The Original Socialite [1980S]

[Updated 2023.4.30. Comments closed six months after completion. Pirated copies keep resurfacing, and I can't stand it.] The first time Zhang Yang appeared at the compound, she wore a finely made, entirely handmade qipao. The silk gauze traced her graceful figure to perfection, and her slender waist looked narrow enough to snap in one's hand. Though she was a fashionable young lady who had spent over a decade studying abroad, she adored qipaos. Her picturesque features were at once cool and charming when she looked back. Her raven-black hair made her snowy complexion all the more captivating, tempting people to steal another glance. "That's Commander Zhang's daughter, isn't it? The one engaged to that boy from the Ji family?" People murmured among themselves. "What a perfect match." Zhang Yang heard them and said nothing. The first thing she planned to do after returning was break off the engagement. What era was this, that people still arranged betrothals as children? She didn't even know whether Ji Xingzhi was tall or short, fat or ugly. How could she marry a stranger? But later, when Zhang Yang visited the Ji family with her father and sat on the living room sofa in their two-story red-brick house, she stared wide-eyed at the tall, handsome man coming down the stairs in his training uniform. Wait, it was him? Her memory flashed back to a dimly lit dawn. A rough, burning hand had covered her waist, and she had been like a rain-soaked butterfly with a broken wing, forced to lean against the person behind her. That stranger's embrace had given her a faint, inexplicable sense of safety. By then, Ji Xingzhi had also heard his family say that the Zhangs wanted to break off the engagement. He respected the wishes of his fiancee, whom he had never met. But when he saw the cool beauty in a qipao sitting in his living room, only one thought crossed his mind: To hell with respecting her wishes! Falling in Love with My Brother's Archrival Xia Yuan was bawling at home, sitting on her bed in cherry-print pajamas. Her nose was bright red, and huge tears pooled in her eyes. She looked utterly pitiful. "Waaah, how could he do this? I only became his fan last month! My merch and photo cards are still on their way, and I even ordered a life-size standee. And he slept with a fan! Waaah! What a bastard!" Xia Xun stood helplessly beside his little sister, watching her cry her heart out. "Why not find someone else to like?" Xia Yuan cried even louder. "Three celebrity scandals have come out just this month! How could that scumbag evade taxes? One's a Japanophile, and another got a whole new face and then insulted his fans! Brother, I'm so unlucky. Why are people in your industry so unreliable?" Xia Xun scratched his head at that. He had no idea why his little sister had such a bizarre track record. Whether she became a fan of idols or actors, whoever she liked was guaranteed to have a scandal within three months, each more outrageous than the last. "It's okay. There are plenty of people in show business. Take your time," Xia Xun said. A face suddenly came to mind, and a terrible idea struck him. "How about I introduce you to someone?" Xia Yuan sniffed and mumbled, "Who?" "Xie Huaiyi." Xia Yuan stopped sobbing and looked up at Xia Xun in confusion. Everyone knew his archrival was Xie Huaiyi. They were the entertainment industry's two widely acknowledged top-tier stars. Their fans fought so fiercely that the Weibo servers would lie flat. "...Huh?" It took Xia Yuan a long moment to find her voice. Xia Xun grinned mischievously. "Don't his fans pride themselves on him having no scandals or rumors?" He'd just pointed his little sister toward a better option. Xia Xun couldn't stand Xie Huaiyi's cold, abstinent look. That guy was such a poser. Xia Yuan fell silent and gazed at her brother with her big, mournful eyes. "I suspect you want to hurt him, but I have no proof." Xia Xun laughed. Of course he was only joking. Six months later, at the Golden Feather Awards, every entertainment reporter saw Xie Huaiyi walk up to Xia Xun, who had always been on bad terms with him. All the cameras focused on the two men. Everyone in and out of the industry knew they were like two kings who never crossed paths. But Xie Huaiyi said just one thing to Xia Xun. It happened too quickly for the media to catch what they said, but they did capture a smile appearing on Xie Huaiyi's usually aloof face. By contrast, Xia Xun, who usually wore a roguish, handsome smile for the public and media, looked utterly grim. Afterward, one fearless entertainment reporter held up a microphone and loudly asked Xie Huaiyi what he had said to Xia Xun. The stern man in front of the cameras suddenly smiled and, to everyone's surprise, answered: "Oh, it was nothing important. I called him big brother." Reporter: "???" Xia Xun, who heard him from nearby: "!!!" Who the hell was Xie Huaiyi's big brother? Reading guide: 1. Parallel universe, plot-focused, set around 1985-2010 2. One-on-one romance, both leads' first relationship 3. Marriage first, love later 4. Please don't nitpick the history. No need to tell me if you drop the story. 5. Please don't offer any form of writing advice. Theme: Live positively and strive to improve