A Bite of Spring

*The whole novel has been revised, so it differs from pirated copies. Writing is hard work, so please support the official version.

*My next novel, "The Moon in the Pond", is coming soon. Please add it to your library!

1. Qi Jianxun is a powerful figure in the capital's business world. Calm and self-possessed, restrained and steady, he wears silver-rimmed glasses and has a refined, ascetic air.

He attends all kinds of events, always wearing a ring on the ring finger of his left hand.

The whole internet speculates about the ring, but no one has an answer.

Then a magazine gets the chance to interview Qi Jianxun.

The reporter asks on behalf of netizens: "Mr. Qi, this ring on your hand is... ?"

Qi Jianxun looks down at the ring, a smile passing through his eyes. "I'm married. My wife and I were childhood sweethearts."

2. Shi Jiang is a top-tier star in the entertainment industry, with tens of millions of fans. When she debuted, her stunning looks won her countless fans. She spends most of her time filming, working diligently and earning a reputation as a model professional.

But this woman, who practically lives on set 367 days a year, starts taking time off every few days, just three days after a new show begins filming. A paparazzo even catches a glimpse of a diamond ring hanging from the necklace around Shi Jiang's neck.

Netizens speculate: Is she... dating?!!!

3. At a party one time, a tipsy Shi Jiang loops an elegant, pale arm around Qi Jianxun's neck and buries her face in the hollow of his shoulder.

Qi Jianxun puts an arm around her waist and tilts his head to kiss her cheek.

That night, the video spreads wildly online.

Soon after, another video surfaces of Shi Jiang getting into an unfamiliar man's Rolls-Royce when she was in college. People suspect she was being kept as a mistress.

The internet fills with abuse, including filth like "homewrecker" and "seducing a married man."

They both repost the two posts.

Qi Jianxun V: I'm kissing my wife. Got a problem with that?

Shi Jiang V: I'm getting into my husband's car. Got a problem with that?

The whole internet: !!!

Bonus scene:

Shi Jiang has been filming for three months straight without going home.

With Qixi approaching, Qi Jianxun sends her a message: [Are you coming home or not?]

There's nothing explicit in the message. It's very much Qi Jianxun's usual style.

But Shi Jiang knows he's angry.

She asks the director for time off in the middle of the night, and the whole crew starts teasing her.

Shi Jiang laughs. "My husband is throwing a childish tantrum. I have to go placate him."

The whole crew: Stop rubbing it in!

Spoiled and narcissistic vs. refined and elegant

Male lead has a secret crush | Marriage before love

[Blurb finalized on 2021.10.08]

----- "The Moon in the Pond" -----

After a long separation, Chi Yang unexpectedly becomes Yue Cheng's landlord.

The man leans casually against the doorframe, water dripping from the ends of his hair. His eyes lift and slowly sweep over her. Beneath those seemingly indifferent eyes, restrained affection surges.

Yue Cheng's heart skips a beat.

Later, when her studio falls into crisis and Yue Cheng is left penniless, she discusses ending her lease with Chi Yang.

He furrows his brow and says nothing.

Yue Cheng tries to remind him, but the man responds as if making a reasonable suggestion, even though his words leave her no room to refuse. "I'll let you stay in this place for free, and throw in something else for free, too."

Yue Cheng is taken aback. "What?"

"Me." Chi Yang grins, his roguish charm showing through. "Want me?"

#A free apartment and a man thrown in, that's a pretty good deal, right?#

#You wouldn't dare say no, would you?#

#Don't make me beg you.#

Passionate, roguish man X sweet, well-behaved woman

Mutual pining / reunion after years apart / healing

------- "Beauty Mark on My Heart" -------

To avoid a blind date arranged by her mother, Yu Si starts an internship at the Jiang Group before graduating from graduate school.

Jiang Zhixu is the heir to the Jiang Group.

Calm and self-possessed, cool and refined, he's the ideal man countless women in the capital want to marry.

Everyone at the company says President Jiang has had a moonlight he can't forget for years. By coincidence, after Yu Si becomes Jiang Zhixu's assistant, she hears gossip about the moonlight's traits and compares them with her own.

The moonlight has a beauty mark by her eye. Hmm, so does she.

The moonlight has almond-shaped eyes. Hmm, so does she.

The moonlight has natural curls. Hmm, so does she.

After hearing her out, her best friend warns Yu Si: Based on all the domineering CEO substitute romances I've read over the years, you should watch out. Jiang Zhixu might be treating you as a substitute.

Yu Si doesn't take it seriously. "Really?"

Finally, after Jiang Zhixu begins showing a series of unmistakable, flirtatious signs, Yu Si starts to hesitate.

With the principle that life is short and you should enjoy yourself while you can, Yu Si agrees to date Jiang Zhixu.

-

At a party, their business partner hears that President Jiang has won over the moonlight he loved as a young man, and asks, "When do we get to celebrate your wedding?"

Jiang Zhixu takes a sip of wine, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Soon."

When those words reach Yu Si, she packs her things that night, planning to slip away from Jiang Zhixu's apartment.

But the man blocks the door, gripping the handle of her suitcase, veins standing out on the back of his hand. "You're leaving?" He looks at her with restraint, his tone unconsciously wounded. "How can you start a relationship and then abandon me?"

Yu Si, who can't help wondering if she's a heartless woman: ?

Bonus scene:

One day, Yu Si finds a sketchbook in Jiang Zhixu's room.

Every page shows the same girl.

The girl has long, flowing curls like seaweed, a beauty mark at the corner of her eye, and smiling almond-shaped eyes. She rests her chin on her hand and gazes at the birds in the sky.

Yu Si is shocked. Isn't this her in high school?!

She slaps the sketchbook down in front of Jiang Zhixu, folds her arms, and demands, "Explain yourself!"

#The moonlight was me all along#

#I was a substitute for nothing#

#I thought I was a substitute, but you saw me as your moonlight?#

Theme: Building a harmonious marriage together