The Tide Rises in the Dark

Xi Yuan first met Zhou Jinghong at a lavish cruise ship party full of luxury and indulgence. The sea breeze was damp, and the night was steeped in pleasure. He leaned against the railing, smoking beneath a lonely light. His white shirt was unbuttoned down to a single button, revealing lean muscles and a supple waist. Several shades of lipstick marked the ridges of his skin. Xi Yuan mistakenly thought he was another performer brought aboard to be "sacrificed" to some wealthy woman or tycoon. Gathering her courage, she went up to him and tugged at his sleeve, looking at him with clear, sparkling eyes. "Let's run away together." His peach-blossom eyes lifted slightly. Zhou Jinghong looked at her languidly. In the hazy light, his handsome face was cold and striking, almost otherworldly. "Where would we run to?" He exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice low and magnetic. Xi Yuan rose onto her toes and whispered in his ear, her breath soft against him. "It's so chaotic and filthy here. I bet you hate it too. Let's get ashore first and figure out the rest later." That night, Xi Yuan and Zhou Jinghong managed to escape from the cruise ship with surprising ease. She found a cheap hotel in Chinatown, and the two of them tacitly agreed to stay together. By day, they were like an ordinary couple, walking hand in hand around Siam Square and sampling street food along Sukhumvit Road. At night, they made love until they were spent, asking nothing about the past and worrying nothing about the future. Before a Buddha hall fragrant with curling incense, she clasped her hands and prayed devoutly: "May Zhou Jinghong have a safe life, great fame, and everything go his way." They met again three years later at a drinking party. He wore a meticulously tailored black suit, lounging at the seat of honor with a roguish air and a gaze cold and deep. Her agent nudged her discreetly and whispered, "The man at the head of the table is the second young master of the Zhou family, the investor in our next drama. Go on, be proactive and offer him a drink." Xi Yuan walked up to him with her glass, suppressing her emotions as she said, "Mr. Zhou, a toast to you." A roguish smile tugged at Zhou Jinghong's lips. "Are you wishing me great fame, or that everything goes my way?" Xi Yuan's heart raced. The hand holding her glass trembled, and her lips moved, but no words came out. Zhou Jinghong patted his thigh. "Come a little closer. I can't hear you." A sweet, gentle, and alluring young actress x a roguish, dominant big shot from Beijing's elite circles Both are each other's first, seven-year age gap Romance-focused, not a career-driven heroine. The entertainment-industry details in the novel are entirely made up by the author and aren't based on real life. There is a reason for the lipstick, which will be explained in the story. Theme: Stay positive