Lost in the Moonlit Ferry Crossing

“The charms at the corner of your lips outshine all the beauty of this world.”

[Old flame rekindled / one-year age gap / 1v1, both virgins / abstinent, straitlaced, utterly loyal hound x scheming little vixen with a vicious streak]

Jiang Yinyue x He Jin Zhao

A powerful figure in Hong Kong x a sweet, scheming little vixen who plays games with him

At twenty-three, Jiang Yinyue, the heiress of the Jiang family, had finally come through the hard times: a wealthy family, parents and brothers who doted on her, and a rich fiancé, Qin Yu, who treated her with tender care and affection.

On the eve of her wedding, Jiang Yinyue discovered that her life had all been an illusion. The fiancé who claimed she meant everything to him was not only after her family’s fortune, but had also been involved with Xia Ran, the fake heiress, for some time.

So Jiang Yinyue set her sights on He Jin Zhao, Qin Yu’s sworn enemy.

Third Master He Jin Zhao was a man of great renown, the hereditary heir to Hong Kong’s oldest and most powerful family. He commanded respect across the land, was a business prodigy and a ruthless force in his industry, and had an uncanny knack for getting things done. He was eccentric, gloomy, and cold. Most unnerving of all was the snake-shaped ring he wore on his left hand at all times, a symbol of his family’s status. It chilled people to the bone and struck fear into everyone who heard of it.

But Jiang Yinyue was undeterred. She decided to seduce her scumbag ex-fiancé’s sworn enemy.

*

He Jin Zhao never imagined Jiang Yinyue would contact him of her own accord.

And her reason was... downright absurd.

The note she had secretly sent him read: Jin Zhao, I think I’ve fallen in love with you. I love you so much I can neither live nor sleep in peace. I can’t marry Qin Yu, because you’re the one I love. So, for my sake, would you come to my wedding and take me away? Once it’s done, a third of the Jiang family’s shares will be yours, and you can have the Qin family’s project too. Will you come?

The man lowered his eyes and refolded the note, whose background was etched with intricate patterns, along its original creases. His movements were slow and relaxed. He said nothing.

In the quiet room, the messenger standing beside the man, whose powerful presence filled the space, broke into a sweat.

He Jin Zhao suddenly spoke, his deep voice carrying the authority of a man accustomed to control: “Go back and tell her not to forget her promise.”

After the messenger left, He Jin Zhao stood by the window of the penthouse suite on the top floor, looking out over the city’s dazzling nightscape. He flicked his silver lighter with a click, and its blue flame illuminated his sharply defined features. He Jin Zhao curled his lips in a cool smile.

He had no idea what this woman was plotting, but this game... seemed rather interesting.

**

Before she turned fifteen, Jiang Yinyue was not a Jiang. Her name was Xia Yinyue.

At fifteen, her birth parents brought her back to the Jiang family. To make up for the life she and Xia Ran had been denied after being switched at birth, they moved her wedding to Qin Yu up to her twenty-third birthday.

All of Hong Kong knew the famous sweet and delicate eldest daughter of the Jiang family loved the young master of the Qin family with all her heart, and was so humble she practically grovelled at his feet. Eight years of giving without expecting anything in return had finally earned her Qin Yu’s affection.

Qin Yu had never doubted Jiang Yinyue’s feelings for him. It never crossed his mind that she could manipulate him so completely.

When she told him her plan to lure He Jin Zhao in by pretending to be in love with him and making the first move, he readily agreed.

He only wanted to use her, too.

He never expected Jiang Yinyue to turn the tables and use him instead.

After taking care of the scumbag and the other woman, Jiang Yinyue decided to walk away and asked He Jin Zhao for a divorce.

“Mrs. He, that’s not how business works.” He Jin Zhao narrowed his eyes, looking calculating.

“I’ve given you all the benefits you wanted. If that’s still not enough...”

Jiang Yinyue rolled her eyes, preparing to part with the mansion in a prime downtown location and offer it to him as a divorce settlement.

“I don’t want any benefits.”

The man leaned back on the sofa and gazed deeply at Jiang Yinyue. In a gentle Cantonese accent, he said, “I love you, baby. That’s not a line. It’s what I truly feel.”

A powerful Hong Kong tycoon and his runaway canary. Also known as How I Got Together with My Scumbag Ex-Fiancé’s Sworn Enemy, Married Life with a Tycoon, and The Scheming Girl and Her Devoted Tycoon Husband.

Reader’s guide:

1. Both leads are smart. The female lead isn’t love-brained; she’s career-minded. At first, she’s taken in by appearances, but as soon as she sees the truth, she throws herself into revenge without looking back. The second male lead isn’t just a plot device. He comes to his senses later and goes through a long, futile pursuit of his wife.

2. This is mostly a sweet, everyday romance without too many twists. Some details are fictionalized, and the story has no connection to real life, so please don’t read too much into it.

Note: The title is taken from “Tasha Xing” by Qin Guan, a poet of the Northern Song dynasty:

“Mist veils the towers, moonlight blurs the crossing.”

Blurb written on 2023.6.26

Theme: Live life with positivity