From the heroine's perspective: marriage first, love later * From the hero's perspective: his secret crush comes true
Gentle, reserved good girl * Handsome, roguish young master from a wealthy family
- Love takes no tricks. Sincerity is the ultimate weapon.
Blurb:
Shan Yue had followed Ji Congran since she was eighteen. At twenty-two, she finally got what she wanted and became his girlfriend.
They had been together for six months, but because of work, she would often go ten days or half a month without seeing him. One night, when he came home late, Shan Yue caught the scent of perfume on him.
The next evening, Ji Congran's nephew, Jiang Shirang, sent her a photo of Ji Congran embracing another woman intimately.
As the photo arrived, Jiang Shirang knocked on her door. When she opened it, he asked, “Will you marry me?”
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On the day Ji Congran got engaged to his arranged match, Jiang Shirang showed up with Shan Yue, both dressed to the nines. A striking pair of matching rings gleamed on their clasped hands.
As they offered their congratulations to the newlyweds, Jiang Shirang gently put an arm around Shan Yue. “Shan Yue, congratulate your little uncle.”
Suppressing her unbearable heartache, Shan Yue smiled brightly. “Little Uncle, congratulations on your engagement.”
Ji Congran's expression changed when he saw the rings on their hands. His good self-control kept him from losing it then and there. “Should I be the first to wish you a happy marriage?”
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One day after their wedding, Shan Yue happened upon an old photo album. When she opened it, she found just one picture inside: a blurry shot of a girl in a school uniform, seen from behind. The words “My beloved” on the back cut her to the heart. She thought of how distant and cold Jiang Shirang had been since they married.
So Jiang Shirang didn't love her either. Neither of them loved her.
That day, she packed her things and left the Jiang family home.
They met again a year later, on a snowy night. Snow covered Jiang Shirang as he stumbled toward her through the drifts, then pulled her fiercely into his arms. His voice was muffled with tears. “You heartless woman. The girl in the photo was you.”
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Bonus scene
After Shan Yue and Ji Congran got together, his nephew Jiang Shirang moved in with them too. Over the next six months, whenever Shan Yue and Jiang Shirang were alone together, they acted like strangers.
Ji Congran was busy with the company and spent fewer than fifteen nights at home. Whenever he tried to go into Shan Yue's room on those nights, Jiang Shirang would find some excuse to interrupt. Maybe he had eaten something bad and needed to go to the hospital, maybe he had a cold and was afraid of infecting them, or maybe he would drag his little uncle into an all-night gaming session.
When their friends heard about it, they laughed and called Jiang Shirang a master schemer.
July 19, 2022
Theme: Independence.
