Out of Control in Marriage

[Next up: Thinking of You at First Snow and Don't Let the Gods Know. Please add them to your reading list!] Marriage first, love later / Secret crush turns mutual / Five-year age gap Gentle white rabbit * cold, aloof fox Three years later, Jiang Yan ran into Lin Lie at the airport. The man had a face made for breaking hearts. His peach-blossom eyes seemed full of affection no matter whom he looked at, and his every gesture carried an air of pride. Sitting across from him, she failed to recognize him at first. After all, they had not seen each other since that night. Jiang Yan tentatively asked, “Where's your wedding ring?” He raised his eyes slightly. “You're not wearing yours either.” “...” Then he told her the date they had registered their marriage. She was utterly bewildered, unable to tell if it was true. After all, how could a couple in a fake marriage remember their anniversary? He had already run out of patience. Leaning close to her ear, he spoke with the same seductive, tender tone as that night. “I remember the red mole on your waist.” * Jiang Yan could never tell what lay behind his carefree expression. Instinctively timid, she was afraid of him and had long ago accepted that their marriage would fall apart. But whenever a crisis was brewing, he would rub the wedding ring on his left ring finger and declare in front of everyone, “Miss Jiang's position will never be shaken.” Lin Lie gave her an overwhelming sense of security, indulging her until she was too deeply attached to leave, and could no longer tolerate anyone trying to steal him away. She had been raised like a little princess and grew fragile and dark-hearted after one blow after another. Jiang Yan thought that once he realized she was no longer a kind, innocent little white rabbit, he would despise her and abandon her. She tried to hide herself away, but Lin Lie always pulled her into his arms at once and soothed her. “Don't be afraid.” Only then would Jiang Yan's fear ease. Unbeknownst to her, every night after she fell asleep, he would quietly keep watch over her for a long, long time. Gazing at her peaceful, serene sleeping face was the only way to satisfy his possessiveness. Jiang Yan learned his secret later. Then and now, Lin Lie had made a habit of secretly watching her from afar. He watched her space out, cry, and feel wronged, while his obsessive love grew unchecked. Even though she was his younger brother's childhood sweetheart and the person originally chosen for his arranged marriage, he didn't care. The moment he got the chance, he claimed her for himself. What she thought was the moment she had caused him to fall was actually the moment his dream came true. Every time she blushed and her heart raced because of him, every moment she grew more and more dependent on him, was as sweet as sugar to him. * “My Jiang Yan just doesn't like to talk. There's a lonely island inside her heart. That's all right. I'll always be there for her. One day, the sea will flow into that island, and she'll receive the paper boat I sent her.” Who says he has everything? He still needs to give his Jiang Yan so, so much love. Blurb for the upcoming Thinking of You at First Snow: Cool, carefree little swan * gentle, self-disciplined, well-mannered, famous lawyer [1] Lin Tingmo was the most sought-after man in the circles of Imperial University. His looks and soul were equally pure, and he was so gentle that people hailed him as a once-in-a-century angelic big brother. Countless people wanted to pursue him, and he turned every one of them down with cool indifference. Everyone sighed. What kind of person could possibly win his favor? No one knew that on the night the first snow fell in the imperial capital, he had stood thinly dressed in front of a villa, snow covering his shoulders. His pale, bloodless hand clutched the peace charm she'd given him as he begged again and again: “Jia'en, I miss you so much.” Little did he know, she'd lied to him and gone abroad on vacation. You Jia'en preferred freedom to romance. She had always treated him like an obedient puppy, and loved nothing more than teasing him. She would corner him at a cafe, putting on a cold front while pinning his hand to her thigh beneath the table, then admire his ears turning red and softly torment him: “Well? Isn't sneaking around together exciting?” She loved watching him fall. He mistook her for the one and only. * In the three years after graduation, a case against the entertainment industry's unspoken rules caused a national sensation. On the day the lawsuit was won, countless cameras focused on the youngest lead attorney. The man stood alone in his lawyer's robe, his skin as white as fresh snow and his cool, refined bearing like the finest celadon. That victory made Lin Tingmo famous overnight. At the celebration banquet, he stepped out briefly. When he returned, several suggestive, overlapping kiss marks had appeared on his neck. Everyone was stunned and demanded to know who was responsible. Lin Tingmo replied indifferently, “Just a cat.” Around the corner, You Jia'en had just finished adjusting her dress. “...” She gritted her teeth, wanting to expose his refined scoundrel act. Three minutes earlier, he had clearly pulled her into a corner, slipped his fingers beneath her stockings, and teased her: “Baby, now this is what you call sneaking around.” [2] One day, after finishing a ballet performance, You Jia'en, known as the “little swan of the human world,” was stopped by a suitor. She smiled and said, “But there's someone in my heart.” The suitor replied, “I don't mind that you have a first love. I'm sure spending enough time together will win you over...” Jia'en asked, “What if I can't help going to see him?” Thinking of her powerful family, the suitor said, “That's fine. You can marry me without worry. I'm very open-minded about you having friends.” “Really?” She continued casually, “What if I cheat on you with him? He's really handsome, and I usually can't resist him. Maybe I'll get pregnant one day, and the baby's his...” Before she could finish her nonsense, the car window rolled up and locked. Inside, the man who had pretended to be drunk all the way there snapped, “You Jia'en, you're out of line.” Her eyes lit up, and she threw herself into his arms. “Then tell me yourself, are you going to sleep with me or not?” He was nearly driven mad by her. Turning his head away, he refused to entertain her nonsense. Only his ears grew redder and redder. As he got out of the car and wrapped a scarf around her, he finally answered in a husky voice, “I will.” * “Of course I know Jia'en prefers freedom to being in a relationship. Every time she tricks me, I swear it will be the last time. But then the truth is: I had so much fun with her yesterday, I want to keep playing with her today, and tomorrow I'll go see Jia'en again. The cycle goes on, and I fall for it every day. That's what happens when I love her more.” Theme: Love makes a person one of a kind