First Marriage

[Complete. Next book: "Moving Hearts After Marriage"]

With her family pressuring her to marry, Lin Yumo let slip to Fu Yanli that she wanted to get married while drunk. She never expected him to agree outright.

In her impression, Fu Yanli was old-fashioned and conservative, refined and restrained. He had never crossed the line with any woman around him, devoted himself entirely to managing the family business, and had little interest in romance.

Once sober, she immediately took it back. She would keep going on her own blind dates and wouldn't drag him into it.

Fu Yanli's expression was calm, like a piece of smooth, lustrous white jade. He asked, "If anyone else would do, why can't I?"

When their mutual friends heard the news of their marriage, they were all taken aback. They assumed it was a business marriage in which the two families were each getting what they wanted, and that even after getting married, the couple would each do their own thing.

Lin Yumo believed the same.

Until one day after the wedding.

Fu Yanli put on a white shirt and neatly fastened the top button. He was elegant and composed, a gentle gentleman.

Only then did Lin Yumo notice how much she liked his looks. She repeated what her friends had said: "Everyone says you're just like my older brother. How can a younger sister marry her older brother?"

Fu Yanli held her ankle and pulled away the jacket trapped beneath her. He asked, "Why didn't you call me that just now?"

Married life didn't go the way Lin Yumo had imagined. She had thought Fu Yanli had been pure and desireless for years, with the emphasis on desireless.

Gradually, she realized she'd gotten the emphasis wrong. It was on the fourth character.

Later, they had a huge falling-out. Their marriage came to a pause when Lin Yumo asked for a divorce and Fu Yanli was temporarily sent abroad.

If they divorced, they wouldn't even be able to stay friends after all these years.

Then Lin Yumo stumbled upon a folder named after her on Fu Yanli's computer. Every year since they'd met was documented, down to the smallest details, all of it about her.

Fu Yanli remembered her menstrual cycle clearly and always kept painkillers in his car. He would show up if she called, no matter how late it was. He knew what she liked to eat and what she was allergic to. He always responded to everything she said, and remembered even her casual remarks for a long time.

Lin Yumo called him, her voice breaking. "It's all about me. What about you, Fu Yanli? What about you?"

There was a long silence on the other end.

He said, "Lin Yumo, do you know?"

"The day you told me you liked me, I'd already loved you for years."

At dusk, when the gods fell, I was her most fervent believer

Coming soon: "Moving Hearts After Marriage"

When she reached marriageable age, Lu Yi chose Lin Jinshen from among several possible marriage candidates.

Lin Jinshen was exactly as his name suggested: rigid, stern, and utterly dull. She had two reasons for choosing him. He was clean, with no history involving other women, and both his looks and family background were top-tier.

He'd been single at twenty-eight. Either he had a problem with his orientation or some hidden ailment.

After the wedding.

Lu Yi dispelled the rumors.

There was nothing wrong with him. In fact, he was pretty good.

Lin Jinshen's reason for choosing Lu Yi was even simpler. Their families were well matched, and the marriage would benefit both sides.

He had no expectations for his future wife. Lu Yi clearly exceeded them: she was gentle and independent.

So they hit it off, each getting what they wanted without interfering in the other's life.

The people around her didn't understand Lu Yi's choice. She was looking for a husband, not a father to wait on her hand and foot.

Lin Jinshen only cared about work and profit. Marrying him would make her nothing but an ornament.

Lu Yi smiled and didn't mind. She knew what she was getting into.

Once, Lu Yi stayed out late with a group of friends.

Lin Jinshen called, but someone snatched up her phone and turned on speakerphone before she could answer.

With everyone watching, Lu Yi had no choice but to ask, "Is something wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

Lin Jinshen's voice was deep and husky, as if he had a cold. For once, he shed his usual cool, aloof professionalism, and those two words came out clingy.

She was about to tell him there was melatonin in the left drawer when she heard his voice soften.

"Lu Yi."

"So when are you coming back?"

Theme: No breaking, no rebuilding