A Brazen Trap

Main story complete. Next book: Keeping Roses Hidden He can't win back his wife, so the second male lead takes his place. Arrogant playboy butterfly x dazzling beauty Sheng Mingze is a musical genius, while Xia Qingran is the queen of the red carpet. They're the entertainment industry's golden couple, and they keep a low profile. They've never gone public, but they've never denied their relationship either. Xia Qingran thought he was just trying to protect her, and she was more than happy to play along. "Can you stay and spend my birthday with me?" That was the first time she had ever asked him for anything. But Sheng Mingze only glanced at her before turning to leave, all to keep a promise to his white moonlight, who was afraid of the dark. Only then did Xia Qingran realize she was nothing but a substitute. She slapped him cleanly across the face and ended their three-year relationship. When they met again, she had a willow-slim waist, eyes like rippling water, red lips, and snow-white skin. Even the red dress she wore couldn't outshine her radiance. Sheng Mingze's eyes reddened. At last, late one night, he couldn't resist calling her. His voice hoarse, he said, "Qingran, I wrote you a song. You said you liked hearing me sing, so I..." Before he could finish, a cool, clear male voice came through, sounding rather nonchalant. "Don't wake my girlfriend." - Jing Chen is the youngest Best Actor, having won countless awards abroad. He is uninhibited, arrogant, and full of swagger. As soon as he returned to China, his charming eyes drove countless people wild. They were people who should never have crossed paths, but Jing Chen publicly liked a video from a gossip account claiming Xia Qingran was all looks and no substance. She had never cared much about what people said, but this time she made an exception and fired back: "Likewise." That was how their feud began. Later, they starred in a movie together. In the behind-the-scenes photos, the handsome man and beautiful woman were everything a face-lover could ask for, but the atmosphere was so icy it seemed like they might start fighting at any moment. Then one day, both their names appeared in the announcement for a dating reality show, making them the most unlikely couple in history. Netizen: What kind of battlefield is this? Netizen: My secondhand embarrassment is acting up again. Neither fanbase could stand the other, and they fought every day. One day, the restaurant floor hadn't been dried properly. Xia Qingran slipped and accidentally fell onto Jing Chen's lap. The man who had never paid her any attention now had a smile in his eyes. He steadied her waist with one hand and asked lazily, "Throwing yourself at me? Have you finally decided you like me?" That day, both fanbases were unusually in agreement: It was just for the show! All for the show! But several months after the show ended, Jing Chen forgot to turn off his livestream after his birthday broadcast. Everyone was eagerly hoping to catch a glimpse of his daily life. Suddenly, a woman's voice, sweet and coquettish, scolded him: "Jing Chen! Are you done yet? I told you I have an event tomorrow." "It's not my fault," Jing Chen said lazily, his voice full of laughter. "You were the one who..." His voice faded into the distance. The one who what? What are we fans not allowed to hear? Wait, why does that voice sound so familiar? The next day, red-carpet queen Xia Qingran's look once again went viral. Only this time, in the middle of summer, the scarf around her neck stood out in particular. Coming soon 1: Keeping Roses Hidden When they first met, Chen Ling was trapped outside the dance studio. Suddenly, an umbrella appeared over her head. "Want to share?" Through the rain, she looked at the man holding the umbrella, and her heart seemed to connect with his. "Sure." Lu Sijia was proud and uninhibited, arrogant and unruly, and cold-hearted. But he indulged the little bird he had raised, and wouldn't let anyone else touch her. His little bird was his alone to tease. So even though Chen Ling was once the most promising actress, she stayed a second-tier star because she refused to film kissing scenes. Chen Ling had set a deadline for leaving long ago, but before it arrived, his white moonlight returned. Only then did she understand she had been nothing but a substitute. She left without looking back, leaving behind only a text message: [I'm leaving.] Lu Sijia chuckled when he read it, casually tapping ash from his cigarette. "She'll come back when she gets tired of flying." His friends admired him. As expected of Lu Sijia, he could cut ties just like that after all these years. Truly cold and heartless. When they met again, Chen Ling was filming a kissing scene with someone else. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard, recklessly and cruelly. It should have been a rather romantic scene, but Lu Sijia suddenly let out a muffled groan. The taste of blood spread in his mouth, but he wasn't angry. He lightly licked the corner of his lips with his tongue. "Had enough? Come back with me." "Lu Sijia, I filmed a kissing scene. I kissed someone else." Lu Sijia stifled the urge to kill someone and said in a deep voice, "I don't care." Chen Ling smiled, radiant as a bloodstained rose. "But I don't love you anymore." Lu Sijia, who had always kept his emotions hidden, suddenly had red eyes. He carefully pulled her into his arms and said in a low, trembling voice, "But I've fallen in love with you, Lingling." Coming soon 2: Falling for You Again They reunited in a bar. While playing Truth or Dare, they started talking about what they most wanted to say to an ex. A little tipsy, Yu Shu twirled a curl around her finger and smiled seductively. "Which one?" "The one you can't forget!" A figure suddenly appeared in Yu Shu's mind, still somewhat slender, somewhere between a boy and a man. She had decided in her heart that he counted as an ex-boyfriend, so she wasn't lying about how she felt. "I won't wish him a brilliant future. I'll just wish him peace and happiness." Several people suddenly approached. The man in the middle stood out from the crowd in a perfectly tailored suit. With a crew cut, sharp brows, and bright eyes, he resembled the figure in her memory, yet also felt like a stranger. He walked past her without even glancing her way, as if she were just a stranger. But Yu Shu's gaze followed him against her will. She didn't remember to breathe again until his back disappeared from view. They met again through a business collaboration. She thought they would keep acting like strangers, as though they didn't know each other, until the work was over. Then one day, Huo Sili pinned her against a wall and gripped her chin hard, his whole body bristling with sharp hostility, hatred filling his eyes. "How dare you come back?" Yu Shu only wanted to finish what she had to do here and leave as soon as possible. But then one day, Huo Sili lay in a hospital bed, clutching her hand and pleading with wounded eyes. "Sis, don't leave." Only later did she understand. Making you relive an old dream and leaving you with no way out is a young man's most powerful revenge. Theme: Be your own, one-of-a-kind person