A Safety Net

[Coming soon: "Have You Seen My Cat?" and "Catching Up." Add them to your favorites, darling!]

● Capricious, spoiled little madwoman × cold on the outside, warm on the inside, big bad wolf

● Eight-year age gap | Marriage first, love later | A guiding lover / an opposites-at-war couple

● Bittersweet | Mutual testing | Delicious tension

Grandfather dies, and the Lin family falls into infighting.

Lin Tingwan becomes everyone's target, forced into the role of an "unfortunate product of a wealthy marriage alliance." Like a beautiful doll that can't speak, she's taken by her mother to meet one arranged match after another.

She uses tricks to sabotage the first few engagements, but the fourth time, she runs into a shameless, stubborn lump of mud who is impossible to deal with.

With the wedding date drawing near, she grits her teeth and finds herself a different husband.

.

Ji Chen is third in line in the Ji family. His older siblings have gone off in search of their dreams and freedom, leaving him alone to shoulder the burden of the entire Ji Group.

His harsh upbringing has done nothing to tame the wildness in his bones. He's blessed with a handsome face, but he's cold-hearted and ruthless.

Lin Tingwan is certain this man is the sharpest weapon at her disposal. If she can use him once, she can use him a second time.

But after hearing her proposal, the man only chuckles. "Miss Lin, if you use me and then throw me away, I might not be so easy to use next time."

.

For a long time, Ji Chen has unconditionally covered for Lin Tingwan without asking for anything in return. This makes her feel just a tiny bit guilty about taking full advantage of him, so she decides to treat him a little better.

Later, when she discovers that he has ulterior motives, she feels disappointed, but also relieved.

Caught setting up a champagne tower at a bar, Lin Tingwan is pinned beneath him, unable to move. Danger rises, but she still won't back down. "You know this marriage is only a temporary arrangement. Don't get too attached."

Ji Chen grips her cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes. "It's only a temporary arrangement?"

His hot breath brushes her as he leans in to kiss her. "I don't believe you."

○ Content warnings in the author's note of Chapter One

○ Blurb dated 2025.05.29

○ Enjoy the read

--Coming soon: "Catching Up"--

* Pessimist × bad-tempered

* Veterinarian × head of a fire and rescue team

A rainy night, just before dawn.

He Zhiyu carries a puppy he found at the headquarters entrance to an animal hospital that's still open.

The brightly lit lobby is full of people coming and going.

Wen Chuyin, dressed in a white coat, enters his field of vision.

After signing in at the front desk, she tells him to take the puppy to Operating Room One.

She glances at him along the way.

A fleeting glance, light and unruffled.

He Zhiyu gives a self-deprecating laugh.

She doesn't recognize him.

-

The seventh time she sees He Zhiyu at the hospital, Wen Chuyin stops him outside the operating room.

The indifference on her face is as usual. Her voice is gentle, but every word she says cuts deep.

"Don't come here again."

In an instant, his memories take him back three years.

He Zhiyu laughs in anger. "Wen Chuyin, do you think I'm a fucking masochist?"

-

A wildfire breaks out in the northern suburbs, and Wen Chuyin heads into the mountains as the head of a temporary wildlife rescue team.

The wind picks up during the rescue, and she starts coughing from the thick smoke, her eyes reddening.

He Zhiyu puts a mask on her. She tries to push him away, but he holds her still.

"Keep it on." The man pins both her wrists with one hand. "This is my territory. If you're here, you follow orders."

The night the wildfire is put out, they catch up for the first time since reuniting.

"How have you been these past three years?"

After a long pause, it is still only the most clichéd of opening lines.

Wen Chuyin's expression is bland. She doesn't look at him. "Not well."

He Zhiyu gives a derisive laugh, turns toward her, and fixes her with a scorching gaze.

His voice is steady, but hoarse.

"Funny. Neither have I."

[Three years, 1,147 days. I've thought about you every single day.]

--Coming soon: "Can I Claim This Sunset as My Own?"--

○ Sweet on the outside, dark on the inside × rabid dog | Mutual salvation

-

The first time Sang Xia tries to climb over the school wall, she has no experience and underestimates how high it is. She ends up hanging there, too afraid to climb down.

Shen Jue is leaning against the camphor tree on the other side, idly playing with a lighter as he watches her make a fool of herself.

Sang Xia hadn't expected anyone to be there. She can't go up or down, so she looks at him hopefully. "Um... could you help me?"

Shen Jue gives her a faintly mocking smile. "Jump."

Sang Xia immediately shakes her head. "It's too high. I'll fall."

"You won't." Shen Jue puts away his lighter and walks over to the wall, holding out his arms. But there's a hint of cruelty in his manner. "I'll catch you."

-

Being alive in this world has meaning. For example, it lets me meet you.

So I no longer yearn for the sun or wait for the moon. I only want to claim this sunset as my own.

Thesis: Love yourself and become who you are