A Belated Encounter

My new novel, Today's Best Fortune, is now being serialized. Please give it a follow, everyone! The blurb is at the very bottom.

The third year of secretly loving Zhou Juan.

With a little help from the alcohol, Cen Xi finally worked up the courage to confess to him.

He glanced at her from beneath his raised eyelids, then leaned closer, resting his fingers on the back of the chair behind her. The corner of his mouth lifted as he said carelessly, "Sure."

*

Later, she learned from a phone call that Zhou Juan had only ever been playing around with her.

The love she'd felt when she was young became worthless, like some kind of joke.

That night, she blocked Zhou Juan on every contact method.

*

When they met again, he had already become a rising star in the business world.

On a snowy night in early winter, her heart was racing, but her voice stayed cold. "Zhou Juan, let's part on good terms."

"But I can't let you go." Zhou Juan tilted his head slightly toward Cen Xi, his eyes brimming with amusement.

Her youthful crush was no longer a secret kept by a girl alone. In a corner no one knew about, the boy had long since fallen deeply in love.

Spring lingers, and we meet again.

Reader's Guide:

SC

The heroine's profession includes fictional details; readers who demand strict accuracy should proceed with caution.

The blurb is for reference only. The actual story takes precedence.

Currently being serialized:

The day Zhou Wantang met Shang Shixu was in early autumn, with the sun setting behind the mountains, at a family gathering hosted by the Shang and Zhou families.

That day, the old lady was playing mahjong and needed one more player. Wantang, who knew nothing about the game, was dragged over to make up the numbers.

Perhaps her skills were truly dreadful. Someone couldn't stand watching and kindly offered some advice.

The man bent down toward her, his long fingers tapping the tiles in front of her. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Play the five circles."

She threw out the tile, and the old lady beamed. "Mahjong!" Then she teased, "Wan, how could you trust Jinzhi so easily? His skills are every bit as bad as yours."

Zhou Wantang suppressed a laugh and looked up at him.

The man wore a simple white shirt tucked into his suit trousers. His cool features softened like a snow-covered fir in a sudden thaw. "I'll take the loss."

*

Only after returning home did Zhou Wantang learn that the man called Jinzhi was the person she'd been promised to in an arranged marriage.

A little flustered, she braced herself and said,

"I think we're still young. We shouldn't get married so soon. Or, if you're willing, we can break off the engagement right now. But you can take the blame."

Hearing this, Shang Shixu lowered his eyes and spoke gently. "Wan, is there someone you like?"

*

One day after they were married, Zhou Wantang was looking for some documents in the study when she happened upon a photo album.

It had been carefully preserved and was full of pictures of her from childhood to the present.

That evening, when Shang Shixu came home from the office, she opened the album and laid it out before him, wearing a soft smile as she waited for an explanation.

"You found it." He drew Wantang into his arms, resting his chin in the hollow of her shoulder. With a muffled laugh, he said, "Thank you for taking pity on me. From now on, the world has one fewer lonely man."

The day I met you was the best fortune of my life.

I mean:

You are my best fortune.

Theme: May everything you wish for come true, and may every road you take be smooth.