Crimson Dawn

The story is complete. Please leave a five-star rating! Print edition in progress: @MengWuyueYueyue

[Ten-year age gap, both each other's first love, devoted and principled male lead, gentle, mutually healing, sweet everyday romance.]

[Next up: the older-sister/younger-brother romance "Late Lantern" and the campus-to-city romance "Summer Crush". Please add them to your collection!]

[All my works are registered for copyright protection as soon as they begin serialization. Please refrain from copying or plagiarizing. :)]

Beijing's elite business world x gentle and considerate

She stumbled into a dazzling dream, but your love for me was the only real thing.

Ye Fei met Li Xiannan in an unfamiliar city.

At the time, her life was a complete mess.

A tall, slender man leaned against a streetlamp, turning his head to light a cigarette. His profile was aloof and refined, his sharply tailored wool coat lending him an air of effortless elegance that was impossible to forget.

Noticing her gaze, he smiled and invited her to dinner.

"Join me?"

His thoughtfulness and perfectly measured gentleness drew her in.

Before graduating from university, Ye Fei chose her studies over a relationship in which he had never said he loved her, and went to another city as an exchange student.

When Li Xiannan woke up, he picked up the end of the silk scarf she had left behind and breathed in its scent. Suddenly, he felt deeply unwilling to let her go.

-

Unexpectedly, they met again the very next day at a professor's family dinner.

The professor introduced them. "Feifei, this is Mr. Li, the investor in your project."

The man smiled faintly, his gaze still resting tenderly on her face, his eyes as gentle as ever.

After dinner, Ye Fei went out to the terrace for some air. Suddenly, she remembered a night when she had only caught a cold and developed a fever. He had thrown on his dressing gown and taken her to the hospital, even stopping to buy her a late-night snack on the way. This usually dignified man had then focused on peeling crab for her.

She was lost in thought for a moment when Li Xiannan appeared behind her.

A white silk scarf was looped around his long, clean fingers. He said nothing, his eyes filled with dark desire fixed on her face, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips. "Feifei, you really are ruthless. You ran so far away. How could you bear to leave me?"

He was cool and cultured in public, yet behind closed doors he showered her with devoted indulgence every day and did whatever she asked.

-

Rumors spread that Li Xiannan had a new woman by his side: young, beautiful, and delicate. Mr. Li had spent lavishly to buy her a detached apartment in the city and personally drove her everywhere.

Hearing the gossip, Li Xiannan only smiled. "You shouldn't spread stories like that. She's shy and doesn't like noise. I'm the one pursuing her. If I tell her I like her, I have to show some sincerity."

-

"I don't like being out in the wind, but I love being with you. Whether we're out in the wind or not doesn't matter anymore. I mean, anything is fine as long as I'm with you. Feifei, you have my heart, and you're the only one I favor."

Li Xiannan never once said, "I love you," but his love was woven into every little thing, leaving no room for doubt.

In an age when love rises and falls with the wind, I offer you all my sincerity and honesty. You are my forever.

*

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, be passionate, burn bright,

so you won't lose yourself in a commonplace love.

Down-on-her-luck, clearheaded beauty x refined, gentle old fox

Reader's guide:

1. Both each other's first love, happily ever after. All cities and places in the story are fictional and should not be associated with reality.

2. Ten-year age gap, 22 and 32.

3. "Do not go gentle into that good night" is a line by Dylan Thomas.

4. A gentle, sweet age-gap romance.

[5] The male lead is exceptionally devoted and principled. There are no ex-girlfriends, unrequited first loves, fiancées, or anything of the sort. He is 32 and has kept himself pure because he respects love. This is absolutely a devoted, principled male lead, emphasized in bold. It's simply a matter of personal taste: I only like devoted, principled male leads. There is no groveling arc, and the female lead is never the only one making an effort. This is also a gentle, everyday sweet romance. There is no groveling arc, and I never write male leads who have had previous partners. Please don't come into the comments to complain that it isn't angsty or insist on comparing it to real life. This is a mutually sweet romance.]

[Please refrain from disruptive comments of any kind.]

To emphasize: there are truly no other female or male supporting characters in the story. A devoted, principled male lead means he always maintains his integrity. He was already devoted and principled before meeting the female lead, and becomes even more so afterward. He puts her first, cherishes his wife and daughter, watches his words and actions, remains faithful, and is humble and dependable. There are no other female characters at all, and the female lead never suffers a single grievance. It's simply a story about two people falling in love.

If devoted, principled romance isn't for you, just close the page. Don't come here picking fights over what is realistic. The world is vast; if you don't like it, move on. I hope you find a story you enjoy. Don't come here saying devoted, principled men aren't realistic. You can insult me all you want, but I'll keep writing devoted, principled male leads. Even if I die, I'll still write them. Thank you.

* Completed mutual-healing age-gap romance: "Magpies in Spring"

* Completed childhood friends, both pursuing each other: "Anonymous Love Letter"

* Completed marriage-first, love-later everyday sweet romance: "A Flutter at Dawn"

* Completed urban romance with mutual flirtation: "A Love Note"

* Completed healing, tragic ending: "Late Stars on a Winter Night"

* Completed reunion after a secret crush, with mutual healing: "Butterflies After the Rain"

--Next up: "A Flutter at Dawn". Please add it to your collection!--

[Launching January 1 at 18:00]

[Love After Marriage]

Gentle university student x refined, gentle older man

[Ten-year age gap / devoted, principled male lead / all-sweet post-marriage daily life]

When Ruan Nian married Liang Xiwen, it was only the third time the two of them had met, and the circumstances were as dramatic as ever.

She had little standing in the Ruan family and was a poor little thing raised by her grandmother.

The Ruan and Liang families had arranged their engagement long ago. Unfortunately, her fiancé was a notorious playboy, and she had to clean up his messes for him.

One day, entertainment reporters photographed her fiancé going in and out of a hotel with a famous model. Ruan Nian helplessly tried to explain herself outside when a black Bentley pulled up in front of the hotel. The man who stepped out was handsome and refined, with a crisp shirt, dark suit, and mature, distinguished air. He was her fiancé's uncle, Liang Xiwen.

He only smiled faintly. "Go get some rest. I'll take care of this."

By evening, the Liang family mansion was brightly lit.

Her fiancé swore he would never give up his freedom. The old master of the Liang family was so furious that his blood pressure spiked, and the whole family was in an uproar.

Ruan Nian sat nervously in the rosewood living room while Liang Xiwen calmly brewed tea by the coffee table. She sneaked a glance at him. He was as composed and elegant as a bright breeze beneath a clear sky, and the wrist showing beneath his shirt was seductively alluring.

A few seconds later, he handed her a cup of hot tea. "The Civil Affairs Bureau opens at eight tomorrow morning. Shall I come pick you up?"

-

Ruan Nian thought this was a business marriage and that there wouldn't be much emotion involved.

She had only heard that Liang Xiwen came from a prominent family, had spent years building a business overseas, and was devoted to his career. He seemed like a man who kept others at arm's length.

Ruan Nian carefully maintained a proper "business partnership" with him. He was ten years older than her, steady and dependable, and impossible for her to read, so she naturally kept her expectations low.

Then one day, she was astonished to realize that he had accurately remembered her birthday, their wedding anniversary, and even her irregular menstrual cycle...

One night, Ruan Nian suddenly sensed that something was off. Liang Xiwen was far too attentive and indulgent toward her.

Ruan Nian hesitated for a few seconds. "Liang Xiwen, do we have a post-marriage agreement?"

The man had just come out of the bathroom and was standing in front of the mirror, his deep-set features slightly damp. He asked gently, "For example?"

Nervously averting her gaze, Ruan Nian said, "For example, does it specify... how many years the agreement lasts?"

Liang Xiwen smiled but said nothing.

After night fell, Ruan Nian was nearly asleep when she suddenly felt him pull her into his arms. His warm breath carried the cool, sensual scent of incense. "Is there anything I've done in this marriage that has made you unhappy? Tell me, and I'll be more careful from now on."

-

"I hope marriage will never feel like a constraint to you. I hope it will be your sanctuary, a promise that there will always be someone supporting you from behind and loving you as an equal by your side. I hope it will always be a home where you can let your guard down and rest."

Whenever Ruan Nian thought he was busy, Liang Xiwen was using every spare moment to think about how to love her.

Before Ruan Nian even understood what marriage meant, Liang Xiwen had already made all her fantasies about marriage and romance come true.

Reader tips:

1. Devoted, principled male lead, both each other's first love, happily ever after, ten-year age gap.

2. Everyday post-marriage romance, pure sweetness, no female supporting characters.

[There are no female supporting characters at all, no first loves, ex-girlfriends, fiancées, or anything similar. The male lead is devoted and principled, respects love, and has always maintained his integrity. If you don't like this, click away and don't make disruptive comments or compare it to reality. This is simply a gentle, everyday sweet romance.]

Screenshots taken on November 16, 2021, and revised on July 5, 2022. Both have been uploaded and archived.

Theme: Love is respect and loyalty.