Even If My Love Runs Deep

[Print edition preorders open December 17 at 7:30 p.m. Find me on Weibo: @Mu Yu Yuan] [The sequel, Melt Into My Heart, is listed on my profile] Jiang Zhili is the envy of everyone in Jiangcheng. Born into a wealthy family and blessed with striking looks, her bright, captivating fox eyes make her the most dazzling rose of all. Then one day, her fiance cheats on her with her own cousin, and her family’s business empire teeters on the brink of collapse. Someone tells her that Fu Beichen has returned. At Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, with all eyes on him at the assembly platform, the young and spoiled Jiang Zhili made a vow on a bet: she would bring the aloof, untouchable beauty down from his pedestal. The untouchable beauty discovered the full range of human emotions, but the one responsible, Jiang Zhili, disappeared without a second thought. When they meet again, their positions have completely reversed. The once-cool young man has become a major figure in the business world, someone others can only look up to from afar. To protect her family’s business, Jiang Zhili has no choice but to “accidentally wander” into her ex-boyfriend’s presidential suite. She sways her slender waist, blinks her pair of flirtatious, alluring fox eyes, and speaks with an innocent air. “Mr. Fu, your place is so big. Aren’t you afraid to live here alone?” “?” It isn’t until she sees the acquisition agreement on his desk that Jiang Zhili finally stops smiling. Leaning against the edge of the desk, the man looks at her with cold detachment, as if he doesn’t know her at all. At last, he scoffs. “Why should I spare the Jiang family and give up hundreds of millions in profit for nothing?” On the worst day of her life, rain pours down in torrents, the kind that couldn’t revive even cold ashes. Just as Jiang Zhili is about to fall into utter despair, a black Maybach pulls up slowly. The window rolls down, revealing a familiar face. “Get in.” His tone is as cold as ever. Jiang Zhili lowers her head to hide the corners of her mouth lifting. Her frail shoulders tremble slightly, making her look so pitiful. Then he hands her a marriage agreement. * After she left without a word, Jiang Zhili always thought he hated her to the bone. Everyone thought so. Until one day, the truth came to light. Their long-awaited reunion had been carefully arranged by him. Everything was to make her come back to him. She saw the first necklace she had designed herself. It had once been sold at a high price to an overseas buyer, but now it lay quietly in his study. It turned out his love was deep yet burning, and had always left traces. “Fu Beichen, you lost again,” Jiang Zhili said through tears. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his voice hoarse as he asked with a soft laugh, “Have I ever won with you, all these years?” “I’m used to it. I’ve accepted it.” - “What you think is a chance encounter may be someone else’s long-planned design.” “Time waits for no one. I’m the one waiting for you.” - I’ll Wait for You at the End of Time * Rekindled love / long-planned reunion / mutual devotion Sweet romance / both leads’ first love / old-school CEO romance / melodrama Note: The heroine had a reason for leaving back then. It wasn’t for no reason. The hero never did anything to hurt her, and he didn’t bankrupt her family. Neither of them ever toyed with the other’s feelings. *Please don’t accuse me of plagiarism without evidence. The upcoming novel Melt Into My Heart is also on my profile. Feel free to add it to your reading list! Blurb: Coming next Icy hero * coquettish heroine Childhood friends / marriage before love / mutual secret crush Blurb: As the cherished little princess of the Fu family, Fu Sili grew up spoiled. She was proud and lovely, adored by everyone. Except for Pei Shiyin, who never gave her an inch. After that, she became Pei Shiyin’s little tagalong, trotting after him all day and calling him Brother Shiyin. On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, Fu Sili decided to confess her feelings, only to overhear a conversation around the corner. Someone teased him, “Little Sili is an adult now. When are you planning to get engaged?” Fu Sili held her breath, and then heard Pei Shiyin’s cold, emotionless voice. “Don’t talk nonsense. She’s just my little sister.” Her young heart was doused in cold water, leaving nothing behind. With red eyes, Fu Sili blocked Pei Shiyin’s calls and WeChat, then went abroad. * But Fu Sili never expected that one day, by a twist of fate, she would still end up marrying Pei Shiyin. Because of their studies, they lived apart after getting married. Fu Sili wanted to end their marriage of celibate separation, and finally worked up the courage to ask for a divorce. When she saw the eight-carat pink diamond ring the man had offered her first, its dazzling beauty short-circuited her thoughts for a moment. It took all she had to stand firm. She forced herself to look away, trying to resist the temptation before her. “Let’s get divorced.” The man considered this for a moment, and, unusually, furrowed his brow. After a long silence, he seemed to come to a decision, and his brow relaxed. “Is the diamond too small?” “...” - One day, a series of photos from a business forum spread all over the internet. In the pictures, the man was impeccably dressed, cool and distinguished, but one detail stood out as unusual. Netizens erupted. Some curious onlookers even dug up close-up shots and discovered that beneath the business magnate’s watch was a butterfly tattoo, its wings poised to flutter away. Black lines appeared and disappeared across his pale, lean wrist, strikingly at odds with his reserved, detached aura. The tattoo happened to cover his pulse, making it inexplicably sensual and alluring, inviting speculation. More people became convinced by rumors of a wealthy marriage on the rocks. After all, according to online gossip, the stage name of the CEO’s beloved white moonlight just happened to include the character for “butterfly.” The rumors grew wilder and wilder, until, between interviews, a host asked the question everyone online cared about most. The man’s answer stunned the entire internet. “It has nothing to do with her.” Beneath the spotlight, the wedding ring still gleamed on his long, well-defined fingers. He said calmly, “My wife likes it.” - Fu Sili had always mistakenly believed that the night that led to their marriage was the result of Pei Shiyin getting drunk and making a mistake. She had no idea he could hold his liquor effortlessly, even after he came of age. Pei Shiyin, meanwhile, had once thought of her as nothing more than a childhood playmate. It was only when he resorted to unscrupulous tactics to make her marry him that he finally understood. He had loved her since childhood, before he even knew what love was. “You’re the butterfly resting on my pulse.” Theme: “In my barren land, you are the last rose.” - Pablo Neruda