Kindled Desire

■ Complete | Next novel: Cherry Red Night (see the author's page for the blurb)

Blurb:

Mutual pining | Rekindled love | Devoted redemption

Affluent young heir X gentle girl

*

Zhou Yanxun was born to shine, confident and full of life, while Shu Ran was gentle and perceptive, a striking contrast to Zhou Yanxun's free-spirited nature.

The two seemed to have never crossed paths, but in truth, Shu Ran had seen Zhou Yanxun long ago.

That day, Shu Ran couldn't resolve the troubles weighing on her mind. She bought two cans of beer and forced herself to drink them both in one go.

Just as she struggled to swallow, someone took the can from her hand.

"Ranran," Zhou Yanxun said, his voice cool and quiet. "Don't pick up bad habits."

It was the first time he'd called her Ranran.

The lights flickered, and Shu Ran's heart skipped more than once.

*

It was true that Shu Ran fell for Zhou Yanxun, and it was also true that she approached him with ulterior motives.

They were together, then broke up.

Everyone thought Zhou Yanxun was too proud to care. It was just a romance, and once it ended, that was that.

No one knew that he'd once begged her in desperation:

"Ranran, stay. Please..."

*

Later, they reunited in a rush, with years between them and love and hate equally sharp.

Zhou Yanxun gazed at her, his eyes icy to the bone. "Shu Ran, I thought you wouldn't have the nerve to see me again."

Shu Ran smiled gently and called him by name. "Zhou Yanxun, do you want me to come back?"

Zhou Yanxun said nothing, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably as he stubbed out his cigarette.

*

Did he want her to come back?

Through all those years apart, every day and every night, he'd longed for her to return and look at him once more.

Proud and haughty as he was, he was willing to lose everything for her, with nowhere left to retreat.

That day, she took the bus home, and he took a picture of it.

For many years afterward, that photo was his phone wallpaper, and the scene stayed in his heart.

*

"A young man's love is unwavering."

Next novel: Cherry Red Night

■ Unconventional marriage-first, love-later | Brothers vying for her | Stealing each other's partners | Cat-and-dog couple

■ Beautiful, haughty catlike young woman X billionaire heir in a suit, daddy type

On the day Lin Dongyi was invited to Lu Ranzheng's birthday party, her older brother earnestly advised her: learn to flatter him and keep the compliments coming. The Lu family had deep connections, and opportunities like this were hard to come by.

At the party, Lu Ranzheng told Lin Dongyi to climb onto a car roof and dance for everyone's entertainment. The girl didn't get angry or upset. She flicked open a lighter and tossed it into the car. The top-of-the-line supercar, worth hundreds of millions, went up in flames in an instant!

Later, Lu Ranzheng used the evidence of her "car-burning" to force Lin Dongyi to date him.

Little did he know she was already secretly married to his older brother.

-

Before the party began, Lin Dongyi and her secretly wedded husband were alone in a dim room.

She knew he was Lu Ranzheng's cousin, the true head of the Tan family in Hong Kong, with billions in assets. He wore no jewelry, only a thin red string around his wrist, like a tattoo.

Outsiders all said Tan Xuting was a ruthless man. Lin Dongyi saw only the scars hidden beneath his shirt.

Tan Xuting: "Do you remember our agreement before we got married? First, I'll protect you. Second, I won't accept a sexless marriage..."

But Lin Dongyi said, "Can I touch your scars...?"

After a long pause, he smiled loosely. "Go ahead."

-

No one knew Lin Dongyi had met Tan Xuting, much less that she would secretly marry him.

Likewise, Lin Dongyi never expected that this seemingly unattainable man not only had a pain kink, but also suffered from a certain degree of separation anxiety and wanted to keep her in his arms every moment of the day.

By then, Lu Ranzheng was a rising star. On set, the stylist was about to paint a lipstick mark on the side of his neck.

But Lu Ranzheng said, "What's the fun in painting one on? Why not just give me a kiss instead?" With everyone watching, he called out her name. "Lin Dongyi, come do it for me!"

The next second, the studio doors swung wide open. Tan Xuting strode in, ignoring everyone's astonished looks. "She's already your brother's wife, Lu Ranzheng. Think carefully about what you should call her."

That same day, Tan Xuting removed the signature red string from his wrist and tied it around her ring finger.

The young man, dressed in a suit and sharp as a blade, cornered her and whispered against her ear: "Lin Dongyi, we've been secretly married for so long. Don't you think it's time you gave me a proper title?"

"Look at us in the mirror. We're beautiful."

-

"I want to share every meal with you, and I want to die inside you."

-

Lin Dongyi X Tan Xuting

Beautiful, haughty catlike young woman X billionaire heir in a suit, daddy type

1. Happy ending, both are each other's first, romantic rivalry and a battle for her heart.

2. The male lead has a mild pain kink and separation anxiety, and is utterly lovesick. The second male lead is a beautiful, clingy younger man.

3. Set in a fictional world. Don't compare it to reality.

4. First draft written on 2024.6.24

Theme: Love life and be a good person