Calculated Surrender

Complete.

Ming Gui had never failed to win over a man she set her sights on. Yet the eldest Miss Ming, who had always triumphed in love, fell hard, and for a bodyguard, no less.

No matter how she flirted with him, dropped hints, made her intentions clear, or tried every trick in the book, he refused to take the bait. Cold and distant, he kept her at arm's length.

Ming Gui lost interest and couldn't be bothered to waste any more time playing with him.

But just as she gave up, the bodyguard who had always been so aloof started coming after her instead.

Eventually, Ming Gui got her man. Only after they got together did she gradually realize that her bodyguard was more than he seemed. His coldness had been nothing but a facade.

He Yin kissed her cheek, his low voice full of temptation. "A Gui, like me a little more, won't you?"

He Yin held her close and nuzzled Ming Gui's cheek like a big dog. "A Gui, you smiled at another man today. I'm jealous."

Later, when Ming Gui got tired of the game, she tossed He Yin a bank card and declared that they were over.

He Yin toyed with the card, a smile on his lips. "Sweetheart, you were the one who started this. So you don't get to decide when it ends."

It had all been a trap he had laid with his own hands, waiting for her to fall into it. But in the end, they still parted on less than graceful terms.

Many years later, He Yin was interviewed by foreign media as a successful businessman. The host asked him about his first love.

He Yin smiled, his expression calm and composed, though a businessman's cold ruthlessness flickered across his face.

He said, "Nothing worth mentioning."

He Yin first met Ming Gui at a banquet. She was wearing a scarlet gown, and one glance was all it took for him to keep her in his heart, where she remained for years.

My next book is Moon Doesn't Lie. Please add it to your reading list.

Blurb:

When Chu Yitian first met Su Jingchen, she really didn't like him. Apart from being handsome, he was full of flaws: sharp-tongued, long-winded, always trying to boss her around despite having no connection to her, and a hypocrite to boot.

But love makes no sense. At some point, Chu Yitian began to find her gaze following Su Jingchen wherever he went, and to think of him when the night was still.

Only the moon knows a girl's secrets.

Later, Chu Yitian went out to eat with Su Jingchen and heard one of his rowdy friends tease him. "What's the deal? You take her everywhere. Planning to rob the cradle?"

Su Jingchen lounged in his chair, smiling without a trace of warmth. "She's just a kid. Not my type. Thanks to that bastard Qin Keyin, I've got myself a lot of trouble."

Everyone burst out laughing. Outside the door, Chu Yitian's eyes reddened. So in his eyes, she was nothing but trouble.

Once, Chu Yitian went out with some friends. It was pouring that day, and at the entrance to the mall, she thought about messaging Su Jingchen to come pick her up. She looked up by chance and saw a man and a woman standing side by side in the distance.

The woman had long, softly curled hair and exquisite, radiant features. Every gesture exuded the charm of a mature woman.

Su Jingchen stood beside her, smiling as they chatted. They looked like a perfect match.

At last, Chu Yitian understood that she really wasn't Su Jingchen's type.

She clutched her phone tightly. The message she hadn't finished typing would never be sent.

The rain poured down, and Chu Yitian's vision blurred with tears.

Later, Chu Yitian decided to let go of this secret love, which had withered away before it even began.

Only then did Su Jingchen realize that the girl who had always chattered away in front of him had fallen silent.

He pulled over to the side of the road, restless. With the window half open, he sat there smoking. When he looked up again, he saw the chattering girl in a nearby cafe, happily talking with another boy.

Su Jingchen gritted his teeth in silence.

At sunset, Chu Yitian returned to her apartment, only to be pinned against a wall by the man who had been waiting for her. His eyes were lowered, dark red beneath the lashes. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Chu Yitian wasn't afraid in the slightest. Her doe-like eyes were full of disdain, especially for the smell of smoke on him. "None of your business. I'm trouble, remember? Congratulations, you've gotten rid of me."

So she'd heard him. Su Jingchen sighed softly. "No. Even if you're trouble, I'm happy to have you around. I'm not going to get rid of you."

One day, Chu's mother found Su Jingchen and accused him of breaking the agreement they had made.

Su Jingchen didn't deny it. He knew he was in the wrong. "I'm sorry. I tried, but I couldn't do it."

He couldn't stay away from her. He couldn't reject her. He couldn't stop loving her.

Thesis: Work hard and pursue a relationship built on equality.