The Study of Love Triangles

[The blurb-editing maniac strikes again. Don't read if that bothers you]

1.

In her fifth year with Fu Tingwang, Qiao Zhen met Wen Tingcan, Fu Tingwang's older half-brother.

After five years of breaking up and getting back together, with all their ups and downs, Qiao Zhen finally realized that she and Fu Tingwang had no future.

Qiao Zhen came from a small-town family that prized academic achievement. When she first started dating Fu Tingwang, she had no idea his family was so rich.

Qiao Zhen was sensitive and proud, while Fu Tingwang was arrogant and self-centered. They were alike, but wrong for each other.

Fu Tingwang thought Qiao Zhen was becoming more and more unreasonable. After one argument, they finally broke up.

The day after the breakup, Wen Tingcan knocked on Qiao Zhen's door.

The man's features were strikingly handsome, his gaze deep, but his manner was cold as ice. He looked down at Qiao Zhen and said, "I heard you're single again. Congratulations."

2.

At a party, Wen Tingcan immediately noticed Qiao Zhen sitting alone in a corner, apart from the rest of the world.

She had delicate features and a bright air about her. Wen Tingcan coolly took a couple more looks before finally letting his gaze pass over the unfamiliar woman.

Then his good-for-nothing younger brother led her over. "Bro, this is my girlfriend of five years, Qiao Zhen."

Wen Tingcan gave an indifferent "Mm," but it felt as if a flame had scorched his heart, leaving it burning and aching.

Only later did he learn that this feeling was called burning with jealousy.

3.

At first, Qiao Zhen had only a vague impression of Wen Tingcan. She thought he was a calm, self-disciplined man.

Gradually, she began to feel that something was off.

Beneath the moonlight, under a silk tree, the tall Wen Tingcan bent down and slowly leaned toward her. His breath was scorching, and Qiao Zhen could see only his cool, handsome profile.

"Mr. Wen, please behave yourself. I have a boyfriend." Qiao Zhen frowned slightly and turned her face away.

"And?"

Wen Tingcan stepped back, a silk-tree flower in his hand, one he'd plucked from Qiao Zhen's shoulder.

She'd been imagining things. Qiao Zhen felt awkward, but then she heard Wen Tingcan say, "But I really did want to kiss you just now."

Notes:

1. A homewrecker romance: the latecomer fights tooth and nail for love, and it's as melodramatic as the blurb.

2. The heroine has had other partners; the hero is a virgin.

3. The hero is one-quarter Italian. He seems like an untouchable flower on a high peak, but he's actually a repressed, darkly obsessive type.

Theme: Only quantitative change can bring about qualitative change, and qualitative change is the inevitable result of quantitative change.