Temptation

[The print edition goes on presale at 7 p.m. on August 13. Its published title is Dear Parenthesis. For details, see Jinjiang Nan Zhi on Weibo.]

The first time Gu Wan met Ji Yanchu was on a chaotic night.

The young man appeared like a hero from the heavens and rescued her from a gang of hooligans.

His eyes seemed to hold an innate tenderness. His features were delicate, and when he smiled, a pair of parentheses formed at the corners of his lips. He was unbelievably charming.

With just one glance, Gu Wan carried him in her heart for the rest of her life.

Ji Yanchu had no idea of the young girl's feelings, and was always teasing her. "It's not enough for a girl to do well in school. You have to be polite, too. When you see me, you should say, 'Hello, big brother!'"

*

It wasn't until Gu Wan went to college that Ji Yanchu accidentally learned she had a white moonlight she'd loved for many years.

But he'd heard that her white moonlight didn't seem to like her?

With a cool expression, he scoffed. "He's just a scumbag with no taste. Is he really worth taking so much to heart?"

Gu Wan quietly protested, "He's not a scumbag..."

Ji Yanchu finally frowned. "You're still defending him?"

*

Later, one drunken night, Gu Wan took advantage of her inebriation and tried to kiss his Adam's apple.

But the man's eyes were bloodshot, full of restraint and resentment. His hoarse voice was enticing as he said, "Forget that scumbag. I'll let you kiss me wherever you want, okay?"

Also known as: #My Boyfriend Keeps Calling Himself a Scumbag# #My Partner Keeps Treating Me Like a Stand-In# #It's So Exciting to Have the Male Lead's Script but Keep Playing the Tragic Second Male Lead#

1. A little white rabbit who thinks she's a big bad wolf (female) X a big bad wolf who looks like a little white rabbit (male)

2. Age gap: he's five years older. She has a one-sided crush at first, then they secretly fall for each other.

3. The male lead is beautiful, powerful, and tragic; the female lead is a little ray of sunshine.

4. Both are each other's first, and it's tooth-achingly sweet.

Blurb for the upcoming novel Playing with Fire:

The first time Shen Xingxing saw Xu Ran at a bar, she had indecent thoughts about him.

People said he'd once worked as an escort. Later, he fell in love with a woman, and after the woman who'd kept him died, he continued helping her take care of her intellectually disabled son.

Besides singing, he worked several jobs during the day and seemed short on money.

That night, Shen Xingxing counted up all her worldly possessions. The next day, she slapped a bank card down in front of Xu Ran. "Give in to me, and Big Sis will support you from now on!"

Hugging his guitar, Xu Ran didn't even look up. "Big Sis, how much is on that card? I'm expensive."

Shen Xingxing slapped the table with a show of wealth. "Five hundred thousand!"

Xu Ran said, "That's the price for six months, but I only take annual memberships."

After that, Shen Xingxing kept going to see him every few days, hoping he'd give her a discount.

But this younger guy was impossible to deal with!

*

Then her former white moonlight came back, and Shen Xingxing stopped bothering Xu Ran for several days...

One night, after she'd chatted happily with her white moonlight and was seeing him out, Xu Ran suddenly appeared at the door.

The man's lean, tall figure was swallowed up by the night. His black jacket hung loosely over his shoulders, and his eyes seemed to hold the moonlight. His half-smile was devastatingly alluring!

"I've kept you company for so long, Big Sis. It's the end of the year, so how about settling the bill?"

Shen Xingxing: "?"

He glanced at the white moonlight beside her, his smile turning even more suggestive. "That many times in one night? At this rate, Big Sis, I'll have to raise my prices next year."

Shen Xingxing: "..."

The male lead has never been kept by anyone. He's a good man!!

1. A mischievous, wolfish bad boy VS a queen who always ends up embarrassing herself

2. The male lead is a bar singer; the female lead is a down-on-her-luck comic artist.

3. A sweet modern romance, an older woman and younger man. She's three years older.

Blurb for the upcoming novel Hide Me Away:

Lu Zhixia found a man on a stormy night and brought him home.

The man had a head injury. He'd lost his memory, and his intelligence seemed to have regressed to that of a five- or six-year-old.

He was timid and especially afraid of the dark. Whenever there was thunder and rain or the lights were off at night, he would be so scared that he'd burrow into Lu Zhixia's arms.

Seeing his delicate, beautiful face, Lu Zhixia couldn't resist teasing him. "Sweetheart, call me Mommy."

The sweet little darling obediently raised his hand. "Mommy, hug me."

And just like that, Lu Zhixia happily became a mother, raising the man with great hardship for several months.

*

Then one day, the man suddenly regained his memory and intelligence, and Lu Zhixia learned that he was the big boss at the headquarters of her company group.

She'd long heard that the big boss was cold and merciless, decisive and ruthless, and that if he was displeased, he could make you pack your things and leave on the spot.

That night, Lu Zhixia came home to find the man leaning by the door and smoking.

Through a thin veil of smoke, he turned his head and smiled at her with a mocking, bloodthirsty menace. "Mommy, you're home?"

Lu Zhixia, with weak knees and a hand against the wall: "..."

Later, Lu Zhixia cried and called him Daddy every night as she paid off her debt. "I regret it so much. I really, really regret it..."

Reading guide:

1. A scheming, calculating big bad wolf X a foul-mouthed, timid little fairy

2. The male lead loses his memory and intelligence at first and is genuinely silly. Later, he's genuinely "bad."

3. Both are each other's first, and it's a sweet modern romance.

The author's completed novels:

1. The aloof, obsessive one: The Little Tsundere

2. The proud little princess: Actually, I Like You Too

3. The devoted CEO: Why Did You Come Home So Late?

Theme: You are my light!