When the Grapes Ripen

---The new novel next door, Zhe Zhi, is loading now---

[Little squabbles add spice to life]

[Big fights are bad for your health]

[Elegant young master + captivating beauty | Short story]

Gu Huai is the son of the Gu family, a distinguished scholarly clan in Ganggang. He keeps a low profile and rarely appears in the newspapers or other media, let alone in gossip columns.

One day, his childhood friend opened an upscale club called Eastern Rome. After going to great lengths to persuade Gu Huai, he finally got him to attend the opening ceremony.

Gu Huai went, only to be taken advantage of by a strange woman. After guarding his chastity for thirty years, he was fobbed off with nothing but a note.

His fingers were long and elegant as he held the note. He couldn't help laughing. He didn't even know the woman's name or surname.

He looked at the delicate handwriting. The few short words on the note made a vein bulge in his forehead, and he crumpled it up and tossed it aside.

But when he reached the door, he turned back, bent down to pick it up, carefully smoothed it flat, and curled his lips into a smile. Then he took out his phone and made a call.

*

The first time Wen Ying met Gu Huai, her best friend had dragged her to a newly opened club for a night of drinking until they dropped.

She was already dead drunk. In a drunken fit, she clung to Gu Huai's tie, embroidered with a wan symbol, and poured out her grievances.

After crying for a long while, she sniffled and said, "I never knew the waiters at this club were all so handsome."

She was so drunk that she could barely stand. Before Gu Huai could say a word, she fell into his arms.

That night, the moonlight was hazy.

He stood beside her and looked down at her. His dark, deep eyes were like an ancient pool, calm and still, yet one glance was enough to make someone sink into them and never escape.

At that moment, emboldened by alcohol, she reached for the man's leather shoes and suit, then pressed her whole body against him.

*

An unexpected turn of events led Wen Ying to accompany Gu Huai to a banquet, where she ran into her sworn enemy from college.

During the banquet, the scheming woman in sky-high heels blocked her way. "What, did you come to see if there are any targets?"

The commotion drew a crowd of onlookers.

Wen Ying had wanted to let the matter drop, but they still ended up arguing. The fake innocent deliberately shoved her.

But she fell into someone's arms.

She looked up. Gu Huai was wearing a finely tailored wool suit, his face expressionless.

He simply held her in silence, letting her feel that he was there.

Wen Ying gazed at his sharply defined profile and felt herself falling for him.

Her little hand grabbed his tie, embroidered with a wan symbol. She played along, pretending to have fallen into his arms. Her voice was soft and sweet, tinged with a sob, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pouted, "What took you so long?"

Gu Huai lowered his eyes to look at her. The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

He tightened his arm around her waist and said indulgently, "Wasn't it you, madam, who kept saying you wanted candy?"

Wen Ying met Gu Huai's deep, unreadable gaze, her thoughts in a jumble.

When had she agreed to get married?

Wen Ying had thought she had lucked into a handsome husband.

She had no idea how many nights Gu Huai had spent waiting patiently for her.

* Melodramatic and satisfyingly angsty, no need for logic

* The title comes from Eason Chan's song When the Grapes Are Ripe

------------Break------------

[Here's a peek at my new novel. If you're interested, please add it to your favorites!]

Zhe Zhi

Ji Zhi has exquisitely refined features, but there is a sharp, bold edge to her. Her eyes, in particular, always seem coolly perceptive, as if nothing concerns her.

The one time she lost her composure was when she got together with Zhou Zhaoyu after graduation.

Zhou Zhaoyu, the second son of the Zhou family in B City, always wears a cool expression on his handsome face. A string of agarwood Buddhist beads hangs from his wrist. People say those who eat vegetarian food all year are the most serene and desireless.

Yet Ji Zhi was with a man like him for three years. Eventually, she realized that Zhou Zhaoyu was merely rich and handsome, and that no matter how hard she tried, she would never warm his heart.

Her once-burning heart went cold in that instant. Apart from his money and looks, Zhou Zhaoyu was worth nothing.

The night Ji Zhi made up her mind, rain poured down in torrents. Soaked from head to toe, she kissed him of her own accord for the first time.

Raindrops splattered against the window, the curtains stirred in the wind, and the lights inside flickered.

When the rain stopped but the clouds had yet to clear, she left without looking back.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhaoyu only said, as calmly as if it meant nothing, "I knew it. A little sparrow raised at home can't be tamed. If it wants to fly away, let it."

Back then, Zhou Zhaoyu thought of her only as a diversion for his spare time. He never imagined that he, who believed only in himself and never in gods or Buddhas, would kneel at the summit of Foding Temple and climb all 1,087 steps, bowing his head to the ground every three steps.

He knelt until his knees went numb, sweat soaking through his clothes. He had always hated that clammy feeling.

But all he prayed for was that she would enjoy a safe and peaceful life.

Reading guide:

1. One-on-one, happy ending, both leads' first relationship, love across differences in status~~

2. A rekindled romance and a long road to redemption

3. Set in an alternate world, with no need for historical accuracy. I'm not a professional, so please go easy on me if anything bothers you, my little unknown author (preferably don't criticize me at all TUT)

Theme: Little squabbles add spice to life