Kiss of Thorns

Cool and prickly VS a lazy, roguish romantic [This story has been revised multiple times. The complete version is only on Jinjiang.] [Chapter comments are open. Come join in!] A gathering of young heirs and rich kids from their circle. Fang Ci was brought along as Song Yuze’s “girl.” Their families had long agreed to marry them off. The Fang family needed the Song family’s help and hoped the marriage would secure their standing. It was no secret in their circle. So Fang Ci, usually cool and haughty, knew which way the wind was blowing. She played the sweet, obedient girl, appearing everywhere with Song Yuze. As the drinks flowed and everyone warmed up, they started playing games. Fang Ci drew the top prize. She had to choose a man in the room and kiss him for a full minute. Everyone started teasing and looked toward Song Yuze. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Fang Ci stood up without a change in expression. Then she kissed the man in the corner, who hadn’t joined the game and whom nobody dared to mess with. - Wen Zhiyan. The sole heir to the Wen family, a tycoon clan that had been wealthy for generations beyond counting. And yet he had a strikingly handsome face that no one could forget. He was wickedly roguish, with a wild, carefree detachment always in his eyes. He lounged back on the sofa with his arms spread, a lazy smile on his lips, and tilted his face up to accept Fang Ci’s kiss. After the game, someone teased them: “Since when did Aci and Young Master Wen get along so well?” Fang Ci: “It was just a game. We aren’t close, let alone getting along.” Just beyond a closed door, Wen Zhiyan lowered his eyes and gave an inscrutable laugh. - That night, in an old villa unknown to anyone else, Wen Zhiyan leaned back on the sofa in the same pose, chin tilted high, his posture leaving every weakness exposed. His Adam’s apple stood out. Above it, a snake tattoo in ink-wash style was blurred by sweat and water, achingly alluring. Fang Ci sank her teeth into the snake. Wen Zhiyan hissed in pain, then laughed hoarsely. “You only dare act tough with me.” A moment later, his voice brushed her eardrum. “You call this not getting along?” - One day after they reunited. Fang Ci turned to look at the vast curtain of rain. Wen Zhiyan’s voice was icy. “Now you’re even using men like that?” He said, “Wouldn’t it be better to come straight to Wen Zhiyan?” Suppressing his irritation, he turned her face toward him, only to find it streaked with tears. Back when they were together, she had never cried in front of him. He knew how strong-willed she was. But Fang Ci had never dreamed of a future with him. Four years ago or four years later, he would always be the favored son of heaven, far beyond her reach. When their arrangement expired, she would pack up and leave. This time, he pinned her down in the bedroom. His voice low, he said, “It’s such a small thing. Why didn’t you just ask me? Why keep it all to yourself and suffer?” Fang Ci argued back. Her words came in fits and starts, but they were reasoned and convincing. Wen Zhiyan softened his voice and coaxed her. “Haven’t I told you? If you want me, then I’m yours, every part of me.” **Though you’re all thorns, I’ll kiss you anyway, a thousand times over** A note for readers: 1. Both leads are each other’s one and only. Happy ending. 2. Everything is fictional and exists to serve the romance. Please don’t compare it to real life. 3. If you’re always looking for reasons to criticize the heroine, please don’t read! Don’t read! *See my completed story of a similar kind, Eloping in the Dim Night, in my author’s collection.* Synopsis saved on 2023/7/9 and submitted to my editor with screenshots as proof. Anyone copying this synopsis or its ideas, please show some decency! Synopsis for A Reply Between Beijing and Hong Kong ↓ [Mysterious Beijing-Hong Kong power broker * college girl] | 10-year age gap | A worldly older man comes down from his pedestal The fourth time Chu Tong saw Shao Yihuai was in a private club’s private room. The man wore a tailored suit, tall and broad-shouldered, with handsome features and the refined elegance of an East Asian gentleman. The carefree young heir who had brought her there immediately straightened up when he saw him, respectfully calling, “Uncle Shao.” Chu Tong lowered her eyes and carefully echoed, “Uncle Shao.” Unable to stand the stuffy air in the private room, she went out for a breath of fresh air. As she passed the man in the hallway, Shao Yihuai raised a hand ever so slightly to stop her, then took off his suit jacket and handed it to her. “It’s cold out. Put this on.” His body heat still lingered in the jacket. That was when Chu Tong knew she wouldn’t escape him. - Everyone said Mr. Shao was a man of impeccable character, an aristocratic heir too far above their reach. Countless people admired and yearned for him, yet none could get close. But Chu Tong alone received his kindness. Even though the way they met had been so humiliating, he still treated her with dignity. He took care of everything and granted every request. The effortless composure and elegant ease of a man in power: nothing seemed to cost him any effort. When their passion ran deep, they became one, bound together in flesh and blood. Yet Chu Tong could only describe their relationship as “looking after her.” After all, everyone knew that in Shao Yihuai’s circle, love was not part of the vocabulary. - Later, the dust settled, and Chu Tong got what she wanted. But the man rushed off, travel-worn, to a rendezvous on Hong Kong Island. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, fireworks bloomed across the endless night sky above Victoria Harbour. Inside, the ember between Shao Yihuai’s fingers glowed faintly, his expression unreadable. This man, so far above everyone else and always so composed, rarely lost control. Lowering his eyes, he said, “Tongtong, come back to me.” After that, every night he murmured “I love you” hoarsely in her ear. Message: Love yourself first, then love others.