A Limited-Time Lover

[My next book, Surviving as a Slacker in Infinite Scripted Games, is expected to launch in June. Please add it to your reading list!] Zhong Yu is handsome and attends a prestigious university. To everyone else, he has been blessed with every advantage and has a bright future ahead of him. But only he knows that his father ran off after racking up debts, his mother died after a serious illness, and life has long since become too much to bear. At a bizarre, glamorous bar, he works part-time as a bartender. When some troublemakers corner him in the restroom, he panics and smashes one of them over the head... Then the closed door suddenly opens, and a handsome man casually smiles and gets him out of trouble in just a few words. "Want to come with me?" the man asks with a smile. Zhong Yu shakes his head. This is the first time he meets He Yuncheng. He Yuncheng is a notorious playboy, handsome, rich, and carefree. They say no one can ever capture his heart. At a glittering party, he stumbles into a scene of chaos and meets a pair of defiant eyes. For some inexplicable reason, the sight gets under his skin. He gets Zhong Yu out of trouble and helps him pay off his debts, on the condition that Zhong Yu be his lover for three years. It's just a fling. Nothing serious. Everyone thinks so, including He Yuncheng himself. But six months later, his friends notice that He Yuncheng has undergone a complete change of heart. He no longer races cars or hangs out at bars, and he's given up his villa... They hear he's crammed into a shabby rental with his young lover, heading straight home after work, and has even learned to cook! He's practically the perfect boyfriend! Can a playboy really turn over a new leaf? Everyone waits for a laugh, but instead hears that He Yuncheng is drowning his sorrows after a breakup. Arrogant as he is, he actually got dumped? Bonus scene: He Yuncheng has been especially clingy lately, always asking for kisses and cuddles, with energy to spare. Zhong Yu can't take it anymore and shows up to class every day with enormous dark circles under his eyes. A friend asks with concern, "What's wrong?" After a moment of silence, Zhong Yu says, "The dog at home keeps making a fuss every night. I can't sleep." "What kind of dog?" "A husky." His friend gets it. "Then it needs more exercise. Take it out for more walks." Then, full of enthusiasm, he orders a gift for his friend. One day, Young Master He gets home from work and finds a package by the door. Inside is a dog collar with leather straps and studs, wild-looking and fierce. He Yuncheng: ? Before their workout that night, someone brings out the collar. Zhong Yu: ? A carefree playboy, comedian seme x a calm, rational beauty uke Reader's guide: 1. Everyday-life story, old-school melodrama and cheesy romance, with a groveling redemption arc, but no toxic relationship (please take note). 2. The uke is a bit of a heartthrob. If that's not your thing, feel free to stop reading. 3. The seme is a true playboy at first, but after meeting the uke, it's strictly one-on-one. ------- Preview of a future book ------ Surviving as a Slacker in Infinite Scripted Games Jiang Mian has severe hypersomnia and can fall into a deep sleep without warning. His greatest wish is to live like a slacker, lying around in peace for the rest of his life. One day, he is unexpectedly dragged into an infinite murder-mystery game, where he can only survive by identifying the culprit. At a blood-soaked crime scene, the victim suddenly "comes back to life," and the murder mystery turns into a game of survival. As the players struggle to escape, they see Jiang Mian close his eyes and peacefully collapse at the victim's feet. Victim NPC: Is this my lucky day? Other players: He's done for! The menacing victim lunges at him. Without even opening his eyes, the sleeping man snaps the ghastly hand with a crack. Victim NPC: ??? Other players: !!! When Jiang Mian wakes up again, he finds himself holding the NPC's head. His little face turns pale with fright as he stammers, "S-sorry, I was sleepwalking. C-can I put it back?" Other players: Holy crap, don't come near us! [Players, vote to identify the culprit and execute them.] Jiang Mian: Unanimously sentenced to execution. Jiang Mian has a secret no one knows. The person in his dreams looks exactly like the dreaded "Living Yama." They say that man is mercurial. He can lead everyone to safety when all hope seems lost, but he can also send innocent people to their deaths without batting an eye. One day, Jiang Mian wakes up to find himself lying in the same bed as that man. The handsome man is shirtless, with a fresh bite mark on his shoulder, and regards him with an amused expression. Jiang Mian blinks. Oh no, I think I slept with something I shouldn't have. Later, he realizes he really can lie around in peace until the game ends. A sweet, innocent, secretly sinister slacker uke x a morally ambiguous, gleefully twisted seme Theme: Work hard at life and welcome a better tomorrow.