The Variable

Synopsis: The next time Murong Pingting met Ruan Hengyi, it was at a banquet hosted by her family.

Though he had spent four years working in Africa, he hadn't even tanned. His skin was fairer than that of many girls, and he stood out in the crowd.

The banquet was supposedly to celebrate her birthday, but in reality her parents had arranged it to find her a rich and eligible husband.

Among the guests were plenty of handsome, polished young professionals, but they all seemed to be missing something. She couldn't summon the slightest interest in any of them.

Then she spotted Ruan Hengyi and suddenly had an idea. Holding her glass, she went over with a bright smile and asked, "Hengyi-ge, I have a deal to propose. Would you be interested?"

She and Ruan Hengyi had practically grown up together, so they knew each other inside and out. Most importantly, he treated his little sister wonderfully. When they were young, Pingting had been so envious of Ruan Ningchu, the girl next door, for having such a wonderful older brother.

Unfortunately, her parents didn't want another child besides her. There was no chance of getting an older brother, let alone a younger brother or sister.

But if she married Ruan Hengyi, then someone else's wonderful older brother would become hers.

*

The two most important things in Ruan Hengyi's life had always been taking good care of his sister and restoring the Ruan family to prominence. He paid little attention to anything else.

At some point, his younger sister, Ruan Ningchu, began bringing up their kind older neighbor, Murong Pingting, all the time. He, too, couldn't help turning his attention to the slightly younger girl he thought of as little sister Pingting.

His little sister, Chuchu, no longer needed him to look after her, but he still hadn't achieved his goal of restoring the Ruan family. So he could only keep the stirrings in his heart buried.

Until they met again, and Murong Pingting proposed a deal. She needed a suitable husband to appease her family, and he needed funding to break into a new market.

Murong Pingting said to him, "They've just discovered a gold mine in the barren hills on my family's land. Marry me, and the gold mine is yours. Deal?"

Ruan Hengyi smiled. All his efforts to hold back crumbled, and his eyes filled with unmistakable possessiveness. "Sounds wonderful. I'd be delighted."

From then on, the two most important things in his life seemed unchanged. His sister simply gained little sister Pingting, and the Ruan family gained a new member: his wife, Murong Pingting.

*

"Even if our feelings are only like those of siblings, this marriage doesn't seem so bad." - Murong Pingting

"You are the only variable in my life. How could I be content with being just your good 'older brother'?" - Ruan Hengyi

[Sweet married life, mutual pining turns to love.]

[Synopsis screenshotted on February 10, 2021.]

Cover art thanks to the kind author from Bishui!

Theme: Even unrequited love can come true.