A Lovely Time in a Dream

[Complete. Coming soon: A Lifetime of Delusion, a powerful capital tycoon from Beijing's elite circles x a gentle student; The Jerk and the Cactus, a campus and city romance about a reunion after years apart. Blurbs below.]

Blurb:

You Yin was sent to the Xi household at age seven. She learned the piano and painting alongside the Xi family's daughter, growing into a gentle, radiant, and well-mannered young woman.

Before his death, the old master voided his grandson Xi Tingyue's childhood betrothal and arranged for him to marry You Yin.

At last, her secret love came true. You Yin did her best to be a good wife, hoping that someday he would see her good qualities.

Unfortunately, after one year, then two, he still felt nothing for her but a sense of duty.

She could never compare to his friends or his work, nor to his childhood sweetheart who had just returned from abroad. Her love was so cheap she couldn't even bring herself to speak of it.

On the day of the divorce, You Yin remembered the breeze when they first met, gentle and light, lifting her skirt and stirring her heart.

How sad that the dream of loving you woke up in summer.

--

You Yin left her past behind and began living for herself.

Before long, she became a moderately well-known comic artist and was invited to attend a book signing.

Under the spotlights, she was poised and warm, bantering naturally with her fans. She was no longer the girl whose palms sweated with nerves at the sight of a stranger.

Xi Tingyue walked toward her step by step, and people who recognized him automatically cleared a path.

The heir to the Xi family, aloof and proud, able to turn the business world upside down with a wave of his hand. Everyone feared him.

People whispered, wondering why such a distinguished man had shown up.

Then he stopped in front of You Yin, his voice gentle and restrained. "Yinyin."

You Yin looked up. Surprise flashed in her clear eyes, then she smiled sweetly. "Sir, you can't cut in line."

Xi Tingyue knew his comeuppance had arrived.

--

There was only one exception in Xi Tingyue's orderly life: a girl who had suddenly entered his world on a midsummer afternoon.

But he had lost her.

"A beautiful time in a dream, known only to the courtyard flowers and the moon."

#Age-gap groveling arc

#They really divorce, happy ending

1. Coming soon: A Lifetime of Delusion

Blurb:

Her parents have been framed and are trapped in a quagmire. Ding Hao has nowhere left to turn.

A cold wind sweeps the rain around. A black Maybach stops in front of the young woman trying to flag down a car, splashing water over her white skirt and leaving it mottled with stains.

Ding Hao sets aside all her pride and bites her lower lip. "Mr. Qin, please help me."

Qin Jingmo, head of the Qin family in the capital, is elegant and distinguished, powerful and influential. Everyone gives him a wide berth.

The car window slowly rolls down. The proud man turns the ring on his little finger and studies her without haste. The young woman's face is still youthful and her figure soft, yet she carries herself with a defiant pride. He gives a quiet sneer. "That's not how you ask someone for help."

--

Ding Hao devotedly stayed by Qin Jingmo's side for three years. She's tired and wants to leave.

She waits until he's in a good mood to ask, "I'd like to study abroad. Would that be all right?"

Qin Jingmo smiles warmly, his palm gently stroking her cheek, while his ring rubs painfully against her skin. He leans down and answers beside her ear. "You can."

Ding Hao is surprised he agreed, but she's delighted, too.

--

Everyone in their circle knows Qin Jingmo has a young woman at home. She has no official title, but no one dares look down on her. She's the person dearest to the head of the Qin family, and for her, he's even opened an office in the UK.

The foggy city has plenty of drizzle. Ding Hao strolls through the streets, more relaxed than ever, with freedom in the air around her.

Then Qin Jingmo arrives with an umbrella. He lifts its edge, his eyes veiled in mist, dark as lacquer and ink, just as they were when they first met.

"Ding Hao, will you marry me?"

He pulls her into his arms and pours out the longing engraved in his bones.

Once your heart is moved, you dare to dream of a lifetime.

A powerful capital tycoon from Beijing's elite circles x a gentle student

2. Coming soon: The Jerk and the Cactus, campus and city romance, reunion after years apart

Blurb:

Zhou Muqi is a famous hotshot at Xinting County No. 1 High School: a cocky, handsome troublemaker, wild and reckless. He's always late because he oversleeps, but even the dean can't do anything about him. After all, he's the only student in years at the school with a shot at Peking or Tsinghua.

At the start of senior year, a new girl transfers into his class. Her name is Xu Wan. She's pretty, gentle, and, most importantly, has the grades to get into either Peking or Tsinghua.

From then on, Zhou Muqi is no longer the top dog.

When the dean orders him to write his third self-criticism, he sneaks out and calls to a girl in a white dress passing outside the window.

The girl has graceful features and an innocent look. Zhou Muqi curls his lips in disdain. "You dare compete with me? Whoever comes first in the midterms wins."

"What are we competing in?"

"You decide."

"The loser has to be the winner's dog."

"Deal."

Two months later, Zhou Muqi loses. He leaves the last math problem blank and writes only 300 words for his essay. He spends a year being her dog, then she leaves without looking back.

They meet again at a class reunion. By then, he's a rising star in architectural design with a bright future, while she's a frontline reporter at a television station who has been sidelined. Their lives are worlds apart, and they have nothing to do with each other.

Zhou Muqi sits in a corner of the private room, lounging lazily, his gaze wild and defiant, a glowing red ember flickering between his fingers.

People greet each other noisily. Someone bumps his shoulder. "Hey, Xu Wan. Remember the girl who beat you to first place?"

Zhou Muqi looks away, the liquid in his glass gently sloshing. He says carelessly, "Don't remember her."

But she sits down beside him. No longer a shy girl, she is poised and self-assured. "Zhou Muqi, long time no see."

He glances at her, pushes the dice in front of him, and speaks in a challenging tone. "Dare to compete with me again?"

"Sure. What's the wager?"

"If you lose, you kiss me."

The atmosphere turns hazy. In a secluded corner, Zhou Muqi pins her against the edge of the sofa and kisses her until she can barely breathe.

People say Xu Wan is a cactus covered in soft fuzz and prickles. Zhou Muqi doesn't believe it. Even when he's covered in wounds from her thorns, he still waits for the day the cactus blooms.

Whenever he meets her, he always loses completely.

#The blurb has been changed, but the story is still the same. Nothing has changed.

20230828

Theme: Love and growth