Folding Roses

[Follow Weibo @Shi Ting Ya. Completed rich-family romances: "Springtime Tipsy" and "Kisses for You" are available to read]

[Next up: a story about the second generation, "Poem of the White Moonlight". Please add it to your favorites! Blurb at the bottom.]

[Lighthearted, funny, sweet marriage-first romance, one-on-one, both leads' first relationship, happy ending]

[Stunning heiress x calculating old fox]

Jiang Yao was famous in her social circle for being difficult. She'd been on countless blind dates, and no one had managed to put up with her for more than three days.

The young heirs in their circle joked that whoever was "lucky" enough to marry Jiang Yao must have destroyed the world in a past life.

Not long afterward, news broke that Jiang Yao was engaged.

Everyone speculated, eager for the gossip.

"Probably that guy surnamed Zhao. I saw him chasing after Jiang Yao just the other day. He must think he's married into a wealthy family. He's in for a rough time."

"With Jiang Yao's temper, what guy could put up with her? They'll split sooner or later."

"Forget her temper. With the way she spends money, he'll be bankrupt in two days, right?"

Rumors flew, and everyone waited to see Jiang Yao make a fool of herself.

But when the wedding invitations went out, they were all stunned.

Jiang Yao's groom was none other than Shen Mingli, the lofty head of the Shen Group in Lin City, renowned for his cold, aloof manner and his air of being above worldly concerns.

-

One afternoon after they were married, someone asked Jiang Yao with a hint of jealousy what it was like to marry the man all the socialites in Lin City dreamed of.

Jiang Yao took an unhurried sip of English breakfast tea and parted her red lips. "It's all right, I suppose. He's too clingy."

Everyone thought of Shen Mingli's stern, humorless face and couldn't imagine him being clingy. ...Yeah, right. Who was she trying to fool?

-

Later, someone who had heard her words passed them on to Shen Mingli.

Shen Mingli listened, still expressionless, his gaze cool and impossible to read.

The others understood. Jiang Yao was just saving face and putting on a brave front in public.

They'd married for business. How could Shen Mingli have feelings for her?

Just then, Shen Mingli's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, and warmth gradually softened his cool gaze.

After hanging up, he calmly said goodbye to the others. "My wife can't sleep soundly alone at home. She needs me to go back and comfort her. Excuse me."

Everyone: ?????

"Because she is my rose." -- "The Little Prince"

-☆ A sweet marriage-first romance about the next generation, "Poem of the White Moonlight". Please add it to your favorites! ☆-

Blurb:

[Brilliant, ultra-confident documentary director x outwardly gentle, inwardly calculating CEO]

[Doesn't understand love x pretends to be perfect | marriage first, love later | an unremarkable little sweet romance]

Tang Yi first met Shen Zhiyi on the day of their blind date.

The man was the famous head of the Shen family in Lin City, just as the rumors described: elegant, handsome, and refined.

Countless socialites wanted to marry into his family, yet he reached out first to her, the most peripheral figure in their circle.

The man smiled warmly and gently explained that their marriage would simply be a matter of mutual benefit, and that they wouldn't interfere with each other's lives afterward.

For Tang Yi, who cared more about her career than family life, it seemed like a good deal.

She happily agreed.

At first, married life was just as she'd imagined.

Shen Zhiyi never interfered with her work. She focused on filming and got so busy that she almost forgot about the husband she'd acquired in the bargain.

But gradually, she realized something was off.

Shen Zhiyi was showing up in front of her more and more often.

He would come pick her up from work himself and bring her a late-night snack when she worked overtime.

He remembered all her likes and habits, and every anniversary they shared.

He traveled a great distance to the place where she was filming, bringing cake, wine, and a sky full of stars, and stayed with her through the first birthday of her life that truly felt like a birthday.

He was gentle and considerate with her, giving her all of his patience.

In everyone's eyes, he was the very model of a perfect husband.

At first, Tang Yi thought it was simply his nature. She assumed he was excessively kind to everyone.

Then one day, while she was working late, he saw her laughing and chatting with a new male intern, looking rather close. He misunderstood their relationship.

That night, the man who was always gentle and composed lost control of his emotions for the first time in front of her.

His powerful hand nearly crushed her wrist as he held her in his arms and asked what he lacked compared to that young man.

His eyes were bloodshot. His pride shattered, he asked her almost pleadingly, "Tangtang, when will you finally see me?"

-

Later, Tang Yi happened upon a yellowed sketchbook in his bookcase.

It was filled with drawings of the same girl.

It was her, as she had looked at sixteen.

Theme: Everyone shines in their own way.