Arousing Desire

Rumor has it that Fu Zhenhe, the third young master of the Fu family in Beijing's elite circles, is aloof and proud, cool and abstinent. He always wears a strand of star-and-moon bodhi beads around his wrist, and no woman has ever gotten close to him. People call him the "Buddha-like Lord" for his cool detachment. The first time Xiang Xiaokui saw him, she had been invited to a teachers' university anniversary celebration and mistook him for her blind date. That day, she braced herself and chatted with him about "interesting things" at the university for ten minutes. The next time she saw him was at a parent-teacher meeting. She was mortified on the spot, then braced herself to talk with him for ten minutes about "how to educate rebellious teenagers." Later, he found her and proposed a marriage of convenience. She was in a difficult situation at the time, so she agreed on impulse. When her best friend learned she'd casually married a stranger, she worried he might be looking for a beard or have some physical problem, and feared Xiang Xiaokui wouldn't be able to get away in the end. She urged her to test the waters. Thinking of Fu Zhenhe's status, Xiang Xiaokui worried he might refuse to let her go after a year, so she nervously and clumsily took the initiative. At last, she stoked a fire. The man's warm lips pressed against her neck as he murmured in his cool, deep voice, "Do you want to keep testing?" Xiang Xiaokui was so overwhelmed she nearly lost half her life. She shook her head vigorously. "No more testing." Just when Xiang Xiaokui thought they had become a real married couple, she heard him say casually to someone, "It's just to placate my family. The old man and old lady respect teachers, and she's a teacher to several of the children in the family. She's the perfect shield." In a deserted corner, Xiang Xiaokui silently curled her lips into a smile. A year later, their contract expired. She called to remind him, and only after a long silence did she hear his voice. "Let's renew for another year." Xiang Xiaokui: "Sorry, Mr. Fu. I don't want to renew. I've fallen for someone else." That evening, Fu Zhenhe took off the bodhi beads he'd worn around his wrist for ten years. His desire crumbled like an avalanche on a snowy mountain. He held her tight and kissed her fiercely, almost violently, like a fallen god. She pushed him away. "Mr. Fu, you've broken the contract." Fu Zhenhe lowered his head to the hollow of her neck. "Yes, I broke it. And I want to keep breaking it." Xiang Xiaokui smiled and stepped back a few paces. "Since you know I'm a teacher, Mr. Fu, you should know that scholars tend to be stubborn and proud. Better to die holding fragrance on the branch than be blown away by the north wind." Fu Zhenhe watched her turn and disappear into the vast snowstorm. His heart abruptly split open, as though something were surging out of his chest. P.S.: ★Warm, sunny teacher heroine x cool, aloof beauty on a high peak. Nine-year age gap. The hero is not a Buddhist monk. ★Marriage before love, an old flame reignited, the aloof beauty brought down from her pedestal, a melodramatic CEO romance with a sweet touch. ★The heroine has a thing for hands, and the hero's hands are irresistibly sexy. She's obsessed with them. Brought down from his pedestal / chasing his wife / marriage before love / size difference, both virgins. Weibo: @Shan Hua Dui Jiu 9 Next novel: The Tide Rises in the Dark Blurb: The first time Xi Yuan saw Zhou Jinghong was at a lavish party aboard a luxury cruise ship. The sea breeze was damp and salty, and the music and revelry were intoxicating. He leaned against the railing, smoking beneath a solitary light. His white shirt was undone down to one button, revealing lean muscle and a firm waist. The dips and ridges of his body were marked with several shades of lipstick. Xi Yuan mistakenly thought he was another actor brought aboard to be "offered up" to some rich woman or businessman. She gathered her courage, tugged at his sleeve, and gazed at him with clear, shimmering eyes. "Let's escape together." His peach-blossom eyes lifted slightly. Zhou Jinghong looked at her languidly, his face stunning and otherworldly in the ambiguous light. "Where would we escape to?" He exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice low and magnetic. Xi Yuan rose onto her toes and whispered softly in his ear, "It's so messy and filthy here. I've been throwing up for three days. I bet you hate it, too. Let's get ashore first, then figure things out." That night, Xi Yuan and Zhou Jinghong managed to escape from the cruise ship with surprising ease. She found a cheap inn in Chinatown, and they tacitly agreed to share a room. By day, they were like an ordinary couple, holding hands as they walked around Siam Square and sampling snacks along Sukhumvit Road. At night, she and he tangled together passionately, asking nothing of the past and making no plans for the future. In front of a Buddhist temple filled with the lingering sound of chants, she pressed her hands together and prayed sincerely: "May Zhou Jinghong be safe, wildly successful, and have everything go his way for the rest of his life." Three years later, they met again at a drinking party. He was wearing a finely tailored black suit, sitting languidly and listlessly in the seat of honor, his gaze cold and deep. Her agent nudged her discreetly and whispered, "The man in the seat of honor is the second young master of the Zhou family. They're investing in our next drama. Be proactive and go offer him a drink." Xi Yuan carried her glass over to him and looked up timidly. "Mr. Zhou, I'd like to toast you." Zhou Jinghong's lips curled into a roguish smile. "Are you wishing me success, or that everything goes my way?" Her hand trembled slightly around the glass. She parted her lips, but no words came out. Zhou Jinghong patted his thigh. "Come a little closer. I can't hear you." A soft, sweet, alluring beauty x a roguish, untamed big shot from Beijing's elite circles Both virgins / six-year age gap Theme: Stay positive and keep moving forward