Butterfly Anecdotes

[The print edition is now available. Details on the June return of signed copies: vb @ Shi Chun Bai] ■ A reckless, vicious, bad-boy heir from Beijing × a timid, scheming, soft-hearted girl ■ Reconciliation after a breakup | Mutual provocation | Each other's prey Six years ago, Xu Yantan and Cen Fu were like two parallel lines. No one would ever have thought to pair them together. Cen Fu was timid and obedient. Xu Yantan was reckless and brazen. Even Cen Fu's older sister, Cen Songyi, the gorgeous drama department belle who pursued him with all her heart, couldn't win him over. At a party, people secretly snickered about the sisters: "Her sister was born because her parents needed a child to treat Xiaoyi's illness." Cen Songyi had her arm around a friend, laughing and enjoying herself without denying it. Cen Fu listened with her head lowered, digging her fingers into her palm until they turned white. Xu Yantan lounged off to one side, looking bored. He glanced over from the corner of his eye, smirked, and clinked glasses with someone. ① Cen Fu wanted to make Cen Songyi, who had always bullied her, suffer a little. But she picked the wrong way to do it. She shouldn't have provoked Xu Yantan. In a dimly lit bar, Cen Fu pretended someone had bumped into her and touched Xu Yantan's hand. His large, veined hand looked like it could throttle her with a single squeeze. A second after touching him, Cen Fu regretted it. A chill ran down her back. She lowered her head and took two steps back, trying to flee, when he called after her in a leisurely drawl: "Miss." Xu Yantan sat lazily beside the bar. The moment he lifted his eyes, the girl's frightened, fawn-like gaze was reflected in them. She stood there, her eyes red-rimmed, looking fragile and pitiful as more and more people noticed them and stared. Xu Yantan spun his glass in his hand and smiled. "You touch me and then run?" Cen Fu's shoulders trembled. She was like a small animal fallen into a pack of beasts. ② After several years apart, Cen Fu never expected to see Xu Yantan again at her classmate's wedding. Apparently, he'd come with a female classmate. Seeing them standing close together, chatting and laughing, Cen Fu couldn't be bothered to watch. She got up and left when no one was paying attention. At the exit, Xu Yantan stopped her. He had been leaning nearby, waiting for a long time. Xu Yantan's eyes were black and deep, his emotions impossible to read. He stubbed out his cigarette and said lazily, "Do you still recognize me?" "Xu Yantan. The one you toyed with." [Dear miss, don't be afraid of your wild nature,] [You revealed the tale of the butterfly's tender ear.] Blurb dated March 20, 2022 Special thanks: Shen Er (lyricist) = Please add my next book, Playing the Victim, to your library! ■ Reconciliation after a breakup | Reunion after a long separation | Six-year age gap, older man | Mutual healing ■ A flamboyant, villainous rich playboy × a poor, stubborn, straightforward, soft-hearted girl The day Ye Fuxiu stepped into the Qi family home, Qi Xing leaned high above her, looking down. One glance was enough to leave her too frightened to breathe. He had sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes, intimidating yet often filled with a smile that was impossible to fathom. For some reason, he sent a chill down her spine. Qi Xing was the eldest son of the richest family in Xiaoyue Bay. Ye Fuxiu was nothing but a poor girl from the north, living at a boarding school on a scholarship. He was born bad. She was pure and kind. They stood at opposite ends of their social circle. He looked down on her, and she feared him and kept her distance. Their relationship changed that night, when Ye Fuxiu sneaked into the study and he caught her. She dared to confront him. After hearing all his threats, Qi Xing only smirked. Ye Fuxiu's face turned deathly pale. Qi Xing leaned close and smiled. "Ye Fuxiu, this time, let's have some fun together." He looked like a hunter who had spotted his prey and was ready to begin the game. 2- The night before she left the Qi family home, a typhoon brought torrential rain. She sat slumped on the study carpet, unable to put any distance between them no matter how far she tried to retreat. Qi Xing gripped her slender wrist. Ye Fuxiu struggled, tears welling in her eyes as she cursed him to his face. After listening, Qi Xing forcefully placed her hand against his collar. He smirked. "How about I teach you one more bad thing?" Ye Fuxiu's heart gave a violent tremble. 3- Ye Fuxiu had thought Qi Xing would never again be part of her life. Then, in the fourth year, a blizzard swept through Binyang. On the night a male friend of marriageable age confessed his feelings for her, Qi Xing appeared before her. The man who hated the cold had snow soaking his shoulders. He stood at the entrance to the alley she always took, his eyes black and deep, his gaze searching and tentative. Ye Fuxiu was held fast when he grabbed her. She struggled. "Who was the one who said that if we ever met again, I should stay as far away from you as possible? What does this mean now?" Qi Xing slowly lowered his gaze, staring at the vivid red roses in her arms. He smiled. "I did say that. So what?" "Even if I'm going back on my word." Theme: Value self-acceptance. Your own worth should always come first.