The Moon Had No Light to Begin With

[Physical edition on pre-sale May 3 at 18:00, available on Pinduoduo. For more events, follow Jinjiang Su Qi]

[The companion novel, Folding Paper Stars, is complete. See the blurb at the bottom. Come take a look~]

Blurb:

[Everyone says unrequited love is bittersweet. Mo Mo knows that's true, but the chaos of youth will eventually settle into silence.]

When she was young, there was someone living in Mo Mo's heart. He always wore a cold expression, but sometimes he would smile warmly, little by little becoming part of her ordinary life.

Later, she heard he had a girlfriend. They were the envy of everyone.

The storm of emotions quietly came to an end.

Years later, He Ting is an outstanding architectural designer, renowned in his field. Both clients and contractors are eager to set him up with someone.

Mo Mo is the youngest associate director in the psychiatric department, a beauty on a distant peak whom no one dares pursue. Her family arranges blind dates for her every few days.

They reunite after years apart at a blind date. He Ting asks her, in a cool, distant tone, if she wants to get married.

After weighing it over, Mo Mo sees no reason to refuse. It is only a marriage of convenience to appease their parents.

--

Two months into their marriage, He Ting is still staying at hotels, and they see each other only when necessary.

One night, after drinking at a business dinner, his subordinate asks where he lives. Through bleary eyes, He Ting gives Mo Mo's address.

When Mo Mo opens the door, he leans right into her, rubbing his head against the hollow of her shoulder. The people inside and outside the door stare at each other in surprise.

She doesn't push him away. The half-drunk man is delighted, wrapping both arms around her slender waist. In a rare show of tenderness, he says, "My wife came to pick me up. You can all go home."

The next day, three rumors sweep through the institute:

1. President He is confirmed to be married.

2. President He's wife is as beautiful as a celestial being. No wonder he kept her so well hidden.

3. The He couple are head over heels for each other! The aloof, domineering CEO has become a devoted husband!

[Your presence gives the moon a reason to exist. - He Ting]

[Reading tips]

1. The male lead and his supposed ex-girlfriend are a misunderstanding. Unrequited love + marriage first, love later. One-on-one romance, happy ending.

2. Weibo: Jinjiang Su Qi. Come chat!

3. The title comes from the internet.

[Companion novel: Stars Speak to Me, currently updating]

[Childhood sweethearts: the golden boy and the sweet, gentle girl. Mutual pining, reunion after years apart, marriage first, love later.]

Blurb:

[The golden boy and the sweet, gentle girl. Childhood sweethearts, unrequited love turned real, marriage first, love later.]

Blurb:

--There's someone in this world, living in my brilliant youth

In her first year of high school, folding paper stars became a trend. You folded your feelings into stars, one by one, and gave 1,314 of them to the boy you liked. Then your wish would come true.

Jiang Mo was no exception. Every night, after finishing her homework, she hid beneath her covers and folded stars.

At last, she had folded all 1,314, only to see the boy next door she liked accept someone else's.

The paper stars that held a young girl's feelings, along with more than ten years of unrequited love, were hidden away in an unseen corner of her heart.

Years later, after returning to China, Jiang Mo is an unremarkable university lecturer, while He Xingchen has become a sought-after cardiac surgeon at First Affiliated Hospital. He is still just as far out of reach.

She never imagined they would meet again, much less that they would get married.

He Xingchen was the one who proposed, just after the anesthesia wore off from the appendectomy she had undergone alone.

He said, "Jiang Mo, will you marry me?"

--

In all the years he has worked at First Affiliated Hospital, Dr. He has never had a woman by his side. He's aloof and chaste. A god in the operating room, and a god outside it, too. His colleagues are all curious about who will eventually win the heart of this beauty on a distant peak.

One day, after several surgeries in a row, a pretty, sweet young woman comes to bring Dr. He a meal, saying she's family. When she smiles, a pair of shallow dimples appear in her cheeks. She's adorable.

His colleagues assume she's another admirer pursuing Dr. He and stop her at the door.

When the real deal appears, a colleague awkwardly tries to explain: "Dr. He, you have a younger sister?"

He Xingchen takes the aggrieved girl by the hand, interlaces their fingers, and carefully draws her into his arms.

The proud man's expression darkens slightly. He looks over at them and says in a low voice, "She's not my sister. She's my wife."

Everyone is left speechless.

--

He Xingchen has known since he was old enough to understand that Jiang Mo would become his wife.

In this life, from first unsteady steps to gray hair, from childhood sweethearts to forever, it will always be you.

[Key point: The first third is childhood sweethearts in school; the final two-thirds is urban marriage first, love later.]

[Quiet, gentle university lecturer vs. aloof, chaste cardiac surgeon.]

[No romance before adulthood. There is a misunderstanding, but it's nothing major.]

[The opening lyrics in the blurb are from Karen Mok's "So Many People in This World"]

Theme: Love may be cautious, but you must also be brave.