Gathering the Stars

Oh my god! Please don't read this novel! It's awful! Absolutely awful! So affected, so melodramatic, so nauseating, so unbearable! Don't read it! A super-smart math genius with an artistic streak, an abstinent, secretly flirtatious heartthrob, an aloof beauty, and a genuinely ordinary little airhead. Sheng Ze, the aloof beauty of No. 1 High School, was always immaculate in white, untouched by dust. His deep-set eyes were cool and languid, and he was ruthless, but never wasted words. In private, everyone called him Lord Sheng. The first time Yu Meng met Sheng Ze, her classmates egged her on to call him Little Sheng, and she did, without knowing why. The boy had a long neck, a high nose bridge, and a warm, carefree smile. He looked at her, then gently caught her by the wrist and guided her out of someone's way. The pleasant scent of pine lingered by her nose. He spoke in a soothing voice: "Careful, you might get bumped." Yu Meng: "?" Who said Sheng Ze from No. 1 High School was cold and heartless? He seemed pretty approachable to her! After the final exams of their second year of high school, the boys and girls gathered at a karaoke bar. Everyone sang and danced, and the place was buzzing. Yu Meng went wild with her best friend. Suddenly, all the lights went out. In the darkness, a pleasant voice murmured in her ear: "Yu Meng, I like you... Do you like me?" The familiar scent of pine lingered by her nose. Yu Meng stopped and froze for a moment. She lowered her eyes in the darkness and smiled. "You're joking, right?" The person laughed too and answered, "Yeah." At university, while eating in the cafeteria, Sheng Ze's roommate brought up the three newest campus beauties. Sheng Ze's gaze followed the lively, slender figure moving through the crowd. Without a second thought, he said, "Don't even start. I'm not good enough for any of them." And so a rumor spread around campus: Sheng Ze looked down on Yu Meng. The next day, Yu Meng went to find Sheng Ze. She said, "Let's date." Sheng Ze raised an eyebrow, unhurried and meaningful. "So this is what you're into." Ever since she was little, Yu Meng had a clear plan for her life: study hard, make money, and never date. Men slow down your earning potential. Then she heard about someone from a friend: he'd had a crush on her since middle school, stayed close to her throughout high school, and followed her to university. He'd tried everything. She thought, fine, she might as well give in. If she didn't say yes soon, he might have a mental breakdown. Coming soon: Aiming to Make Her Fall, please add it to your reading list! Jian Fu had recently become caught in a whirlpool of troubles and urgently needed a large sum of money to salvage the situation. No matter how hard she worked, day and night, there was no way out. Then one day, in a crowded street's narrow back alley, she saw a man in a suit, every movement radiating refinement. A graceful, captivating woman stood before him, weeping without end. A few seconds later, Jian Fu heard the man's low, cold voice: "I made myself clear before. Don't get attached." The woman kept crying. After a brief hesitation, Jian Fu couldn't help overhearing about the dating contract between them. A few seconds later, Jian Fu heard the man say he was going to look for another suitable candidate. A suitable candidate, apparently, was someone who wouldn't get emotionally involved and would simply help keep the women throwing themselves at him at bay. Jian Fu's eyes shifted. Once the crying woman left, she walked over to the man. - Only after signing the contract did Jian Fu learn that the man was Lu Huaizhou, the powerful entertainment-industry mogul renowned throughout the capital. With Lu Huaizhou's help, Jian Fu quickly paid off her debts. At last, when the contract expired, Jian Fu glanced contentedly at the ten million in her bank account and calmly told Lu Huaizhou she wanted to end their arrangement. The lighter clicked. The man lit a cigarette, perfectly composed, and drawled, "There's only widowhood, no divorce." Jian Fu: "..." - One day, Jian Fu found a painting in Lu Huaizhou's room. The woman in it looked eighty percent like her, and her expression changed at once. Lu Huaizhou pinched out his cigarette. His expression was calm, but the look he gave Jian Fu was clearly anything but innocent. Jian Fu understood this sort of thing perfectly well, so she drawled, "Being your stand-in costs extra." At that moment, Lu Huaizhou suddenly remembered the first time he'd seen her, years ago. The girl had bright eyes and pearly teeth, like a rainbow in the sky. - Jian Fu didn't know that Lu Huaizhou had woven a vast net. Now that he'd caught the girl he loved, how could he possibly let her go? Theme: The ugly duckling turns into a swan