Married first, love later: the journey from not loving each other to falling deeply in love
Su Jianyue remembers the first time she met Zhou Rangchen, years ago at the city library.
Sunlight streamed through the transparent roof. He sat there casually, his long-fingered hands flying over the keyboard, his handsome face utterly expressionless. He never spared a glance for the girl who had kept him company all afternoon.
When the library closed, they happened to take the same elevator. It broke down unexpectedly, leaving them trapped inside together.
It was hard for Su Jianyue not to feel afraid in the narrow darkness. Then came the crisp sound of candy tapping against a metal tin beside her ear.
A careless voice followed: "Hey, fellow unfortunate soul, want a mint?"
Time passed. Years later, the eldest son of the Zhou family was still a prominent figure in their circle. The youngest brain specialist at the city hospital, he had no shortage of admirers and was considered a perfect match by many.
Meanwhile, despite her family's fierce objections, Su Jianyue became a legal aid lawyer. The sheltered young lady had since seen the warmth and coldness of human nature firsthand.
At their blind date, Zhou Rangchen was polite and gentlemanly, though he could not hide his distant manner. Su Jianyue knew it was bound to be a meeting that went nowhere.
But just before the meal ended, he unexpectedly asked her, "Miss Su, do you want to get married?"
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, then she shook her head decisively. "No."
At that, Zhou Rangchen's lips curved into a faint, ambiguous smile. It was not flirtatious, yet somehow it was captivating.
"Then how about we give it a try?"
A marriage without love, between two people who had always put staying single first. Just like that, they began sharing a life. The people around them would sometimes pry into the details, while secretly wondering how long it could last.
Then one day, Zhou Rangchen cheerfully treated everyone in his department to coffee. Someone teased him, asking what good thing had happened.
He smiled, unable to hide his pride. "Nothing much. My wife won another case."
That evening, the people at the law firm finally met Su Jianyue's mysterious husband.
Dressed in white and black, he was strikingly tall, with a sharply defined face and an air of haughty elegance.
His keep-your-distance aura vanished the moment he saw Su Jianyue. Without a care for anyone watching, he picked her up with one arm and spun her around, then gently held out the brilliant red roses he had hidden behind his back.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Zhou."
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Your smile is a rose-colored lock, and I carefully hide the key, afraid anyone might glimpse even a little of your beauty. - Zhou Rangchen
Note: "Your smile is a rose-colored lock" is from the song Only Gazing at You.
Theme: You are the ideal I hold in this world
