Gardenia's Embrace

Lu Zhi was born with a sweet, well-behaved face, like a white gardenia beaded with dew at dawn, soft and utterly nonthreatening. But only those close to her knew how deceptive that fresh-faced look was. Every now and then, her sly little fox tail would peek out, revealing a mischievous streak that refused to be tamed. The year she graduated, an arranged marriage went awry. She ended up marrying the older brother of the man she was originally meant to wed: Fu Yanshang, the renowned heir of the Fu Group, a household name among the elite and the object of countless crushes. Before that, she had met him only once in person. It was at a private showing for custom-made luxury jewelry. Every guest was powerful and influential, yet the event was delayed by half an hour just for him. Amid the guests’ welcoming chatter, he took his seat at the head table. Lantern light fell on the fingers he tapped against the table’s edge. His hands were strikingly beautiful, and his features even more so. He looked rakish in his immaculate suit, with a vindictive streak that made him dangerous. She cautiously tucked away her untamable fox tail and tried to figure out how to navigate a marriage she knew nothing about. Hoping to get a few perks, she was delighted to discover that acting sweet and obedient worked rather well. So she fussed over him, spoke sweetly and gently, and kept everything under control as their relationship warmed up, step by step. Then one day, things took an unexpected turn. She packed up and left the villa, leaving behind only the words “It was a pleasure doing business with you.” But she had barely spread her wings for a few days before he caught her red-handed. Later, looking back on it all, she ticked off the details one by one. “...So all that well-behaved stuff you liked was just an act.” “I knew,” the man replied in an unhurried voice. “When we went hiking, I took the mountain trail while you rode the cable car. You snuck bites from the bag of fries over and over. The glasses you gave me weren’t even bought for me. You spent hours making those molten chocolate cakes, then decided they were too rich after one bite.” “When you got drunk, you sat on my shoulders and watched another man wave a glow stick.” His voice was low. “You dared to dance on Fu Yanshang’s head. Who else would be that bold?” “You’re well-behaved? How are you well-behaved?” His gaze shifted. He let out a careless, amused snort. “You’re only well-behaved when I tell you to open your mouth for a kiss.” “...” Sweet-faced, unruly girl x a man with a cocky face and a shameless mouth Bking = cocky king 20 x 27, seven-year age gap, marriage first, love later On a winter day when everything lay barren, he looked up and saw spring. Next book is most likely Butterfly Signal When Xia Zhiyi first debuted, the media predicted a dazzling future for her. Then she kindly gave her lecherous boss three slaps, earning herself a complete industry blacklist and a fall to bit-part status. Other up-and-coming actresses from her generation had already made it big. Her manager was frantic. “Why not find a rich patron to get you out of your contract and back you up? It’s pretty common in show business.” Thinking of what the industry big shots looked like, Xia Zhiyi smiled brightly and politely declined. “Every time I look at an ugly man, I lose ten years off my life.” “...” The day she was planning to quit the industry, Xia Zhiyi delivered a dress for a friend, only to be turned away by security. Without an invitation, she couldn’t enter the venue. As the standoff dragged on, the event coordinator came hurrying out. She looked over just in time to see a Rolls-Royce glide discreetly through the pouring rain and come to a slow stop beneath the covered entrance, surrounded by a crowd. The black car door opened. The man who stepped out had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an air of effortless nobility. Being fawned over by everyone was clearly nothing new to him. He moved through the crowd with cool indifference, then met her eyes. It was their third time meeting. They were barely acquaintances, though she had helped him out with a few small favors. A moment later, he bent his arm, inviting her to enter as his date. “If you don’t mind.” Only after taking a seat in the front row and failing to find her friend, then realizing that even a top-tier star could only sit in a corner, did she understand just how central the man beside her was to this world of fame and fortune. The main venue. The investors’ section. A seat of honor. - Later, as the skies cleared over a garden after the rain, the man told her the circumstances forced his hand and asked if she would be interested in pretending to be his girlfriend. She looked into it a little and found that he was not only handsome and easy on the eyes, but also had someone else in his heart, was impotent, and would absolutely never make a move on her. If she agreed, no one in the industry would dare raise their voice at her again. Xia Zhiyi was secretly thrilled. “There are deals like this?” She moved into the Shen family home without a hint of fuss, planning to leave just as cleanly once she had made it big. Then one day, a little accident led to a night together. When she opened her eyes in the morning, she was waking up in his arms, struggling to fish out her clothes and cover herself. “Sorry,” she said sincerely. “Could you pretend last night never happened?” “...” The day they finally talked it all through, she said the words “rich patron” with such conviction that the man paused for two seconds and frowned. “What kind of patron?” Xia Zhiyi: “...A rich patron.” “I’d give you the stars, and the moon if you asked. You kiss me whenever you feel like it, dump me whenever you want, and tell me to stop dreaming,” the man said with a faint hum. “I’ve never seen such a spineless rich patron.” “...” From the male lead’s perspective: a contractual relationship, turning into real love From the female lead’s perspective: a rich patron with lots of money, little hassle, no expectation of sex, and a problem in bed. Wait, how can all three be wrong?! 22 x 28, six-year age gap, the male lead has no one else in his heart, a fake-rich-patron romance Theme: Someone will always see past appearances and fall in love with your soul.