The Shelf Life of a Heartbeat

[Next book: Brilliant This Summer, an unreasonable young lady × a straight man with occasional soft spots]

When Ying Jiang found out that the male college student she'd taken a fancy to during a business trip was poor and living on scholarships, she decided to pose as a wealthy older woman.

With a handsome man by her side, Ying Jiang was full of motivation to make money. She felt she could handle even the most difficult bosses and solve even the trickiest work problems.

Her skin became smooth and radiant, and even her period started arriving on time.

Ying Jiang thought he was her lucky charm!

Not long after, she received an order to transfer back to headquarters, ending her business trip early.

Before leaving, Ying Jiang handed her young boyfriend some money and a terminal illness notice. She cried bitterly: "You should go. I don't want to hold you back. You'll have a better life."

Who could have guessed that after leaving her young boyfriend, one problem after another would plague the projects Ying Jiang was responsible for?

Before meeting an important client, hoping to turn her luck around, Ying Jiang contacted the "lucky charm" she'd blocked. She told him she was cured and asked how he was doing.

The meeting was at the client's home. Ying Jiang handed over her proposal and waited for him to read it.

The client held down the document and said kindly, "No rush. I've already handed the company over to my son. Let him have a look first." Then he called toward the figure pouring water in the kitchen: "Xi Yue, come out for a moment."

Ying Jiang was just thinking that the name sounded familiar when the man appeared. He had a familiar face, still wore a white shirt, and was handsome and elegant, with a clean, bright smile.

His voice was as pleasant as ever: "You've only just recovered, and you're already back at work. That must be hard. Looks like your boyfriend doesn't know how to take care of you, big sis."

Who else could he be but her lucky charm?

-A gorgeous older woman who knows how to love × a possessive, black-hearted younger man with a sweet facade

-Love, food, and a May-December romance

Next book: Brilliant This Summer

-(As if!) An unreasonable young lady × a straight man with occasional soft spots

Blurb:

To make time for Chen Jian to pursue her, He Min tried to increase the returns on his work-study job.

After weighing her options, she decided the simplest solution was to slip a "future-girlfriend fund" into his paycheck.

When Chen Jian learned that she'd dipped into her own pocket to give him a raise, he immediately returned the money.

He thought it would take a lot of effort to talk her into accepting it, but He Min cheerfully took it back before he could say much.

But a moment later, she frowned in distress and said pitifully, "If my dad finds out I've accepted pocket money from another boy, he'll break my legs. So, Chen Jian, you have to protect me when that happens."

"..."

Or a marriage-first, love-later story: Under the Oak Tree

-A socially anxious architect × a quirky young woman

Blurb:

Gu Yu's family wanted to curry favor with the Wen family, so they made up a story about her being secretly in love with Wen Jiming for years, hoping to arrange a marriage between them. Wen Jiming coldly rejected her, and Gu Yu became a laughingstock overnight.

In a fit of anger, Gu Yu ran away from home and hid far away, changing her name and starting a new life.

-

Wen Jiming didn't want to take over the family business, so he secretly returned to China and spent two years in a small southern city.

Sometimes he was an architect, sometimes a gourmet. He was knowledgeable and cultured, but rarely socialized, wasting a handsome face that was easy on the eyes.

One day, a woman from out of town moved in next door. She was an excellent cook.

The delicious aroma of her cooking at mealtimes prompted him to knock on her door. "Hello. I'm willing to pay you. I'd like to try your lunch."

-

Gu Yu had been hiding for nearly half a year when her persistent relatives summoned her home to meet the fiancé she'd barely even been promised to.

On the day of the banquet, Gu Yu spotted the aloof, solitary man she'd stayed next door to during her travels in the lobby. Before she could go over and greet him, she heard someone address him: "Wen Jiming."

Oh, no!

Was this the secret crush who had made her a laughingstock?

[Bonus Scene]

One night, after getting drunk and sleeping together, Gu Yu regretted what she'd done the night before and ran away at the first opportunity.

When they met again, she put on an act and apologized. "I got blackout drunk last night. Sorry about that."

Wen Jiming smiled magnanimously. "It's fine. I'll remind you. You said you loved me, admired me, and wanted to pledge yourself to me in secret."

Gu Yu cut him off mercilessly, looking like she was far too clever to be fooled. "Impossible. I only said we should get fake-married."

"Fine." Wen Jiming agreed without hesitation, his unruffled expression concealing his triumph.

"..."

Theme: Only sincere feelings can win true love. Deception is bound to fail.