple of a Wealthy Family

[New story, Smoldering Fireworks, is updating now. A sweet romance, please add it to your collection.] Jiang Nian always thought she’d been born with a silver spoon in her mouth. It wasn’t until her family arranged her marriage and she married into the wealthy, powerful Gu family that she realized the spoon was no more than gold-plated. On their wedding day, Jiang Nian and her husband, who had just met for the first time, hit it off. There was no love involved; they only had money. They’d be a married couple in public and roommates in private. From then on, Jiang Nian faced the hardest role of her acting career: Mrs. Gu. A reporter asked, “Has Mr. Gu told you what he’s getting you for Valentine’s Day?” Jiang Nian smiled, lips pursed, radiant and charming. “My husband has no romantic bone in his body. He picks gifts based only on the price and puts no thought into them at all.” On Valentine’s Day, a crew member posted a photo revealing Mr. Gu’s gift: a deluxe edition of The Actor’s Self-Cultivation. On their wedding anniversary, Jiang Nian posted a photo of herself with Mr. Gu on Weibo, captioning it with heartfelt sincerity: How lucky I am to have you in this life. It was trending in less than an hour. Jiang Nian’s photo with her husband had been photoshopped, and helpful netizens circled the warped wall in the background and pointed out Mr. Gu on the news, being interviewed about finance. After being married to Mr. Gu for a while, Jiang Nian fell silent in the face of the netizens’ relentless pleas for her to show off their love. Coming soon: Delusion Ji Mian knew from an early age that, as a pampered heiress who was little more than a pretty face, her father would eventually choose a family that could benefit his business and marry her off to them. She had behaved herself for over twenty years. Now, for the first time, she wanted to fall in love. Then she met Lu Yuanheng, an attention-grabbing presence you’d spot at first glance even in a packed crowd. From then on, Ji Mian began pursuing him, both openly and in secret. But Lu Yuanheng remained an immovable iceberg, impossible to melt even when he had no feelings for her. Even after they got together, it still felt like a one-woman show starring Ji Mian. Under pressure and exhausted, Ji Mian asked to break up. Lu Yuanheng looked at her with dark eyes framed by lashes like crow feathers and said softly, “Mianmian, can you stop making a fuss?” “I’m not making a fuss,” Ji Mian replied with a smile. “I’m serious. Look, you’ve never liked me.” Everyone around them thought Ji Mian would never be able to leave Lu Yuanheng. Then she dusted herself off and walked away without looking back. * When the Ji Group was targeted for a hostile takeover, Ji Mian was out of options and chose to negotiate. The person she met was Lu Yuanheng, who had risen from humble beginnings to become a rising star in the industry. Ji Mian pleaded, “Aheng, can’t you leave us a way out?” Lu Yuanheng toyed with the fountain pen he’d used for years, his eyes lowered. “You can choose life or death.” “How do I choose?” “Come to my side.” Theme: