Coveting Roses [Marriage Before Love]

A refined scoundrel, a cold-hearted, influential Beijing aristocrat who seems warm on the outside x a gentle, pure, sweet and obedient beauty

Marriage first, love later | A careful, step-by-step pursuit x reserved and slow to catch on | Sweet, doting everyday life

Wen Xiangwan lives up to her name. With dewy almond eyes and porcelain-pale skin, she wears a blue qipao that shows off her slender waist. Gentle and graceful, she is like a rose touched by the waters of late spring in Jiangnan.

The youngest daughter of the Wen family, she was raised in the palm of their hands. She follows the rules to a fault and is famous in their circle for being a good girl.

When she turned twenty-five, her grandfather called her over and told her gently but firmly that the family needed her to marry for an alliance.

Wen Xiangwan's long lashes fluttered for a few seconds before she nodded without hesitation. After a brief pause, she quietly asked her grandfather,

"Who?"

"The Lu family. Lu Xingyuan."

-

Lu Xingyuan.

That name was famous throughout Beijing's elite circles.

Not only was he the heir to the top-tier Lu family, he was also ruthless and decisive.

And yet he had a handsome face, and was always dressed in custom-tailored black that gave off an air of abstinence. His suit was immaculate, and the diamonds on his cufflinks glinted coldly. His noble, indifferent air was enough to make anyone's knees go weak. Countless people admired him, yet no one could stir his heart.

At a drinks party one time, a friend jokingly asked what kind of woman could catch Young Master Lu's eye.

Lu Xingyuan casually swirled the glass of red wine in his hand, then slowly poured the expensive wine from the exquisite crystal glass into the wine basin. He smiled, alluring and cold.

"Women? I'm not interested."

-

Just when everyone around him thought a cold-hearted man like Lu Xingyuan would probably die alone, he unexpectedly agreed to marry into the Wen family.

It was just a matter of marrying some dispensable ornament and keeping her at home.

Even Wen Xiangwan herself thought that was what Lu Xingyuan had in mind.

Perhaps one day she would annoy him, and this marriage of convenience would be over.

-

Three months after the wedding, Wen Xiangwan attended a small gathering of Beijing's society wives for the first time.

Amid the elegant clothes and shining jewelry, she listened as the women subtly bragged about their husbands' affection. Wen Xiangwan sat all alone in a corner, without saying a word.

"Mrs. Lu, you're newly married. Don't you have anything to share with us?"

Suddenly put on the spot, Wen Xiangwan looked up in a panic. After blushing and sitting in silence for a while, she shook her head.

The women exchanged glances, understanding that her marriage was in name only, and no one paid her any further attention.

It started raining as the gathering ended. A group of wealthy wives stood at the entrance, frowning as they waited for their drivers. To their surprise, they spotted someone in the traffic who shouldn't have been there.

A handsome, distinguished man holding a black umbrella walked through the drizzle, straight to Wen Xiangwan at the back of the crowd. He bent down and gently scooped her into his arms.

"Time to go home, Mrs. Lu."

As the two turned to leave, someone noticed that Wen Xiangwan's pale neck, hanging limply in the rainy night, was covered in faint red marks.

-

Later, a friend teased Lu Xingyuan, who had started coming home earlier and earlier: "Not interested in women?"

Lu Xingyuan loosened his collar and answered without batting an eye, "I forgot to mention, there's a condition to that statement."

"Except for her."

"No one knows that she is the rose blooming in his heart."

*Pure sweetness, no angst, a little treat

*Each other's first love, one-on-one romance

Theme: Love can open even the most tightly closed heart