Private Faith

Shen Ju'an first met Bai Qi in a bar in Los Angeles.

She spoke elegant American English and smoothly helped him out of a jam.

Amid the glittering lights and revelry, she was as immaculate as a lotus untouched by dust.

So he smiled, raised a hand to make the bodyguards who had appeared in the bar disappear back into the shadows, and got up to talk to her. But she only smiled at him, then turned and left with another man.

She linked arms with her boyfriend, and the two were utterly at ease with each other.

--

The second time he saw her was at Liyu Palace, a lavish den of indulgence. At her biological father's request, she had come on a blind date with him.

She no longer remembered him.

Throughout their conversation, she showed not the slightest impatience at being forced into it. Instead, she was gentle and gracious, with a witty turn of phrase. And when he asked to date her, she agreed without hesitation.

So Mr. Shen naively decided she was a kind, easygoing girl.

--

Later, after learning what Bai Qi was really like, Mr. Shen paid the price for that mistaken judgment.

He thought coolly, How could we ever part?

It can only end with one of us dead.

Content warning: Female lead is experienced, male lead is inexperienced. The female lead has a rich romantic history.

The leads are eight years apart.

Updates daily at 6 a.m.

Currently updating: False Devotion

The first time Jiang Jin saw Xie Rongyu was at a dimly lit private club. Amid the clamor, he alone sat quietly with his eyes lowered, sipping tea, completely out of place and radiating loneliness.

She knew his family was on the verge of bankruptcy and his mother was gravely ill, with no hope of recovery.

She walked over and sat beside him. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Jiang Jin's solution was to offer him a marriage contract.

"I'll help you rebuild your life, and I'll divorce you when the time is right. Sign this agreement, and a brilliant future will be yours for the taking."

Golden light seemed to cling to Xie Rongyu's lashes, giving him an almost saintly air. "Why are you helping me?"

Jiang Jin gazed steadily at his face and said nothing.

*

The high society of Licheng all said the Jiang family's young lady must be crazy, spending a fortune to buy a wolf in scholar's clothing. He'd surely repay her kindness by biting her hard one day!

Jiang Jin alone didn't care.

She loved his features, loved seeing him in white shirts and black trousers, and loved the woody scent of his cologne.

On the day of the divorce, Xie Rongyu had already rebuilt his life. He wore a black shirt, and the scent surrounding him was no longer the gentle, woody fragrance she knew.

Seeing how he was dressed, Jiang Jin frowned slightly and spoke gently. "That doesn't look good on you."

Xie Rongyu gripped her wrist and asked coldly, "Because I don't look like him this way, is that it?"

Theme: One heart, one partner, for a lifetime.