Claiming the Rose [Marriage Before Love]

[My next book, Gentle Words, Soft Whispers, is coming soon. The blurb is below. Please add it to your reading list!]

Blurb:

When Cen Xi was twenty-one, she was brought back to the Wen family in Jiangcheng to fulfill her engagement to Wen Zechen.

Wen Zechen was a rising star in the business world, shrewd, cold-blooded, and old-fashioned in his abstinence. He was the most powerful man in their circle, and the one no one dared offend.

Wen Zechen remembered that his fiancee had once lived at his house for a while when she was four.

The adorable little girl was new to the family, and everyone naturally adored her, teasing her with smiles: "Which big brother would you like to play with?"

Cen Xi blinked her big, bright eyes, wrapped her little arms around Wen Zechen's leg, and said in her childish voice, "I like him!"

*

Since they had no real foundation of affection, Cen Xi kept her marriage a secret.

One day, while out with friends, she drew a dare in a game of Truth or Dare: borrow money from the stranger sitting at the eight o'clock position in the bar.

Across the room, through the curling smoke, the man's profile was hard to make out. He had striking features and looked a little nonchalant.

It was Wen Zechen.

Cen Xi suppressed the turmoil in her heart and carefully tried to avoid him. Just as she was about to speak, someone suddenly pulled her into his arms.

Wen Zechen bent down, his voice imbued with a tenderness he'd never shown anyone before. "Mrs. Wen, your husband is loaded. Are you sure you don't want to ask him?"

Everyone: ??

Everyone: Holy crap, Cen Xi is married? To a big shot in the business world?

Some offered their congratulations, while plenty of others were eager to watch the drama unfold.

After all, Wen Zechen was a big shot who never showed interest in women. Everyone thought this was more like a marriage of convenience.

Until someone caught Cen Xi, drunk and dizzy, rising onto her tiptoes to wrap her arms around Wen Zechen's neck and kiss him all over.

The man bent down slightly and possessively wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her tightly as he deepened the kiss. His voice was slightly hoarse.

"You need to breathe when you kiss. How many times have I taught you? Why haven't you learned, hmm?"

*

Knowing what she liked, Wen Zechen arranged a traditional wedding for her.

He booked fireworks for miles around, and followed all the traditional customs, presenting her with a red bridal gown.

Cen Xi would never know that the moment Wen Zechen saw her, he had wanted to make the blooming rose his alone.

Age gap, marriage before love / super sweet, no angst

--Coming soon: Gentle Words, Soft Whispers--

Blurb:

Ruan Yu had known from childhood that she would eventually marry into the powerful Song family of the capital's elite circle.

Her fiance was Song Yichi, the eldest grandson of the Song family.

On the eve of their engagement, she accidentally saw Song Yichi embracing and kissing another girl.

After returning home, the usually gentle and soft-spoken young woman calmly negotiated: "I want to break off the engagement."

Grandmother Song tried to persuade her kindly. "Xiaoyu, our family and your late grandfather arranged this marriage in advance. We can't change it so easily. We all genuinely like you and hope you'll marry into the Song family..."

Ruan Yu's gaze settled on the quiet, aloof man beside her fiance.

As Song Yichi's uncle and the true heir to the Song family, Song Xingmo had always looked after Ruan Yu attentively and thoughtfully.

"The engagement can go ahead, but only if my fiance is Uncle Song."

*

No one expected Song Xingmo to agree to such an absurd marriage.

The two lived under the same roof and treated each other with courtesy to keep others from getting the wrong idea. Ruan Yu had even cautiously tried to explain the misunderstanding behind their engagement.

"The truth is, Song Xingmo and I have a complicated relationship. It's not what you think..."

That very night, the man pulled her fiercely into his arms.

Their faces drew close, and the atmosphere was charged and intimate. Song Xingmo's lips brushed her ear as his low, seductive voice curled around her with a teasing edge. "Complicated?"

"If you think it's complicated, next time we can keep it simple."

*

Song Yichi was a little slow on the uptake, and he felt uneasy when he heard that Song Xingmo and Ruan Yu were only pretending to be married.

The young master decided to humble himself, bring a generous gift, and go apologize in person.

But it was Song Xingmo who opened the door.

The man's face darkened. "What do you want with my wife?"

Song Yichi felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar, his smile crumbling. "You... really did get married?"

Just then, the young woman appeared in her pajamas, her wet hair dripping, the corners of her eyes flushed. She opened the door and reproached the man in a coquettish voice, "Uncle, you bit my lip until it bled again. It hurts so much!"

Song Xingmo turned to her with a gentle look. "Xiaoyu, how many times have I told you? You should have changed how you address me by now. Call me 'husband.'"

Who could have known?

Ruan Yu was the starlight Song Xingmo had yearned for over ten years.

He had even resorted to underhanded means to bring that starlight into his hands.

Ten-year age gap / pure sweetness, no angst / an old flame finally catches fire

Calm, gentle sweetheart X calculating big shot of the capital's elite circle

Theme: Have the courage to pursue true love