A Winter’s Night

Overprotective, gentle food creator x outwardly aloof suspense writer who's actually a needy, obedient, hopeless romantic

1.

Ming He feels he's just like the characters in his books, trapped among thorns, with a patch of wild weeds and desolation as his only refuge.

He lets himself grow weary of the world and lose his appetite. It's not as if anyone cares.

Until one day, he opens the door and sees a face of breathtaking beauty.

The woman is holding a bag of chestnut cakes.

After that, Ming He experiences a longing and anticipation unlike anything he'd ever known.

He never imagined it, either.

Someday, Cen Nian would truly take his hand and hold on tight, leading him toward the light.

2.

Cen Nian has always thought Ming He was a quiet, indifferent man, until one day she finds his "little princess" diary

February 15

When she came home today, the first thing she did was hug the dog.

But all I want to do every day is hug her.

February 16

The cat just skipped a meal. Is there really any need to worry so much?

Fine, then I won't eat either.

Further down is today's entry.

February 20

She hasn't told me she loves me of her own accord in two days.

She didn't hold me while we slept last night, either.

But I still love her so much.

Cen Nian sighs. She sets down the diary and, holding someone's favorite chestnut cakes, pushes open the half-closed door.

Before long, the cat yawns lazily on the sofa and, hearing the sounds from the room, drifts sleepily off as if this were all perfectly ordinary.

"A-He, I love you most."

*One-on-one, both are each other's first, happy ending

*Warm and laid-back, food-themed story

*Older woman-younger man romance, she spoils him

Upcoming story, Turning the Page, blurb:

After her friend's wedding, Fang Zhili sleeps with a man: Meng Jiaheng, whom she hasn't seen in eight years.

Friend: "That childhood friend of yours?"

Fang Zhili scoffs. She still remembers Meng Jiaheng's arrogant, superior attitude, and that rich young master hates her just as much.

So they can't stand each other. Calling them childhood friends is a stretch.

-

Eight years later, they still clash whenever they meet.

Fang Zhili says coldly, "Drop that haughty, cutting attitude. You're not even my friend, so what gives you the right to lecture me about my life?"

Meng Jiaheng calmly puts on his watch, perfectly hiding the marks she bit into his skin. "Because you gave me the cold shoulder for eight years after I didn't help you that one time. Now I'm just telling you that man isn't good enough for you, and you think I'm meddling."

"You were the one who asked me over last night. Now that you're done with me, you toss me aside. Zhili, your mouth is only soft when we're kissing."

Fang Zhili doesn't care about his taunts. She simply tells him to get out, her face expressionless.

-

No one knows how long this relationship has gone on before Meng Jiaheng accidentally realizes that he's never been part of her plans for the future.

When the man demands an explanation, Fang Zhili is utterly cool. "I forgot to tell you, we're over. Everything that happened between us is in the past. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

In the past?

From the moment she kissed him by force on her eighteenth birthday, there was no way things between them could ever end.

Theme: Good food can heal anything