Volume 1: The leads get together ✔
Refined, smiling fox vs. poised, gentle beauty
The story of a fastidious young heir to an auction house who schemes his way into bringing home the eldest daughter of a traditional Chinese medicine family, a woman devoted to helping the world.
1.
When Shen Lingwei first began taking charge of her family's affairs, the person she dealt with most often was Jiang Yuchen.
The Shen and Jiang families were close, and the two had known each other since childhood.
At first, Shen Lingwei's impression of Jiang Yuchen was that he was refined and courteous, with the bearing of the Jiang family.
If he accidentally touched her hand, he would quickly pull away. When she climbed up to reach for herbs, he would help her considerately. If he came across pastries they had bought as children, he would remember which flavor she liked best.
A patient she knew warned Shen Lingwei that everyone who ran an auction house was a sharp operator, and told her to be careful not to get swindled.
Shen Lingwei paid no heed. Jiang Yuchen had never crossed a line with her.
Besides, their families had been close for generations. What could he possibly swindle her out of?
In fact, he had been deceiving her at every turn.
Under the pretext of making a business decision, he invested in her friend's teahouse just to get closer to her.
The farm he claimed a client needed built was only because he had learned that they went there every year to gather medicinal herbs.
Even the heartbreak he showed after she turned down his first confession was an act meant to soften her heart...
She saw right through him on the second day of their marriage. Shen Lingwei brewed three large bowls of an intensely bitter remedy to clear internal heat and watched as Young Master Jiang drank every last drop.
"Tell me, what other 'good deeds' have you done all these years?"
2.
During his rebellious teenage years, Jiang Yuchen thought Shen Lingwei was the perfect model of her family's rules, and not at all interesting.
It wasn't until he saw her working late at her desk, the thick handwritten journals in her drawers, and the passion in her eyes as she spoke of her dreams at her coming-of-age ceremony that Jiang Yuchen finally understood what she was truly devoted to.
It was true that he had schemed to get close to her. It was also true that he searched for rare medical texts for her, helped launch a project to restore traditional Chinese medical classics, and helped her become the one in charge of the Shen family.
Knowing what she wanted to achieve, Jiang Yuchen chose to wait quietly until she finished her studies.
In his heart, Shen Lingwei could do anything she wanted, and he would always be her strongest support.
When it came to love, however, he would never give in. Even if he had to scheme his way into becoming a villain, he would fight for his chance.
◆ This story shares a setting with the completed novel Hidden Marriage Alliance. In this story, the original "Dongcheng" has been changed to "Jinlin City." Too much of Hidden Marriage Alliance involves the setting, so not every instance has been changed.
Forthcoming companion story: Look at Me
Arrogant young master vs. studious good girl
1.
Xi Youzhen is the Rong family's grandson. Although his parents died young, his grandmother dotes on him, and his aunt and uncle treat him like their own child. His eldest cousin can protect him just by dropping his name, he has an adorable little cousin, and his wealthy, influential grandfather calls him back from time to time to inherit the family business... You could say his life has gone smoothly from the start.
The only time he ever stumbled was over Jiang Yizhi. She turned down all three of his confessions.
But after just one year abroad, he came back to the shocking discovery that the Rong and Jiang families, longtime rivals, had started working together and were even planning to set him and Jiang Yizhi up.
No way. He's still not over how awkward things got. Give him some time to process this first.
2.
In Jiang Yizhi's eyes, Xi Youzhen's first confession came in high school. It would distract her from her studies, so she turned him down.
The second came during their freshman year of college. He made a big spectacle of it with flowers, candles, and a megaphone. She felt their personalities didn't match, so she turned him down.
The third came in their senior year, just before Xi Youzhen went abroad. Drunk in the middle of the night, he asked if she really hadn't felt even a little something for him all these years. Her heart fluttered, but she remembered how her second aunt had been held back by a faithless man. The young master didn't seem like the faithful type, so she cruelly said, "No."
Later, the Jiang and Rong families began working together. Xi Youzhen's aunt would often tell Jiang Yizhi's mother how hard the young master had studied to get into the same school as her, and how heartbroken he'd been after she rejected him. His background was unusual, so his family couldn't help spoiling him a little, but he was a good kid at heart...
Jiang Yizhi said nothing while his aunt spoke, but when she got home, she dug out all the gifts the young master had made for her by hand over the years.
Later, she went to her mother and suggested, "Mom, what do you think about an alliance between our family and the Rong family?"
Theme: Be a genuine person
Hope everything goes well!