Drowning in Slow Affection

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[Down-on-her-luck farm owner vs. scheming, straightforward heir]

The powerful one bows his head / marriage first, love later /

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Blurb

Soft but never weak Ji Meiren * arrogant, devoted boss Li

|Marriage first, love later|Mutual healing|Age gap|

Ji Siyan has over a million followers on a certain platform. With her bright, striking features and ethereal elegance, she looks breathtaking in a qipao that cinches her slender waist.

She rarely discusses romance in public, devoting herself wholeheartedly to passing on the intangible cultural heritage of paper-cutting.

And yet, rumors claim she is the caged songbird kept by the eldest grandson of the Zhou family.

Others say she is secretly married to the eldest young master of the Li family.

The rumors are everywhere, but Ji Siyan has never responded to any of them.

Many scoff, saying a little blogger is trying to ride the coattails of two top aristocratic families, shamelessly reaching for the moon.

Then an interview video from an international animation festival appeared online.

As the creator of the hit paper-cut animation Drowning, Ji Siyan was asked, "Miss Ji, I hear the Drowning series didn't have an easy time in development. Everyone in the industry knows how risky paper-cut animation can be. What gave you the courage to persevere?"

Ji Siyan paused, then smiled and replied, "...My husband."

Ji Siyan rarely speaks about her private life.

Her answer set off a storm of online discussion.

Many said that since she avoided talking about her husband, he probably wasn't anyone important.

The chatter went on and on, but no one could reach a conclusion.

No one knew who her husband really was.

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Li Zhiyu, founder of Red Shadow Animation, wore a jade Guanyin pendant on his wrist and carried himself with distinguished elegance.

Years ago, at a temple, beneath a prayer tree, fine rain fell like silk.

At his lowest point, a young girl handed him an umbrella and said gently, "Big brother, an umbrella only stays steady if you hold it yourself."

Later, a short paper-cut animation about fate, Red Shadow, became an online sensation.

After Li Zhiyu gave the girl the original artwork for Red Shadow and confessed his feelings, only to be rejected, he never set foot in a temple again.

Years later, they met again at Exit 7 of the Nanhu Metro station.

That night, the girl was drunk, her eyes and brows just as they had been back then.

After she sobered up, he asked, "You tricked me into kissing you last night. You can't just pretend it never happened, can you?"

She gave in helplessly. "Li Zhiyu, what exactly do you want?"

Li Zhiyu replied casually, "I took what you said yesterday seriously."

"Marry me..."

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The day after the animation festival, a Weibo hashtag suddenly exploded, crashing the app.

It took the countless curious onlookers half a day to find the post that had set it off:

Li Zhiyu: @Ji Siyan? Mrs. Li [May our country know peace and prosperity, and may my girl be safe and happy year after year]

#Fourteen years of her youth belong to him alone#

[Blurb revised on June 6, 2023, and saved as a video.]

★Reading Guide:

1. A reunion after years apart, marriage first and love later, mutual healing.

2. Six-year age gap, slow-burn sweet romance, both leads are each other's first and only.

3. Includes flashbacks to their school days. The heroine is a first-year university student, while the hero is about to graduate from graduate school.

4. The novel touches on intangible cultural heritage paper-cutting and financial investment. Details come from online searches, books, and industry gossip, so please don't scrutinize them.

5. I'm a new author, and my writing and technique are bound to have shortcomings. Please point them out kindly, and I'll gladly take your advice. Hope you enjoy reading.

[May we journey far and wide, then return to embrace our long, winding lives once more.]

★

My other novel, Spring Wedding, is currently updating. I'm rolling my face across the keyboard to beg for favorites (Thank you, thank you ^v^)

[Down-on-her-luck farm owner vs. scheming, straightforward heir] The powerful one bows his head / marriage first, love later /

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Su Wei was born under an unlucky star.

Her career was going nowhere, her boyfriend cheated, and just when she thought things couldn't get worse, her father suddenly fell gravely ill and hoped she would marry into the Shen family.

So, at twenty-seven, she married Shen Zhiyan, the illustrious heir of the Shen family.

But on their wedding night, Shen Zhiyan moved into the guest room. "I'm used to sleeping alone," he explained.

Su Wei asked, "When are you going to do what you promised me?"

Shen Zhiyan turned around, the corner of his mouth lifting in a not-quite-smile. "Depends on how you behave."

Their marriage was one of convenience, and Su Wei never expected him to care much about her.

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Shen Zhiyan was the most controversial head of one of Harbor City's most powerful families. Since stepping behind the scenes, his only hobby had been tending his strawberry farm.

By chance, he overheard Su Wei telling a friend, "I want to get married, but without any feelings involved..."

He knew perfectly well that she had agreed to the arranged marriage partly to compromise and partly to use him.

Even so, he agreed to it.

He was a light sleeper, and any disturbance was torture to him.

After they married, he accidentally discovered that the vitamins Su Wei took were actually sleeping pills.

The following night, Su Wei came out of the shower and looked in surprise at Shen Zhiyan, half-reclining on her bed. The man patted the other side of the bed, his voice languid and drowsy. "I've been having trouble sleeping lately. Keep me company."

Su Wei: "???"

After that night, Su Wei felt as if Shen Zhiyan had become a different person.

He indulged her in every way, granting almost every request.

Little by little, Su Wei began to think he might have fallen for her.

Until the day he got drunk. Su Wei hurried over, only to hear his friend ask him from outside the room, "When are you two going to register your marriage?"

The man swirled the wine in his glass and smiled ruefully. "It's just a marriage of convenience with no feelings involved. Why would we need a marriage certificate?"

"If she gets tired of me one day, at least she won't have to carry the reputation of being divorced."

When Shen Zhiyan woke up the next morning, half the clothes were gone from the master bedroom closet, and a WeChat message from Su Wei was waiting on his phone: [I'm tired of this. Thanks.]

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Later, the wealthy circles of both Shen and Gang cities were abuzz with rumors that the Shen family's heir had done every outrageous thing imaginable to win back his wife.

For instance, the usually cold and self-controlled man pinned her against the bathroom wall, determined not to let her go. Su Wei snapped, "Shen Zhiyan, you're a liar!"

He smiled, his fingertips gliding from her cheek downward, his voice husky and irresistibly soft. "Mm, I am~"

"First, I'll trick you into staying. Then I'll trick you into loving me..."

One morning much later, Shen Zhiyan's secret Weibo account made the trending list.

The strawberries are ripe. Meaning... babe, you should come home. I can't sleep when you're gone~ @Strawberry Allergy

Su Wei looked at the youthful photo of herself smiling with a strawberry between her teeth, then stared at him in confusion. "Isn't this the photo I posted on Facebook five years ago and deleted a second later?"

#The dawn breaks, and everyone knows I love you.#

#Mr. Shen, strawberries are delicate and notoriously hard to care for.#

#That's all right. I'll soften every thorn in my heart for you and give you a lifetime of tenderness.#

Blurb revised on January 19, 2024, with video screenshots saved.

Theme: Promote the preservation and innovation of intangible cultural heritage.