Luring the Moonlight

[My new novel, Off Course, is now online. Visit my author page to check it out.] The night Qin Dai returned from an overseas dance exchange, she discovered that her usually gentle and considerate boyfriend had been cheating on her. Then, because her emotional performance onstage couldn't match another dancer's, she lost the coveted lead role. With both her career and love life at rock bottom, she took some time off and went to another city to unwind. One night, after she'd had too much to drink, Qin Dai met her crush. He had a pair of cold, unsympathetic eyes, but a beauty mark beneath the outer corner of his left eye softened his aloof air. From head to toe, he was exactly her type. So, buoyed by the alcohol, she reached out and gently tugged the end of his tie. She let herself fall into temptation. The night passed in a haze, and she left the city at lightning speed. They met again at a friend's birthday party. Her crush had transformed into a notorious playboy, Xie Sibai, the second son of the Xie family. In an out-of-sight corner, Qin Dai was cornered. Xie Sibai demanded, "You used me and then tossed me aside. Don't you think you should pay me a service fee, Ms. Qin?" Qin Dai asked, "...How much?" Xie Sibai replied, "I don't want money. I want you. Deal?" - Qin Dai thought everything between her and Xie Sibai had begun with that accident. Everyone warned her not to get too involved with someone like him, saying Xie Sibai had a white moonlight in his heart. So she proceeded carefully, clear-eyed as she fell, treating it as an adult game where they both got what they wanted, always prepared to walk away unscathed. Until his "white moonlight" appeared. Even the dog Xie Sibai had raised for years, which was fierce with everyone else, was tame and obedient with that woman. On the day she planned to leave, Qin Dai unexpectedly discovered an old photo in Xie Sibai's study. In an empty classroom, a shaft of sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains. A girl had her back to the camera as she raised her hand to tie up her hair. Her white summer uniform rode up with the motion, and the beam of light fell perfectly on a sliver of her exposed, pale waist. Captivating. That was Qin Dai at sixteen. No one knew when Xie Sibai had gotten the photo, or how long he'd kept it hidden. The man who was supposed to have already boarded his flight appeared at the door. He didn't come over. He just stood in the doorway. Qin Dai asked, "Why are you back?" Xie Sibai stared at her and said expressionlessly, "I was afraid you'd run, so I came back to block your way." [Emotionally detached prodigy dancer x scheming, calculating master of disguise] [Tips] 1. 1v1, happy ending, updates at midnight (I'll try, orz). 2. Reunited after years apart / the male lead's secret crush comes true / the heroine is his one and only white moonlight. 3. Professional details are based on research. The characters aren't based on real people, and the schools and dance troupes in the story are fictional. ------Next up: Delayed Romance. Here's the blurb------ The first time Qi Lingyun met Qi Qiao was at the start of her freshman year. The summer heat still lingered, and the sun blazed overhead. Qi Qiao stood among the new students waiting to register, holding a large suitcase, sweat beading on her forehead. Rows of unfamiliar faces stood in line, nervous but excited. No one dared speak loudly. They only murmured in their hometown dialects to the parents who had come with them. Suddenly, a gasp of admiration rose from the crowd. Qi Qiao turned to follow everyone's gaze and saw a handsome boy with long legs standing beneath the green shade of a plane tree a few meters away. He wore a discreet but expensive outfit of a white shirt and black trousers. His right arm was in a cast and sling, and his face was pale with a sickly look. She thought he was a frail, quiet beauty. The next second, however, she heard him irritably say to the burly man following close behind him: "Quit following me, for fuck's sake. Who brings a bodyguard to school?" Oh, so the frail beauty was fake. He was actually a hot-tempered young master. - Qi Qiao never thought she'd fall for Qi Lingyun, but it happened anyway. He was high above everyone else, a darling of the heavens. While she worried about the exorbitant price of professional equipment, the sums he casually squandered were enough to make anyone's jaw drop. Falling for Qi Lingyun meant going off course for her. - Years later, the two most outstanding students in their year of the directing program had gone in very different directions. One was a top-tier star, the other a genius director with countless awards, a bad reputation, a foul temper, and a perpetual scowl. They reunited at a dinner party. Qi Lingyun looked bored, his face cold. Who knew which fool had upset the young master this time? The actors who had been eager to approach him all thought better of it. Amid the glittering lights and revelry, Qi Lingyun spotted a familiar face. Her red dress swayed, and she shone with every glance. Though they were old classmates, she pretended not to know him. Qi Lingyun took a sip of wine and decided not to leave just yet. To start a conversation, he had his assistant approach her, maintaining his pride and composure. "Go tell her I'd like her to play my leading lady." The assistant said, "Isn't that a little too direct? It's hard to book Teacher Qi Qiao's schedule." Qi Lingyun replied, "We're close. You think I'd ask her the same way I'd ask anyone else?" Less than three minutes later, the assistant returned. "Boss, Teacher Qi says she's... she's not interested. She also said..." "What did she say?" "She said she doesn't know you." Qi Lingyun: ? The man narrowed his eyes, sizing up the graceful figure that had everyone's attention amid the clinking glasses. She didn't know him? Heh. Who was it that used to lie on his back, crying until her eyes were red? [If you're interested, visit my author page and save the novel!] Theme: There's true affection in this world, and true love too.