A Gentle Blade

[Next up: The Minister Beneath Her Skirts. Available for advance collection in my author profile.] Synopsis When Li Zheng was twenty-two, she fell for Fu Chenglin, a friend of her uncle's. On her birthday, her uncle gave her shares in a company as a present. As it happened, Fu Chenglin was the company's boss. She began plotting, hoping to use her status as a shareholder to "take advantage of" Fu Chenglin. Fu Chenglin reminded her of a cruel fact: "You only own 0.1% of the shares. That's practically negligible." Li Zheng: "…" Only the assistant knew what happened next. That day, Li Zheng went to see Fu Chenglin. After she left, Fu Chenglin asked his assistant to buy him a mask. The assistant noticed that his boss's lips were swollen and split from a bite. His boss wore a mask for several days straight. And Li Zheng never visited the boss's office again. Later, he learned that Li Zheng had confessed to his boss, and his boss had turned her down. Six months later. Li Zheng showed up at Fu Chenglin's birthday party wearing a diamond ring. She smiled gently, like a knife wrapped in softness. "Uncle Fu, happy birthday." Fu Chenglin: "…" His gaze was fathomless as he stared at her for a long moment. After the party, Fu Chenglin pulled Li Zheng against him. "Didn't you want to take advantage of me? Go ahead." Then he took off the irritating ring on her hand and bent down to kiss her. His response was two glasses of red wine poured over his head. -- At a card game, his friends gloated: "Heard someone doused you with wine. Who's got that kind of nerve?" Fu Chenglin glanced at his friends without a word. One of them continued: "Li Zheng's getting engaged." Fu Chenglin threw down his cards and got to his feet. His friend called after him: "Where are you going? Aren't we playing?" Fu Chenglin: "To steal her away!" A sweet romance. My Weibo: Meng Xiao Er ~﹡~﹡~﹡ [New novel in the works: The Minister Beneath Her Skirts by Meng Xiao Er]﹡~﹡~﹡~﹡~﹡~*~﹡~﹡~﹡~ Synopsis Shen Tang decides to end things with Jiang Chengyu for good. She packs up everything she left at his villa and takes it to her rental apartment. Jiang Chengyu: "What are you making a fuss about this time?" Shen Tang: "I'm not making a fuss. I just want to end this relationship." Jiang Chengyu looks at her. "Then what kind of relationship do you want?" Shen Tang: "A legal marriage. If you ever come begging me to marry you, I might consider it." Jiang Chengyu suddenly laughs. She wants him to beg her to marry him? She's certainly ambitious. He doesn't believe in marriage, and he won't marry anyone. -- When their friends learn that Shen Tang and Jiang Chengyu have fallen out, they feel sorry for her. "It's so hard to meet people from Jiang Chengyu's circle. How could you bear to give him up?" Shen Tang says nothing. It's precisely because it's so hard, like chasing a mirage, and because he would never marry her, that she has to stop herself from getting in deeper. Why trap herself? -- The year after they cut ties for good, Shen Tang gets a call from Jiang Chengyu on her birthday. Jiang Chengyu is willing to humble himself: "Tangtang, marry me." Shen Tang: "Sure, just a moment. So many people are pursuing me lately. Let me see what number you are." After a few seconds, she says, "Mr. Jiang, you're number 250. Remember your number. I'll let you know when your turn comes." ~﹡~﹡~﹡ [Friend's new novel: Just You Wait by Cheng Mo Mo]﹡~﹡~﹡~﹡~﹡~*~﹡~﹡~﹡~ Synopsis One: Everyone in Xu Yuan's social circle knows she likes Tao Zhichu. Too bad it's a case of unrequited love. Then one day, to everyone's utter shock, this girl suddenly posts a photo on WeChat of herself kissing Han Xu. Her friends' group chat explodes: The fiery girl and the T-rex who fight every time they meet? No way! Xu Yuan beats her chest: Exactly! How could that happen?! My face hurts! Han Xu smiles gently. "Good girl." Tao Zhichu, completely baffled: What happened to you saying you loved me and wanted to kiss me? Synopsis Two: At a gathering, a friend asks Han Xu: "I heard Xu Yuan confessed to Tao Zhichu again and got rejected?" He smiles. "She's bossy, spoiled, and has a terrible temper. If Tao Zhichu likes her, he's blind." The friend thinks: Fair enough. He and Xu Yuan have always been like fire and water. It would be a miracle to hear him say anything nice about her. As it turns out, in less than a month, Han Xu proves through his actions exactly what it means to be "blind." Friend: Heh. P.S. This is a story about two people slapping each other's faces and then falling hard for each other. Theme: Understand her, love her, and protect her dreams