Offside Entanglement

▲ Love Rivalry | Age Gap | Size Difference | Taking by Force

▲ Dominant, Unhinged Hero vs. Soft-Spoken but Strong-Willed Heroine

Shen Jingqiu first met Pei Yue at her teacher's home.

She was lowering her head to brew tea when Pei Yue suddenly reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His fingertips felt like boiling water from a purple clay teapot, and Shen Jingqiu was caught off guard by the burn.

Through the curling steam, she looked at Pei Yue. He met her startled gaze and fixed his eyes on hers, blazing like a ball of fire, so direct it was almost offensive.

They met again later at an auction. He bid tens of millions for an antique guzheng and had it delivered to her. "It suits you."

Shen Jingqiu took half a step back and refused. "It's too valuable. I can't accept it. Thank you, Mr. Pei."

Pei Yue leaned toward her, wearing the casual air of a hunter who had locked onto his prey. His gaze passed over her shoulder and landed on her boyfriend, standing not far behind her. "What has your boyfriend given you?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but he's not good enough for you."

"Why not be with me instead?"

Faced with his barbed remarks, Shen Jingqiu's gaze was like a frozen lake, utterly undisturbed. "If you know it's out of line, you shouldn't say it. I have a boyfriend. Please show some respect, Mr. Pei."

Pei Yue only laughed darkly. "Having a boyfriend means you can't be with me?"

Shen Jingqiu thought he was a madman.

After that, everyone around Shen Jingqiu told her to stay away from Pei Yue. He was trouble. Shen Jingqiu wanted no part of it and kept her distance. All she wanted was to graduate without a hitch; she had no interest in getting mixed up in trouble. But from then on, she could never shake him.

Later, things didn't go as she hoped. Her boyfriend's project ran into funding problems, and Shen Jingqiu had no choice but to go to Pei Yue.

He lounged on a leather sofa, his posture relaxed, almost casual. But beneath that ease was the suffocating pressure of a man in power. "You know I've wanted only you from the very beginning."

--

The two of them, worlds apart, kept their relationship secret from everyone. Shen Jingqiu knew they could never have a future together, so she used an opportunity to teach abroad as an excuse to run away.

She thought that once she was overseas, he wouldn't be able to reach her. Just as she was celebrating her new life, Pei Yue came after her.

On a stormy night, he pinned her against a floor-to-ceiling window. Sheets of rain crashed down before her, and behind her stood a grim, almost feral man.

He pressed the back of her hand against the glass. His palm was burning hot, the glass cold. Trapped between them, she had nowhere to run.

"Why are you hiding? It's not like I'm going to eat you."

"This city, this whole world, it doesn't matter where you run. I'll find you and bring you back. So save your energy."

Pei Yue's voice was low, like distant thunder rolling in from outside. He gripped her chin in the crook of his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up at him. "Look at me and say you love me."

She pressed her lips together, refusing to say a single word. She wouldn't even pretend anymore.

Pei Yue lowered his face toward hers, his last shred of patience worn away. "If you won't say it, I'll make you. I'll keep going until you want to say it."

▼ A few tips:

① This blurb was screenshotted and archived on May 13, 2026.

② Posting begins at 500 bookmarks. The full manuscript is in progress.

③ This is a work of pure imagination. Everything serves the atmosphere and plot, so please don't overanalyze it or treat it as realistic.

④ The forced-romance genre inevitably raises many issues. If that bothers you, please stop reading. The male lead is genuinely crazy and not a good person (you could even say he's not human).

⑤ Haven't thought of anything else yet.

Theme: Persevere and strive for self-improvement