The Tide Turns

Back when Jiang Youwan and Xi Jinyan were together, all of Hong Kong City said he loved her to the depths of his soul. He took her out to enjoy every kind of splendor by day, then danced with her at night, indulging in a life of luxury. Countless people envied Jiang Youwan, saying she was the apple of Xi Jinyan's eye, the precious beauty in his palm, someone no one else could touch. But later, they ended things cleanly and decisively. On that quiet night of parting, Xi Jinyan's eyes were as deep as the tide. Lighting a cigarette, he asked coldly, "Have you made up your mind?" Jiang Youwan nodded. It all seemed no more than a dream, an illusion. After that night, Xi Jinyan remained as cool and distant as ever, as though he'd never once been swept away by love. The romantic past they shared was gradually buried in an unknown crevice of time, never to be unearthed again. -- They met again on a damp, rainy day. She stood before a slick flight of steps, mud splashed across her white high heels. Just as she was wondering what to do, a car stopped in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing a handsome, austere face. Xi Jinyan sat in the back seat, a gold tie pin catching the light. His expression was impossible to read. "Get in." Hearing his polite yet distant voice, Jiang Youwan felt a little guilty. After all, she had been the one to ask for the breakup and end their relationship. But Xi Jinyan didn't hold it against her. Instead, he was a gentleman at every turn. He remained composed, while behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was inscrutable and achingly tender, even more so than before. -- Falling into Xi Jinyan's gentle trap again was only natural. In the third year after they parted, she still lost all reason and returned to the cage she'd once escaped. But she'd been wrong about one thing. She thought Xi Jinyan was still the refined gentleman he'd been before, the kind who would softly coax her to sleep and always knew where to draw the line. Who could have known? Later, his long fingers would grip her chin while the man behind her delivered his dangerous, possessive verdict. Like a demon, his voice rang clearly through her chest and into her ears. "A Wan, it seems you've made... the worst decision of your life." Jiang Youwan trembled for no reason. Then she heard him give a soft laugh. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this day?" For three years, Xi Jinyan had drowned in dreams of her every night. At last, their years apart had proven just how deeply he loved her, and how impossible it was for him to let go. Blurb: 2022/12/08 Theme: Treasure the one you have