Silent Longing

● A shamelessly forward schemer with incredible acting skills x a powerful woman who takes what she wants Cheng Yan first really met Jun Jianqing when she was with her senior. The other woman sat in a wheelchair, her face pale and her bearing untouchable. Following her senior's lead, Cheng Yan greeted her: "Auntie Jun." The woman remained cool and detached, her expression indifferent. She gave a casual nod, as if Cheng Yan were an insignificant speck of dust beneath her notice. As she left, Cheng Yan couldn't help glancing back. By chance, she met a pair of eyes deep as a pool. Her heart gave a faint tremble, and she didn't dare look back again. Later. In the pouring rain, Cheng Yan knelt before her, soaked through and wretched, looking up to beg. "Please, save her." The woman above her leaned down and handed her a handkerchief. A butterfly embroidered at its corner looked so lifelike it seemed ready to take flight. Cheng Yan heard her speak at an unhurried pace: "Miss Cheng, I'm a businesswoman. I never make a deal at a loss." Her tone was still cool and detached. But this time, Cheng Yan finally saw the undisguised desire beneath those unfathomable eyes. Understanding dawned. She slowly nodded. That night, the rain stopped, and spring returned. * The first time Jun Jianqing saw Cheng Yan, rain poured from the sky, and the slender young woman looked delicate and endearing. When they met again, Cheng Yan was walking with a younger acquaintance, talking and laughing, the two of them looking like a perfect match. At the sight, Jun Jianqing rubbed the plain jade ring on her thumb, her eyes dark and unreadable. She had never failed to get what she wanted. And so the tender flower drifted into her hands. * Everyone knew the Jun family's head was frail and sickly, coughing every few steps and liable to collapse at any moment. But this seemingly weak and refined invalid was, in truth, a ruthless snake with a smiling face. No one dared underestimate her. No one dared provoke her. Yet in a secluded corner, Jun Jianqing, whom no one dared provoke, was pinned beneath someone. Her pale cheeks were flushed as she tilted her head back and let it happen. Her soft sigh was a mild rebuke: "You little rascal..." Little scene: At a gathering one day, a friend complained that pursuing someone was so hard. Cheng Yan nodded in agreement. Her friend rolled her eyes. "What are you nodding for? You're the one who had someone pursue you by every means possible. You're the last person who gets to weigh in!" Cheng Yan looked innocent. "Pursuing someone is exhausting for me too, okay?" Her friend: ? "Those fleeting moments of hesitant yet lingering contact, when covetous gazes meet and then part." From the pursuer's perspective: Cheng Yan fishes with a straight rod, and the willing take the bait. From the pursued's perspective: She took me by force, and now my darling and I have our happy ending. Reading notes: 1. Cheng Yan is the pursuer, Jun Jianqing the pursued. Their age gap is ten years. 2. The protagonists are not perfect people. Theme: Love is a journey of healing and growth.