After the Sweet, Lovely Beauty’s Heart Turned to Ash

[My second book as a new author. The content warnings are in the reading guide, so read at your discretion.] Proud, delicate, beautiful bottom (Lian Sui) x ruthless, cold-blooded top (Shi Zong) On his eighteenth birthday, Lian Sui wore a custom-made pure white suit, every inch the pampered, refined young master. Amid the envious gazes of the entire city, he married into the mysterious and powerful Shi family, becoming the cherished darling of the man he loved. Lian Sui thought marrying a warm and strong man like Shi Zong was the greatest good fortune of his life. On their wedding night, Lian Sui learned just how terribly wrong he was. When Shi Zong pinned him naked against a cold marble table, casually took the cigarette from between his lips, and pressed it hard against the small of his back, Lian Sui understood that the man he'd married was a cold-blooded devil who'd crawled out of hell beneath a warm exterior. Lian Sui was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face. "Shi Zong..." Shi Zong: "Shut up! You think you're worthy of calling me by my name?" Lian Sui trembled with fear. "Mr. Shi... Please let me go..." Shi Zong laughed wantonly. He loved the feeling of destroying something beautiful with his own hands. "The highborn, untouchable young master of the Lian family, so pure and pristine in public, is now nothing but a dog at my feet, wagging his tail and begging for mercy. Beg me, and maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll show you mercy." To Shi Zong, Lian Sui was just a dog, one that would never dare defy him. What surprised him was that one day his obedient, docile dog ran away, vanishing without a trace. Shi Zong sneered. It was just a dog. If he wanted, he could fill an entire villa with dogs. But only a few days later, Shi Zong went mad. Completely mad. From then on, everyone knew that the powerful Shi family magnate was searching the entire world for his beautiful wife. Three years later, Shi Zong saw a trending video. In it, a beautiful man with tousled hair danced wildly in the middle of a dance floor. Beneath his thin red shirt, the grotesque scar on his lower back was just visible. That very day, Shi Zong appeared before Lian Sui, haggard, hollow-eyed, and no longer violent. His dim brown eyes brimmed with regret, and his voice trembled as he asked carefully, "Sui Sui, will you come home with me?" Lian Sui scooped up his little boy, who came running over, and answered in the same soft, obedient voice he'd had three years ago. "Sorry, Mr. Shi. I have a home now." The little guy blinked his bright, watery eyes. "Daddy, who is this uncle?" Lian Sui glanced at Shi Zong, now gaunt and unshaven, then looked back at his son and said gently, "A bad man." The little guy immediately hugged Lian Sui tight and glared at the bad man. "Don't be scared, Daddy! I'll protect you!" Reading Guide: 1. This is melodramatic, melodramatic, melodramatic, and very old-fashioned. Don't compare it to real life or make judgments about the characters. The plot comes first. 2. The setting is full of authorial liberties: people can marry at eighteen, same-sex marriage is legal, and men can have children. 3. The top is twelve years older than the bottom. The top is a bad person at first, not a purely good character. 4. The two families have a deep-seated grudge. At first, the top is consumed by hatred and genuinely hates the bottom. It's like, "Only I get to bully my enemy. No one else is allowed to lay a finger on him." 5. Both are each other's first, and it has a happy ending. The bottom does not have Stockholm syndrome. 6. In a nutshell, it's a melodramatic story that goes, "When I loved you, you didn't love me. When you loved me, my heart was already dead." 2022/12/08 Screenshot uploaded --- Next book: My Boyfriend's Uncle Has His Eye on Me At a family banquet, Pei You excitedly introduced Shi Jin to Pei Jizhou. "Uncle, this is my boyfriend." Shi Jin greeted him politely and nervously. "Hello, Uncle." Pei Jizhou looked up at him, desire surging in his deep, dark eyes. Shi Jin felt inexplicably flustered and quickly lowered his gaze. Shi Jin thought they'd never see each other again, but the man kept testing him and tempting him. With nowhere left to retreat, Shi Jin had to draw a clear line. "You're a respected elder to me, just like A You's father." Pei Jizhou cornered him against the wall and brushed his thumb over Shi Jin's soft lips, asking nonchalantly, "So what?" Shi Jin's face heated, and he turned away. "Please show some restraint!" Pei Jizhou chuckled and leaned close to his ear. "What's there to be afraid of? It's not illegal to have an affair with an elder." Later, Pei You made a bad business decision, saddling the group with massive debt and bringing it to the brink of bankruptcy. With no other choice, he came to ask for help. "Uncle, open the door. It's me." By the floor-to-ceiling window, Shi Jin tried to escape. The man gripped his sweat-dampened waist and kissed the hickey-covered nape of his neck with deliberate cruelty, goading him. "Speak up. He can't hear you." His vision swaying, Shi Jin cursed him through tears. "You're a pervert!" Pei Jizhou smiled, sounding aggrieved despite his delight. "Baby, you treat me like a gigolo every day. Isn't it time you gave me a proper title?" --- For more upcoming books, see the author's profile --- The Villain's Sidekick Just Wants to Survive Sidekick bottom (Xu Yi) x mature top (Feng Linzhou) The Tool Character Gets Caught in a Love Rival Showdown Tool character bottom (Yun Zhao) x mature, dependable top (Lu Jin) The Cannon Fodder Bottom Awakens After the Substitute Marriage Gentle, resilient bottom (Wen Ruo) x comatose top (Bo Shiyue) The Real Young Master of the Wealthy Family Is Reborn Young master (An Che) x mature family powerbroker (Gu Mingsheng) The Sickly Young Master Awakens Sickly, beautiful bottom x powerful top The CEO Is About to Lose It Over That Cat Adorable little white cat bottom (Bai Miao Miao) x straight-laced CEO top (Mo Yan) The Washed-Up Star Loses His Persona on a Dating Show Washed-up star bottom (Chi Yun) x movie emperor top (Feng Que) Do Not Touch Timid, socially anxious beauty bottom (Yun Wan) x repressed top who discovers his attraction to men (Wen Zhi) The Demon Lord Can No Longer Keep the Coffin Lid Down Delicate, obedient bottom (Fu Yang) x cold, sinister demon lord top (Yin Lie) After I Became a Real Eunuch Real eunuch bottom (Jiang Yin) x cold, ruthless regent top (Ling Ye) Completed: The Tragic, Powerful Prince I Raised Went Astray Theme: Love alone can save us.