Tugging Down the Nightingale

A powerful man takes the woman he wants

A major player in the capital's elite circle * female student / gentlemanly scoundrel * aloof and gentle

The first time Wen Sheng met Fu Shijing was at her boyfriend's birthday dinner.

The man sat at the head of the table, wearing a perfectly neat black shirt. His simple glance was haughty, his bearing distant.

Halfway through the meal, her boyfriend asked Wen Sheng to offer Fu Shijing a toast. Someone tripped her by accident.

The wine spilled, soaking the man's black trousers. The room erupted, and voices of reproach rang out around them. As she panicked, the man gently took her by the wrist.

He handed her a plain white handkerchief with a faint fragrance. His voice was exceptionally gentle. "Wipe it off."

Her boyfriend demanded that Wen Sheng apologize to Fu Shijing, scolding her for offending someone important.

Fu Shijing casually brushed at dust that wasn't even there, without so much as lifting his eyes. "It's fine."

-

Later, on a night heavy with dew, the laughter of her boyfriend and another girl came through the door separating them.

Fu Shijing pressed Wen Sheng against the door. "He's not good enough for you. How about me?"

Wen Sheng bit her lip and trembled. At last, she saw through him: his gentleness and refinement had only been an act.

On a cold, rainy night, Wen Sheng broke up with her boyfriend of seven years and moved out with her suitcase.

At the entrance to the residential complex, cars sped past Wen Sheng one after another, splashing her with rainwater and startling her into a fall.

A black sedan pulled over. An assistant got out and held a black umbrella over Wen Sheng, looking down at her with a hint of pity.

Wen Sheng raised her eyes as the rain began to ease. In the car, she saw the man, dressed in costly clothes, as unreachable as snow atop a high peak.

He glanced up nonchalantly, his gaze falling on her.

The man lowered his eyes and brushed rainwater from the surface of his shirt. His voice was cool and distant. "Have you really made up your mind this time? I never force anyone to do anything."

*Written on June 1, 2023. The blurb may be revised later, but the story's overall direction will remain unchanged.

Theme: Building a better life together