A Free Meal Is Always in the Cards

The Tan family and the Chen family had been neighbors for ten years. They bought houses at the same time, got married around the same time, and agreed that their children would marry someday. But one family had two boys in a row, and the other did too. Staring at the agreement bearing their fingerprints, the parents fell into deep thought. A few years later, the Tan family had a second child: a girl. Tan Qiu naturally inherited the betrothal promise. Tan Qiu couldn't stand Chen Hezhou's rebellious, unruly nature, though he put on a respectable act. Chen Hezhou disliked how delicate and affected Tan Qiu was, coughing every ten steps. Chen Hezhou went to play basketball, and Tan Qiu followed behind looking frail, secretly shaking his Coke like crazy whenever he wasn't looking. Chen Hezhou went to an internet cafe, and Tan Qiu weakly slumped over the desk, casually pulling out his internet cable. At last, Chen Hezhou couldn't take it anymore. He dug the marriage contract out from under a pile of things in his drawer and tore it in half right in front of Tan Qiu. Later, Tan Qiu went off to college, suitcase in hand, heading far from home. For once, Chen Hezhou had little to say. After thinking it over, he quit his job and moved to her city. “...And then that idiot tore up the marriage contract himself, hahaha!!!” On the sports field, Tan Qiu laughed uproariously as she went for a night run, boasting to her friend about how she'd avoided getting married too young. She was nothing like the frail, helpless girl at home who couldn't even lift a finger. Not far behind her, Chen Hezhou clutched the marriage contract, pieced back together with tape: ... Fine. You win, damn it. Childhood sweethearts / Father's love turns into something else / Bickering couple / From school to the city “Chen Hezhou, I'm not marrying you anymore.” “Don't even think about it.” The young couple like each other, and only occasionally joke about inheriting the marriage contract their older brothers made. Neither set of parents is old-fashioned or domineering; they support their children choosing whom to love. At heart, this is just a sweet childhood-sweethearts story. ★ Below is my upcoming novel, Between the Stars. If you like it, please visit my author's page and add it to your collection. Thank you, my lovelies! 1 When Yan Xia was sixteen, her father's plane went missing, and she was sent to stay with the Lu family. Lu Yan was incredibly patient with her. He wiped the tears from Yan Xia's cheeks and pulled her out of the mire of despair. For a long time after that, Lu Yan was the only person in Yan Xia's world. Unfortunately, Lu Yan was never short of admirers. Yan Xia had seen the drawer stuffed with love letters, watched one girl after another stop Lu Yan to confess her feelings, and seen him drunk, holding her while calling out someone else's name. She knew Lu Yan didn't like her, so she carefully hid all her feelings. But when he sobered up, he wouldn't let her go, rekindling the faint spark in her heart. The two of them maintained an ambiguous relationship until Yan Xia caught Lu Yan drinking a cross-cupped toast with someone else at a bar. The cheering was deafening, and she felt numb all over. When he noticed her, Lu Yan set down his empty glass and beckoned to her, his voice gentle. “Xiaxia, come over. Sit beside me.” His expression was calm, as if what he had just done were as ordinary as eating or sleeping. That day, a great fire blazed in Yan Xia's heart, burning everything between her and Lu Yan to ashes. 2 The Jiang family's only son, Jiang Chengyuan, was a notorious troublemaker, rebellious to the core, carefree and dazzling. Everyone said he wasn't a gentleman or considerate. He turned down confessions without mercy: girls came with red cheeks and left with red eyes. No one knew that he had met someone special when he was fourteen, and still couldn't forget her at twenty-four. They met again at a bar. Yan Xia sat on the steps outside, staring blankly at the traffic in the distance. A jacket carrying an aggressively masculine scent settled over her shoulders. “You've had terrible taste since you were a kid.” Yan Xia looked up and met a pair of dark, stern eyes. Jiang Chengyuan asked, “How do you think I compare to him?” 3 Later, as the first snow of winter fell, Yan Xia and Jiang Chengyuan registered their marriage. Her decision was sudden but decisive. Everything connected to her in the Lu household disappeared without a trace. Lu Yan got dead drunk, bought a bouquet, and went to Yan Xia's home to find her. A man opened the door. He looked languid, with a faint red mark hidden beneath his collar. Yan Xia's voice came from inside the room. “Who is it?” Jiang Chengyuan raised his brows slightly and glanced at Lu Yan. “A delivery guy.” A figure rushed into the man's arms. Yan Xia's eyes sparkled as she tilted her head and kissed Jiang Chengyuan's chin. “Where did he go?” Outside the door, there was only a bouquet of roses, scattered across the floor. His hot breath brushed her ear as Jiang Chengyuan held her close and whispered, “Forget him. Pay attention to me instead, baby.” [You're not Plan B or a backup option. You're the only one for me.] * Childhood sweetheart who appears out of nowhere + marriage first, love later * Not your typical groveling redemption story, male lead: Jiang Chengyuan * Fox-borrowing-the-tiger's-might art teacher X free-spirited, unruly race car driver Theme: Being loved feels like having someone powerful in your corner