An Unwavering Heartbeat

The main story is complete, and the bonus chapters are currently updating.

[Soft yet resilient x restrained and ascetic, a carefully planned marriage-first, love-later romance]

When Pei An was fifteen, she once stayed with the He family.

Gentle by nature, with delicate, lovely features, she was adored by the He family.

Only the eldest son, He Zhiyan, was like a flower on a high mountain: refined and restrained, noble and aloof, and rarely willing to give her the time of day.

Pei An always thought He Zhiyan disliked her.

Until the night after her coming-of-age celebration.

He Zhiyan took her back to her room to rest. In her hazy half-consciousness, his cool, thin lips brushed her forehead, and where the pad of his lip touched beneath her fingertips, it felt as if an electric current had passed through her.

In an instant, Pei An's heart pounded like a drum, and she did not even dare open her eyes.

But when she woke the next morning, He Zhiyan had already gone abroad.

Pei An always thought it had been a dream.

-

When they met again, He Zhiyan had become an heir capable of standing on his own.

With their elders playing matchmaker, the two quickly married.

Married life brought them occasional moments of passion, but they spent most of their time apart.

They were the very picture of a married couple who shared a bed but not their hearts.

Later, when Pei An went to visit He Zhiyan's aunt, she found an exquisitely made photo album in the attic where He Zhiyan had once lived.

On the first page, it said: [May An'an always be safe and happy.]

Pei An ran to ask He Zhiyan, "Did you fall for me a long time ago?"

He Zhiyan stopped working and lifted the barefoot Pei An onto his lap. "Are you just too dense, or have I not made it obvious enough?"

She muttered softly, "Obviously, you haven't made it obvious enough."

Only then did Pei An learn that through all those countless nights He Zhiyan had spent alone abroad, he had missed her so desperately he felt he was going mad.

-

One day, Pei An brought up the dream she'd had on the night of her coming-of-age celebration. Clinging to He Zhiyan, she said coquettishly, "I once dreamed you secretly kissed me. It was so gentle, just like it really happened." She had remembered it for such a long, long time.

He Zhiyan told her, "It wasn't a dream."

It was the first reckless thing he had ever done in a life defined by the utmost self-control.

They are both secretly in love / both have no prior relationships / Please gently point out any plot holes, thanks!

◎Synopsis for "Midsummer Without Order," welcome to add it to your collection, ovo

A little girl came to stay with the Zhou family. She was soft-spoken and well-behaved, and so pretty that just looking at her made people feel fond of her.

Unfortunately, the old house was too far from school, and the old master felt sorry for the little girl having to travel back and forth. He specially arranged for her to stay temporarily with his youngest son, Lu Shuyi.

Zhou Jinye, the young master of the Zhou family, had captivating eyes, a body built like a well-proportioned athlete, and an impeccable face that drew countless girls to him.

But, as fate would have it, he was chaste and temperate, and dreaded spending time with young girls most of all.

So when the old master gave him the order, Zhou Jinye was overwhelmed with a headache.

Everyone thought he wouldn't last three days.

Who could have guessed that Zhou Jinye would go into full-on parenting mode?

He bought hand warmers for winter and little fans for summer, afraid the girl might get too hot or too cold.

Even when Lu Shuyi took her Chinese medicine, Zhou Jinye would unwrap a piece of candy and set it in front of her.

His friends teased him, "Brother Ye, you're so good to Shuyi. Don't tell us you've fallen for her?"

Zhou Jinye gave them a couple of hard punches, then laughed mockingly. "What are you talking about? She calls me Uncle. How could I have those kinds of thoughts?"

That day, Lu Shuyi happened to overhear them talking. Without a word, she changed her college application to a school far away.

One went south, the other north, and they didn't contact each other even once in six months.

-

After graduating, Lu Shuyi followed her mother's wishes and returned to her hometown. After all those years, she had blossomed into a graceful young woman, even more lovely than before.

And Zhou Jinye, once rebellious and unruly, was now shining in the gaming industry. In his suit and tie, he looked ever more distinguished and composed during interviews.

Whenever they met, Lu Shuyi respectfully called him, "Uncle."

One day, at a matchmaking meeting, Lu Shuyi was getting along splendidly with her match.

Wearing a crisp suit, Zhou Jinye swept in with a menacing air and carried Lu Shuyi away by sheer force of will.

In a cramped corner, Zhou Jinye's gaze burned with desire.

After a long pause, he said, "Lu Shuyi, if you want to get married, you can consider me."

Five-year age gap / both have no prior relationships / the heroine has a secret crush early on, and the hero pursues his wife later / Please gently point out any plot holes, thanks!

Message: Fate is an excuse life gives us. If there's something you want, give it everything you've got.