Falling by Habit [Rekindled Love]

Clear-eyed beauty x powerful man from Beijing's elite circle: The powerful one bows his head / instinctive attraction

Gu Qingcen is the heir to one of Beijing's prominent families. Born to stand above the clouds, he's a master strategist in business and distant and indifferent in his dealings with people. Everyone says he has no weaknesses, and he believes it himself.

Until Jin He appeared.

He taught her the art of manipulation, the rules of the game, and how to plan each step.

And she liked teasing him under the table, watching him keep his desires in check all day, only to corner her at the door that night, grip her wrist against the wall, and claim her frantically.

Their relationship ended without warning.

Jin He broke things off abruptly, left the country, and disappeared without a trace.

That night, Gu Qingcen drank until he vomited blood and was taken to the hospital.

In the five years that followed, no one dared mention her name in front of him.

*

Jin He never imagined she'd run into Gu Qingcen on her first day back in the country.

At a banquet, she was discussing a business deal when the other person suddenly paused and looked past her shoulder. "Wasn't Ms. Jin an assistant to Mr. Gu?"

Jin He turned around.

Gu Qingcen had entered at some point. He stood ramrod straight, the center of attention.

Someone laughed as they introduced them. "Mr. Gu, this is Ms. Jin. Do you know her?"

Gu Qingcen looked up, his gaze passing coolly over her face. His thin lips parted. "I don't remember her."

*

Later, Jin He went to the southern islands on a business trip and ran into a senior she'd met in London.

They hit it off, unaware that someone nearby had seen the whole thing.

When Jin He returned to the hotel, she saw Gu Qingcen standing in the corridor with half a glass of red wine in his hand. She had no idea how long he'd been there.

"Having a good time?"

Gu Qingcen's tone was mild, as if he were just asking casually.

Before Jin He could answer, he planted a forceful kiss on her.

Jin He struggled and slapped Gu Qingcen.

Gu Qingcen wasn't even angry. He turned his head toward Jin He and gave her a mocking smile. "Jin He, why don't you use me again, like you did five years ago?"

Jin He stepped back. "Gu Qingcen, we have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"Then let's make it so we do."

Gu Qingcen closed in on her, step by step. "Marry me. Name your terms."

Jin He looked up at Gu Qingcen.

His expression was calm, his eyes cold as still water.

Jin He's body trembled. "You're insane."

Gu Qingcen gave a cold laugh. "I must be insane to want you."

*

One night after their wedding, Jin He couldn't resist, and she and Gu Qingcen made love until dawn.

The next day, while her husband was still asleep beside her, she used a team-building event as an excuse to run away.

But Gu Qingcen still came after her.

That evening, they were soaking in a hot spring, surrounded by swirling mist.

Jin He leaned against the edge of the pool with her eyes closed. She heard the gentle splash of water, and the next moment, warm breath brushed her ear.

"A-He."

Gu Qingcen's voice was low and husky.

Jin He opened her eyes abruptly.

He was very close, the corners of his eyes red, silently gazing at her with amber eyes.

The steam blurred their outlines.

Gu Qingcen reached out beneath the water and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. He rested his forehead against her shoulder.

"A-He, look at me. Please."

[Bonus Scene]

One day, Jin He angrily demanded a divorce, turned off her phone, and ran to a bar.

Somehow, Gu Qingcen found her. His expression was gloomy.

He dragged Jin He into the car, gripped her wrist, and took out a pair of silver handcuffs. He cuffed one end to her wrist and the other to his own.

Jin He froze for a second, then tugged at the cuffs. "Gu Qingcen!"

Gu Qingcen bit her earlobe.

"A-He, I'm not a good man."

"You provoked me, so now you have to own it."

Reading Guide:

1. Neither lead is perfect. This is primarily a push-and-pull romance between adults, with instinctive attraction.

3. The female lead has her own career storyline.

4. One-on-one, both leads are each other's first and only, happy ending.

Coming next: My Crush Is My Biggest Fan

Everyone knows that Meng Xingyao has a fan who's always been there for her.

When she was still an unknown dancer in an ensemble, this fan took the photo that made her go viral. After she became famous, the fan also used airtight logic to defend her against haters.

But on the night Meng Xingyao won a national award, Beijixing's account stopped updating, never to be heard from again.

Netizens guessed Beijixing had stopped being a fan, but Meng Xingyao was certain they'd come back.

*

The new dance drama was being filmed in the desert when a sudden sandstorm stranded Meng Xingyao and cut off her contact with her colleagues.

With the sand blotting out the sun and no sense of direction, she nearly thought she would die there. But just before she passed out, she saw a familiar face.

When she woke up, Meng Xingyao found herself in a crude tent.

The moment the lights came on, she saw a face she hadn't seen in years.

Xie Guiyu.

The brilliant boy from high school she'd secretly admired throughout her youth.

Now he was in charge of an archaeological research team.

Without expression, he handed her an opened bottle of water. His gaze passed over her sand-covered face, and he said flatly, "How do I keep running into you every time you get yourself into this kind of mess?"

*

Meng Xingyao thought her story with Xie Guiyu ended with that sandstorm in the desert.

Until she ran into him carrying grocery bags in the elevator of her new home.

She'd expected them to act like civilized adults.

But Meng Xingyao soon realized something was off about Xie Guiyu.

He said he didn't care, yet he'd turn on the hallway lights before she came home late from work, carry her to the hospital when she was sick, and conveniently buy an extra serving whenever she mentioned wanting dessert from a neighboring city.

Then one day, during a heavy rainstorm, a dull thud came from Xie Guiyu's apartment.

Meng Xingyao pushed open the door and saw Xie Guiyu lying on the floor, blood seeping from his temple.

When she went to the bedroom to get the first-aid kit, she caught sight of the photo frame on his bedside table. Inside was a picture of the two of them together in high school.

As her heart skipped a beat, the screen of Xie Guiyu's forgotten tablet suddenly lit up.

A familiar ID appeared in a Weibo notification:

@Beijixing

*

Xie Guiyu is the youngest specially appointed professor in the archaeology department. He's aloof and taciturn, but so good-looking that his lectures are always packed.

During a livestreamed public lecture, he accidentally switched to his personal computer while projecting his screen.

Instead of a PowerPoint about an archaeological site, the screen was suddenly filled with high-resolution wallpapers of Meng Xingyao.

The whole internet erupted.

Who could have guessed that the stone-faced archaeological expert had Meng Xingyao as his desktop wallpaper?!

As everyone stared at him, he calmly pushed up his glasses and said, "I've been looking at her for years. I'm used to having her on my desktop."

Bonus Scene:

One day after they became a couple, Meng Xingyao suddenly remembered something. She tilted her head at Xie Guiyu, who had just come out of the bathroom.

"You're Beijixing."

"So does that mean I'm... sleeping with a fan now?"

Xie Guiyu froze and went silent for three seconds.

Then, without changing his expression, he walked over, wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her against him, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"No."

"This is a fan appreciation perk."

Theme: Love turns cliffs into level ground and makes forests grow