Thorny Rose [Crime Investigation]

Currently updating: You Should Call Me Uncle, a historical romance. Check it out in my author page if you're interested.

Blurb:

[Solving cases and falling in love, a romance wrapped in a crime-investigation story]

Tough-as-nails undercover captain with a gentle side X coolheaded, clever forensic doctor

*

That midsummer, Sheng Fang met the person who would dazzle her throughout her youth.

But the young man's name also became her biggest secret.

When they first met, Wei Chao was still full of youthful energy. Though he looked cool and distant, whenever danger arose, he would gallantly shield her behind him.

Even though they were only strangers who had happened to cross paths.

One rainy night, Wei Chao was being chased by someone when, by pure chance, he stumbled into Sheng Fang's courtyard. She took the opportunity to shelter him.

*

Sheng Fang saw Wei Chao for the second time at Guoqing Temple.

That day, Wei Chao wore a white shirt.

He knelt devoutly on a prayer cushion, sunlight falling on him. From a distance, even his silhouette seemed sacred.

But when he turned around, his gaze passed straight over her as if he didn't know her at all.

Even when the people with him made lewd remarks to her, he didn't stop them. Instead, he looked at her with the same lazy, flirtatious gaze.

This Wei Chao felt like a stranger to Sheng Fang.

As Sheng Fang descended the steps, she carelessly stepped on some moss.

Just as she was about to fall, Wei Chao suddenly appeared again and caught her around the waist.

A plum branch tore his sleeve, and only then did Sheng Fang see that his left arm was covered in tattoos.

She caught a glimpse of densely inked thorny vines on his arm.

Before Sheng Fang could get a better look, Wei Chao quickly let go of her. His ears reddened as he hid his left arm behind his back, not letting her see it again.

*

During a news case study in class one day, Sheng Fang saw the tattoo design she hadn't gotten a proper look at before.

In a social news clip lasting only 45 seconds, Wei Chao appeared as a drug dealer.

Although the picture was pixelated, Sheng Fang recognized him by his tattooed arm.

The moment she saw the picture, tears streamed down Sheng Fang's face.

His arm bore a blood-red crescent moon, its color bewitching, like fresh blood. Black roses were tattooed all around it. Beneath the thorns was a pair of silver handcuffs.

And her favorite flower was the rose.

Reader's guide:

This story uses a non-linear narrative, with quite a few flashbacks early on. Read with caution if that's not your thing.

This is a 1v1 romance. The leads like each other from the start, but the hero has no choice but to go undercover. The heroine thinks he's a bad person, and they part ways. After they reunite, he begins a long journey to win her back.

Theme: Persevere and strive without ceasing.