A Late-Blooming Marriage

My new novel, Chen Chen Xiang Yin, is now underway. Check it out in my profile, and please add it to your collection!

Qin Yizhi is breathtakingly beautiful, with an icy, elegant aura. Her fans agree she's the peak of beauty. In four years since her debut, she has won the Best Actress award and become a household name.

Her countless admirers stretch from the south side of the city to the north, but not one of them is worthy of being linked to her in a scandal.

Her fans say their goddess is too otherworldly to fall in love with an ordinary person.

Only she knows the truth.

In front of the camera, she's a dazzling, unforgettable dream girl.

Behind it, she's trapped in a narrow alley she can never escape.

She can't bring herself to love anyone.

*

Lu Yu has always been a legend in the business world.

Handsome, born into a prominent family, he lives a restrained and self-possessed life. Everyone assumes no woman could ever catch his eye.

Unable to withstand his friend's pleading, he made a last-minute appearance at a wrap party, just to support the actress his childhood friend liked.

After the party, in a quiet corridor, he came across the actress being harassed by a drunk man. Lu Yu stepped in to help her.

Standing at the other end of the corridor, the man was the center of attention. Amid everyone's startled stares, he made an ambiguous invitation: "Miss Qin, aren't you leaving?"

When people asked about their relationship, Lu Yu coolly denied it: "We're not involved. My childhood friend likes her."

*

Later, a video went viral online.

In the dim interior of a car, Qin Yizhi, who had never been involved in a dating scandal, lay softly in a man's arms, her eyes glimmering as they kissed. The man was handsome and aloof, the corners of his eyes flushed red as he kissed her with passion and tenderness.

Online users recognized him as Lu Yu, the head of a top-tier elite family.

The next day, a business interview went trending again.

Reporter: President Lu, what is your relationship with Miss Qin?

The man, who had seemed distant and cool just moments before, softened his expression: "We're married."

Bonus scene:

During a game on a variety show, the host randomly called someone from Qin Yizhi's contacts.

The call was answered immediately. A deep, magnetic voice came through, bewitching everyone.

Host: You're a friend of Miss Qin's, right?

The person on the other end chuckled ambiguously. "Did she say I'm her friend?"

"Yes." The host hesitated. "Are you not?"

The man chuckled softly. "Since Mrs. Lu says so, I'll go along with it. Yes, I'm her friend."

Online users: All right, now everyone knows you're not just an ordinary friend.

1. The female lead's mother was abused by her father, leaving her with childhood trauma, so she won't fall for someone easily.

2. A healing romance with a touch of silly humor.

The blurb for Chen Chen Xiang Yin

At an auction, Chen Yinghuai, the head of a top-tier elite family in the capital, and Chen Xianhao, the daughter of a scholarly family in Shanghai, bid on the same painting.

Neither would back down. In the end, Chen Xianhao had no choice but to give up when the bid reached 80 million.

During the intermission, Chen Xianhao went outside to get some air, feeling irritated. She happened to see Chen Yinghuai chatting with a friend. She was about to leave when she heard her own name.

"Couldn't you have let Miss Chen have the painting to win her smile?"

Paintings were a dime a dozen. A beauty as dazzling and unforgettable as Chen Xianhao was a rare find.

After a moment, she heard the man laugh coldly. "Her smile isn't worth 200 million."

Everyone said Chen Yinghuai had a keen eye. Anything he took an interest in would multiply in value. Chen Xianhao had seen it for herself this time, and now she had a grudge against him.

*

They met again at a matchmaking date. The Chen family was on the brink of bankruptcy, and Chen Xianhao was determined to find a sucker to take over their mess. She spotted the handsome, refined man in the cafe. A woman in heavy makeup was sitting across from him, casting flirtatious glances, while he looked thoroughly impatient.

She sat beside him and linked her arm through his, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears. "Are you leaving me?"

Chen Yinghuai glanced at her arrogantly, his eyes as cold as ice. She suddenly wanted to back out, and had just begun to withdraw her hand when he caught it and murmured fondly, "How could I ever bear to leave you?"

Feeling the force around her wrist, as if he might crush it, Chen Xianhao smiled sweetly and pinched the soft flesh at his waist.

They couldn't stand each other. She despised his obsession with profit, and he looked down on her self-righteous airs. Their marriage shocked everyone.

Everyone was sure they'd split up sooner or later. But a few months later, Young Master Chen was showing up at auctions even more often, spending lavishly on paintings.

People wondered, "Are all these paintings going to increase in value?"

Young Master Chen slowly turned the wedding ring on his left ring finger, his tone indulgent and affectionate. "I just like them because my wife does."

A profit-driven capitalist * an aloof, dazzling heiress

Theme: Love knows no distinction of status