The Nightingale Never Comes

[The whole story is complete!!! Thank you, dear readers, for keeping me company~]

Coming soon: A Marriage Fairy Tale. The blurb is at the bottom. If you like it, please add it to your collection~

Su Ran, the eldest daughter of the Su family and an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Canglong costumes, inherits a vast fortune after her parents pass away. To outsiders, she's a juicy target, but with the protection of her elders, she grows up safe and sound.

When her grandfather grows old and falls ill and the family turns against itself, Su Ran decides to enter an arranged marriage to protect the inheritance her parents left her.

Su Ran thinks she first met Rong Junhe at that farcical matchmaking meeting.

He accidentally ruined the whole affair, then joked that he would make it up to her by finding her another match.

And then, by accident, he ended up offering himself instead.

*

Everyone knows that the young Mr. Rong is ruthless and cold-blooded.

In less than a year at Rong Group, Rong Junhe wrested power from his own second uncle and took control of the company.

The company is even rife with outlandish rumors. They say the former chairman was so enraged by three sentences from Rong Junhe that he ended up in the ICU.

But no one knows that he spent years biding his time, planning every step, just to catch a glimpse of that sliver of light.

*

On a variety show, the host asks Rong Junhe about his first meeting with his wife.

The usually aloof, sharp-tongued Rong Junhe looks into the camera with a tenderness that astonishes everyone, his voice so gentle it's almost unbelievable.

"Heavy rain, a narrow alley, a girl, and the light."

*The day a nightingale landed on my shoulder, the clock of my life began to tick.

Reader's guide:

One-on-one romance, both leads have had no previous partners, marriage first and love later, long-planned love, unrequited love made mutual.

Seventy percent of the novel is paywalled after 24 hours. Thank you, dear readers, for your support~

Coming soon: A Marriage Fairy Tale. Here's the blurb~ If you like it, please add it to your collection!

Chen Shuyu agreed to the matchmaking meeting purely out of politeness.

But the conditions proposed by the other party were so tempting that she began to suspect she was being scammed.

She carefully looks up at her new boss. He has a clear, bright bearing, as luminous as the moon, and the name Jiang Tingyue suits him perfectly.

She lowers her eyes, reproaching herself for her outrageous suspicions. Then, as if possessed, she signs the contract on the spot without a moment's hesitation.

*

Everyone in their circle knows that Jiang Tingyue has the haughty air of an aristocratic young master. With a face that turns heads, he has countless admirers rushing at him like waves, only to stumble and fall. Not one has managed to get close.

When news of his secret marriage suddenly comes out, it shocks everyone. Nosy people press him for details, and Jiang Tingyue merely says, "My wife says we should keep a low profile."

Everyone assumes he's making excuses. After all, how low-profile can you be if you don't even wear a wedding ring? Besides, he hardly seems like the sort to bend for love. They figure he probably doesn't take this marriage seriously.

A meddlesome person approaches the newlywed Mrs. Jiang to sow discord, only to find that she doesn't take it seriously at all. Her eyes curve as she giggles. "Why don't you wait a couple more years, and then we..."

Before Chen Shuyu can finish, Jiang Tingyue appears behind her, his face black as ink. He pulls her into his arms and, tossing out "In a couple more years, we'll be even more in love," slams the door shut.

*

Of course Chen Shuyu has entertained other thoughts. That's why, while drinking herself silly with a friend, she hides her feelings in a stream of drunken nonsense.

"Even monkeys from a thousand years ago knew that trying to scoop the moon out of the water would get you drowned."

Jiang Tingyue rushes over after getting her call and, half holding and half coaxing her, laughs helplessly. "But humans conquered the moon ages ago."

Besides, the moon was the one who fell first.

Theme: Even when mired in the mud, you can still bloom.