The Perfect Delusion

[Completed] The update notice means I'm fixing typos.

[Weibo: @Ran Jing'er. My next novel will be When the Fireworks Fall or Waiting for Snow. Visit my author page to see them.]

"After a long, hopeless wait, love will finally be answered."

1.

Throughout high school, Chu Ying and Fu Chaoyu barely knew each other beyond being classmates.

Seven years later, the two, who had had nothing to do with each other since graduation, met again at a class reunion.

By then, word had spread throughout their old classmates that Chu Ying's family had gone bankrupt and her love life was a mess.

The cruel reality drove her to drink herself senseless. When she woke the next morning, a stern-faced man was lying beside her.

Fu Chaoyu.

His expression was cool and distant, nothing like the gentle man she dimly remembered kissing her the night before.

He reached out and lightly caressed her cheeks, his face expressionless as he said:

"Think about whether you want to..."

"Marry me."

2.

After they married, Fu Chaoyu gave Chu Ying anything she asked for, but he remained distant and aloof toward her.

Especially the way he looked at her, as if she owed him tens of millions and refused to pay him back.

And, well, she really did owe him.

Chu Ying thought their lukewarm married life would carry on like that forever, until one day she uncovered a secret Fu Chaoyu had kept buried in his heart for years.

And that secret had everything to do with her.

After giving it a great deal of thought, Chu Ying handed him divorce papers, unilaterally.

It was the first time she had ever seen the usually composed man lose control.

"Chu Ying." Fu Chaoyu's eyes reddened as he lifted her chin, his voice painfully hoarse. "Stay by my side."

Tips:

* Told from the heroine's perspective: a marriage before love. From the hero's perspective: a long, long unrequited love.

* A slow-burn story about healing and redemption.

My next novel, When the Fireworks Fall:

01.

Shen Xingmo fell in love with Ji Ze at first sight, but wasted two years before realizing what a loser he was.

On New Year's Eve, Shen Xingmo crouched beneath a tree, crying over her broken heart.

She looked up, and a long-fingered hand reached out to her.

Its owner was Cong Ye, her dangerously charming childhood friend.

Cong Ye stood over her in a black flight suit and asked teasingly, "Princess Shen, why are you crouching here all by yourself?"

Seeing her tear-blurred eyes, he froze for a moment. "What's wrong?"

The countdown ended just then, and fireworks lit up the city sky.

Beneath the swaying shadows of the trees, Cong Ye raised a hand and wiped away Shen Xingmo's tears.

His bold smile blurred in the darkness.

"It's no big deal. I'll deal with him for you. Don't cry."

02.

Shen Xingmo and Cong Ye had known each other since childhood. They'd never gotten along, but after that night of fireworks, they began a relationship on paper.

Her goal was simple: make Ji Ze regret losing her.

Because Cong Ye was taller, better-looking, and richer than Ji Ze.

They played the loving couple so naturally that neither of them took the act to heart.

Until one day at a party, Cong Ye lost a game and chose a dare.

In the dim, smoky private room, Cong Ye raised his hand and pressed a fingertip to Shen Xingmo's lips.

Amid the uproar, he grinned nonchalantly and leaned toward her.

With everyone watching, he cupped her face.

Then he kissed his own fingertip.

03.

Later, Ji Ze did indeed come to his senses.

Shen Xingmo laughed nonstop as she read aloud the string of messages Ji Ze had sent, trying to win her back.

Cong Ye scoffed, turned his phone facedown, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Want to choose him?"

Shen Xingmo smiled without answering and curled her arms around his neck.

"The sparks of love kindled by fireworks don't die when they fall."

Theme: Waiting and staying true, while becoming a better version of yourself