Heart Rate Control

■ My current serial, "Roses Out of Line," is now open for submissions / Weibo: @Sui Zhu Ye / Please follow me

■ Next up: "Butterfly Iris" / "False Intimacy". Blurbs below

Blurb:

When Cheng Jiao was seven, she went to live with relatives. She kept her head down and lived under their roof for more than a decade.

As she approached the legal age of adulthood, her wealthy relatives arranged countless blind dates for her.

Cheng Jiao appeared obedient, but afterward she deliberately approached one man to scare off all her prospective matches.

He wore a well-tailored suit and had the air of a mature, steady professional. Born into a distinguished family, he was warm and gentlemanly toward others.

Cheng Jiao's heart raced. With looks and a family background like his, he'd be both an effective deterrent and a pleasure to look at. She was definitely going to use this romance to her advantage!

-

Cheng Jiao figured that someone from such an illustrious family was far beyond her reach, so she flirted with him just for one night, making up a romance as a temporary match to scare people off. But a few days later...

Cheng Jiao ran into Pei Jingsong downstairs from her apartment building.

Flustered, she asked, "You live here?"

Pei Jingsong's eyes were dark, and his voice was low. "Obviously. I'm walking my dog downstairs from my home."

-

Later, when the fabricated romance was exposed, Cheng Jiao had no choice but to sit obediently in front of the man and face judgment.

Pei Jingsong had always been cool and composed, and there was still warmth in his gentle eyes. He rested his knuckles on a document and asked in a low voice, "I can go along with this, but I hope you'll follow my requirements too."

Cheng Jiao picked it up nervously and read it with bewilderment and surprise. That's it? It's just a healthy, regular eating schedule and lifestyle.

That night, Cheng Jiao's eyes were red and her legs trembled as she picked up her clothes, only to be swept into a strong embrace

His voice was still as warm and gentle as ever, and his words were utterly considerate. "I'll take care of you."

He was like a completely different person from the one who had torn into her hungrily like a hawk in the night.

Cheng Jiao had no idea that Pei Jingsong had seen through her terrible acting from the very beginning.

The bait dangling from her fishing rod was a lure Pei Jingsong had been setting up for a long time.

-My special affection for you has never depended on you playing for sympathy.

[Reading Guide]

She pursues him / Seven-year age gap / Sweet romance, no angst / Both are each other's first and only, emotionally and physically

Sweet, flirtatious girl x fatherly, falsely proper man

-The male lead has been plotting for a long time, but only falls for and approaches the female lead after she comes of age.

First edition: 2022/11/29. Revised edition: 2023/1/19. Screenshots saved.

Blurb for "Roses Out of Line"

■ Read the ongoing story in my collection

■ An old flame rekindled / A respectable older man loses control / Foster-care romance / The crematorium trope

During the years she lived with the Xie family, Ni Wei was well cared for and always minded her place.

The summer after her college entrance exams, she went to a new city alone. After many reminders from the Xie family, she was sent to live at her uncle's house.

Xie Huaijun was a man of impeccable character, reserved and unsmiling. Though he'd often looked after her when she was younger, Ni Wei always found him difficult to approach.

That day, she wore shoes that didn't fit. Her shoes and socks were covered in mud, and her ankles were rubbed raw and red.

After the rain passed, Xie Huaijun had someone buy her a new pair of shoes. He used the shoebox as a step, loosened the laces himself, and set it by her feet.

His shirt was crisp, his expression as cool and distant as ever. Once she'd put on the shoes, he raised an arm and took her by the hand, leading her down from the car at an unhurried pace.

Her fingers held the fine fabric of his shirt. Just a little farther, and she'd touch his broad, warm palm.

For some reason, a thought came to her then.

Could they get just a little closer?

Snow drifted outside the window. Red wine spilled and seeped across the floor. He closed his eyes, still and solemn as a statue.

As she drew close, he held her ankle. His low voice was cool: "Remember, don't let it happen again."

-

After that, Ni Wei rarely went home and never called her family.

The car stopped outside an apartment complex. Xie Huaijun saw her come out laughing and talking with another man, and felt a sudden stir of irritation.

The instant his call connected, he asked what she was doing.

Ni Wei paused for two seconds. Her voice was sweet and soft. "I'm dating."

Later, in the cramped storage room, his fingertip brushed the blood on the corner of her lips before he bent down to kiss beside her ear.

Just one wall away was her childhood sweetheart.

His warm breath brushed her ear, and Ni Wei clearly heard him chuckle very softly. "You want another man?"

"Then you'd better pray I die."

-How could he hand over a girl he'd kept by his side for so long?

Blurb for "Butterfly Iris"

■ Upcoming story / Next in line / The more favorites, the sooner I start writing it

■ Taking someone by force / Nine-year age gap / Male lead has been plotting for a long time / On the surface, he's indifferent, but in truth, their mutual attraction is practically pathological

Zhu Yuan had just finished her coming-of-age ceremony when she first met Meng Du.

Her birthday banquet was a grand affair. No one knew the Zhu family was already a hollow shell, but everyone was astonished when, after the family's downfall, Mr. Meng took Zhu Yuan away.

Zhu Yuan would never forget that day. Meng Du stood humbly beside Old Master Zhu, promising to care for her for the rest of her life, until she married her fiancé.

His collar was buttoned all the way to the top, but it couldn't hide the conspicuous knife scar on his neck.

Zhu Yuan had been afraid of him and intimidated by him, but he treated her with the utmost care and never neglected her.

Meng Du often wore gold-rimmed glasses, his hair parted to the side. He smiled with a refined, scholarly air. Over time, Zhu Yuan came to think of him as a perfect gentleman.

-

Later, her fiancé, who had Zhu Yuan in his heart, hoped to get engaged and take her away as soon as possible.

Zhu Yuan agreed too. She turned to Meng Du and made her request, her eyes lowered. "Uncle, thank you for taking care of me."

Meng Du was still gentle, but there was no smile in his eyes behind his glasses. He raised a hand to soothe her and leaned toward her with refined politeness. "Little Yuan wants to get married now. You've grown up, haven't you?"

Zhu Yuan met his gaze with clear eyes and said nothing.

On the eve of her engagement, Zhu Yuan sat helplessly on the dressing-room sofa, unable to resist.

Meng Du took off his leather gloves, his eyes curving as he sighed with a smile and slipped his hand beneath her skirt. In a gentle voice, he said:

"You have no choice, Zhu Yuan."

"I've waited a long time for you."

Just as he was about to approach her, Zhu Yuan pressed her lips together and said with utmost sincerity, "Uncle, I've been waiting for you for a long time too."

"You're richer than him. I think I'd be better off with you."

-

Meng Du had taken in a young girl, delicate and pitiful, alone and with nowhere to turn.

At first, he brought her home only to atone for his guilt and fulfill a promise.

He didn't know when his gaze toward Zhu Yuan began to change.

Only later did he realize that this girl had never been well-behaved.

Zhu Yuan x Meng Du

A seemingly innocent beauty x a powerful Hong Kong tycoon

Theme: Be brave and pursue happiness