Startled Magpie

Blurb:

*Upcoming novels: "Desire to Hide" and "Desire to Burn"

Xie Bai had loved a man since she was young, but he was a playboy, never keeping anyone around for long. So she used every trick she could think of to become the one who stayed. She thought that with enough persistence, even water could wear through stone.

But she never imagined that from beginning to end, he had never cared for her. She was just a dispensable substitute.

Then one day, Xie Bai vanished from everyone's sight.

The man sat among a crowd of beauties again, a cigarette between his lips. His eyes were dark as he gave a careless, quiet laugh. "What bird doesn't get rebellious now and then? She'll come back sooner or later."

*

Later, they met again at the engagement banquet of Wen Qinian's nephew, the young master of the Zhou family. The woman had her arm linked through the young master's, looking sweet and perfectly matched with him, her elegant shoulder blades exposed beneath her bare back.

The young master Zhou led his fiancée over to greet him. The woman was radiant and graceful, following the young master's lead as she greeted him with a smile like a flower.

Wen Qinian sat on the sofa, his gaze passing over the engagement corsage on her dress. He crushed his cigarette with one hand. "What did you just call me?"

On the night of her engagement, rain poured down in torrents.

Xie Bai opened the door in her dressing gown. Seeing him, she immediately tried to shut it. The man raised his hand to block the door, and his long fingers were instantly smeared with blood.

Xie Bai glanced at them, then smiled nonchalantly. "What is it, Little Uncle? Are you trying to extort me or steal someone else's fiancée?"

Later, on another stormy night,

Xie Bai played three-card draw with a red-haired beauty from overseas, betting on whether the cards were high or low.

The stake was Wen Qinian.

He crushed his wineglass in his fist. Shards of glass dug deep into his palm, and dark red liquid dripped down. Wen Qinian's eyes were bloodshot as he rasped, "Zhizhi, don't. Please."

The cool, stunning beauty glanced at him with a radiant smile. With a light push of her fingertips, she sent her winning hand away.

"Well, you can have him tonight."

[Reader's Guide:]

☆ One-on-one romance

☆ The male lead's groveling redemption arc, a bankrupt princess vs. a wealthy, rakish tycoon

There may be quite a lot of angst for the male lead.

Upcoming Novel

Blurb for "Desire to Hide":

The first time Gui Yao met Fu Chiji, he was an elder in her boyfriend's family. The man came downstairs in a dressing gown, gentle and composed. Everyone said he was a noble gentleman, as bright and pure as the moon.

Gui Yao was holding her boyfriend's hand when she called him "Little Uncle."

One night, during a blizzard, her boyfriend's childhood friend set her up, and she fell awkwardly into a puddle.

Beneath the faint moonlight, the man's tall figure wrapped around her like a shadow.

Fu Chiji draped his warm coat over her shoulders, yet wouldn't let her leave. In the snowstorm, he looked at her with a dark, burning gaze. His cool fingertips slowly stroked her neck as he murmured seductively, "Yaoyao, whatever he can do, I can do too. Whatever he has, I have more."

"From now on... will you stay by my side?"

Later, she became his wife.

When her ex-boyfriend came knocking, Fu Chiji had her pinned against the wall, kissing her passionately.

I admit it. From the very beginning, my feelings for her were anything but innocent.

Fu Chiji

[Reader's Guide:]

1. One-on-one romance

2. The male lead steals her from another man, and has been plotting for a long time

3. A composed older man vs. a lively beauty, with a nine-year age gap

Blurb for the upcoming novel "Desire to Burn":

The first time Yu Shi formally met Yin Huaiyan was at a famous playground of the rich in Kyoto. She had gone to bail out her younger brother, who had gotten into trouble.

When they saw her, the young rich men looked impressed and brought out a case of liquor to deliberately make things difficult for her.

As they reached an impasse, the man lounged lazily among a crowd of beauties and chuckled. A glowing red cigarette ember rested between his fingers. His voice was low and magnetic. "That's enough. Don't make things difficult for the young lady."

She looked over and happened to meet Yin Huaiyan's smiling eyes.

They met again later.

She was being pestered by a male classmate who had confessed to her. Her sleeves were soaked, and she looked just as disheveled as before.

A soft laugh suddenly came from the pitch-black corner nearby.

The man emerged from the darkness, and the voice-activated lights came on. Smoke curled around his fingers. A careless smile played on his lips. "Sorry, I laughed at the wrong time. Go on."

As he brushed past her, he hooked a finger around her wrist and blurted out, "Little rose, will you give me a chance too?"

The male lead's perspective:

Yin Huaiyan tried every trick to pursue a very special girl.

At first, he just thought she was aloof and proud, always carrying a faint scent of roses. Her personality was like a rose too: alluring, yet thorny. She was fascinating.

But when it was time to break up, he suddenly realized he might have fallen for her. He couldn't bear to let her go.

But this girl had no heart, and left with decisive ease.

Later, they reunited during a snowstorm, after a long separation.

She gave him an umbrella. Another man stood beside her, and her cool, dark eyes seemed able to see right through people. "Stop sitting outside my house."

That was when Yin Huaiyan finally understood.

His little rose had never belonged to him.

Perhaps there are five thousand flowers in the world exactly like you, but you alone are my one and only rose., The Little Prince

[Reader's Guide:]

1. A playboy reforms, set in Beijing's elite circle, with an aloof wild rose

2. Happy ending

Theme: Love and hope