Smoke

The companion novel, After You Left Me, is complete

Blurb:

That Qixi Festival, Tan Yan met Fu Xunzhi. The moment he rescued her, she fell for him.

The next Qixi Festival, she married him and became the enviable Mrs. Fu.

But nobody thought the newlyweds were a good match.

He was born to shine; she was an ordinary orphan.

Everyone said that if Zhou Yinluo hadn't gone abroad, Fu Xunzhi would surely have married her, the heiress who was a perfect match for him.

In their two years of marriage, Tan Yan saw Fu Xunzhi only a handful of times.

He was always frowning, his gaze quiet and distant.

Even when they were passionately entwined,

his brow remained tightly furrowed.

Tan Yan thought perhaps he simply wasn't good at expressing himself.

Until Zhou Yinluo returned from abroad.

Lying in her hospital bed, Tan Yan recalled Zhou Yinluo's words:

There are three things people cannot hide: coughing, poverty, and love*.

Have you felt his love?

At last, Tan Yan stopped holding on.

When she asked Fu Xunzhi for a divorce, he was silent for two minutes, then nodded gently. "Maybe this is for the best."

This time, he wasn't frowning.

When they meet again,

the aloof, elegant man in the corner gently swirls the bar's signature cocktail,

his fingers gripping the glass so tightly they turn white.

Behind the bar, Tan Yan smiles at the person beside her, her eyes bright.

The man tips his head back and drains his drink,

a little tipsy, and yet addictive.

In the alley behind the bar, the man leans alone against a wall, a cigarette between his fingers.

Pale smoke drifts through them,

and beneath the curling haze, his feelings are impossible to read.

As she passes him, she acts as if she doesn't see him.

The person beside her opens an umbrella and slips an arm around her shoulder, at ease and intimate.

Just before he loses consciousness from the pain in his heart, Fu Xunzhi thinks of her smiling face...

Content notes:

1. The story opens two years into their marriage.

2. One-on-one romance. The male lead has no first love; his heart and body belong to his partner alone. Happy ending.

3. Mutual redemption.

4. Four-year age gap.

5. *From Lolita.

Pre-release 1:

After Posting a Listing on the Seafood Marketplace

Female lead's perspective:

With the year-end approaching, everything goes wrong, and Han Xiao is suddenly called in by her boss.

The first week after being laid off, Han Xiao reassures herself: It's fine, it's fine. I'll treat it like a vacation.

The second week, all her job applications disappear into a black hole.

The third week, her landlord comes to collect the rent.

After paying three months' rent, Han Xiao looks at the three-digit balance in her account and quietly posts a listing on the seafood marketplace:

Kitten spaying. Plays along. Bargain price: 30 yuan per session.

That night, a buyer messages her.

[How good are you at acting?]

Han Xiao replies instantly: [I'm a total professional!]

Male lead's perspective:

People say the world's in tatters, but kittens are always there to stitch it back together*. Zhou Yang scoffs at the idea.

The little tyrant at home is always giving him attitude. At the slightest displeasure, it arches its back, puffs up, hisses, and lashes its tail.

Huajuan's love life keeps getting put off. Then it finds a partner, and Zhou Yang tells himself, "I can't put this off any longer."

Faced with the choice between being mauled by Huajuan and doing nothing, Zhou Yang decides to find a "catnapper" on the seafood marketplace.

Outside the pet hospital, Zhou Yang raises his eyes and looks the "villain" up and down, his tone teasing. "Old classmate, you're a pretty good actor."

Han Xiao rolls her eyes, a smile curving her lips. "Old classmate, leave me a good review."

Pre-release 2:

Thoughts at Sunset

Blurb:

When Cen Yuanyi pushes the wheelchair into the room, Sang Yu narrows her eyes.

The little west-facing room is stifling, glaring, cramped, and shabby.

The air conditioner in some upstairs neighbor's apartment is dripping, drop by drop onto the balcony's pull-up bar, irritating her.

"I will never live in a place like this." Sang Yu looks up and glares stubbornly at Cen Yuanyi.

Cen Yuanyi's expression is cool. He bends to pick up the thin blanket that's slipped to the floor, brushes the dust off, and lays it over her legs again.

"Don't worry. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

[The first time we met, I was lying in a hospital bed, looking out the window. The sun was setting in the west, dusk was falling, and I felt helpless and desperate. He came in, his features stern, and said only, "Come with me."]

[From autumn to spring, from strangers to understanding each other without a word, I haven't walked this long road alone.]

Pre-release 3:

Today Is Not a Good Day for a Blind Date [Second Chance Romance]

Blurb:

In the private dining room, Mom keeps reminiscing with her old classmate, Aunt Xu.

Zhen Lu was dragged here against her will and grumbles inwardly: If you're catching up, why bring me along?

She can't join in the conversation between the two elders, so she sits there like a fool,

answering halfheartedly whenever they ask her something.

"Does Xiao Zhen have a boyfriend?" Aunt Xu asks, seemingly offhand.

"Not yet." Her mother gives Zhen Lu a sidelong look, sounding exasperated. "Kids these days have minds of their own."

Aunt Xu replies with a knowing air, "Our Xiao Ce is the same. He won't listen to a word."

Zhen Lu lowers her head without speaking, uncomfortably picks up her teacup, and takes a sip.

The door to the private room opens, and a waiter leads a man inside.

"Sorry, something came up." The man wears a dark gray shirt, with a black coat casually draped over his arm. He looks a little more upright than before.

After all these years, Zhen Lu never expected to cross paths with Jiang Chengshen again.

Aunt Xu introduces him, saying, "The young woman sitting beside your Aunt Lu is her daughter, Zhen Lu. She works in Qiantan. You two will probably run into each other often from now on."

Jiang Chengshen is as much of a jerk as ever. He reaches out his hand. "Jiang Chengshen. I look forward to working with you."

Theme: Beyond the clouds, the sun is shining