A Rainy Night at the Harbor

The blurb has been revised. If that bothers you, feel free to skip it.

[Marriage Before Love] [Coercive Love] [Hong Kong Elite Circle] [Older Male Lead]

Meng Zhiyou has only done two outrageous things in her life.

The first was at her eighteenth birthday party, when she got drunk and kissed Zhou Wenyan, the eldest son of the Zhou family, who had returned to Hong Kong for an appointment.

At the time, Zhou Wenyan had only taken over the Zhou family three years earlier. His sharply defined face was half-lit and half-shadowed, and his voice was low and hoarse.

"The Zhou and Meng families have already been considering an alliance through marriage. Miss Meng, you've only just come of age. There's no need to be so impatient."

They met again four years later. Meng Zhiyou had entered the entertainment industry on her own and gained some recognition in a supporting role.

On the eve of an awards ceremony, the actor she had been contractually paired with for publicity publicly accused her of using underhanded tactics to climb the ladder, then unilaterally announced their breakup.

That night, her agent sent Meng Zhiyou to Xiang'ao Villa, at the very heart of power in the capital.

Zhou Wenyan, whom she had not seen in years, sat in the seat of power, his gaze cool and aloof. "I hear your little boyfriend in the entertainment industry broke up with you, my fiancee."

The whole Hong Kong elite circle was abuzz with the story of the Meng family's third young lady fleeing an arranged marriage for the mainland and entering the entertainment industry.

Everyone assumed Zhou Wenyan had left Hong Kong again to put an end to the marriage alliance between their families.

But no one knew that

on the night Meng Zhiyou cried so hard she could barely speak, the usually ruthless man softened his gaze and spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness:

"Didn't he say you had someone backing you?"

"Meng Zhiyou, look up."

"From now on, I'll be the one backing you."

When Meng Zhiyou got an offer from the Zhou family to play a villainess, she thought the role had been written just for her.

The first time she met Zhou Wenyan, she kissed him while pretending to be drunk.

It was all an act.

The next time she saw him, she cried as prettily as a pear blossom in the rain.

That was an act, too.

On the day of her audition, Zhou Wenyan sat behind his large desk, his expression cool and stern.

"What, is that all the acting you've got?"

"When you were using me and leading me around by the nose, you didn't look like this."

A true villainess pretending to be a fragile flower vs. a deeply calculating older man

Theme: Love yourself before you love someone else