Out of Control

Su Ziyue, who has been single for 24 years, is suddenly informed by her mother that she's been promised in an arranged marriage. Her mother tells her to bring her fiancée home so they can get to know each other.

The design world's fearsome Ice Queen, who never smiles and keeps everyone at arm's length, is actually socially anxious.

When Su Ziyue learns she'll have to live with someone, she wants to run away on her own. But when she gets home from work, she finds Qi Chu, who has also been dumped at her doorstep.

Qi Chu is just as her name suggests: delicate and pitiful.

Her glassy eyes shimmer with a broken light as she sobs that if Su Ziyue doesn't take her in, she'll be left homeless.

Su Ziyue has no choice but to let her stay for the time being. She plans to talk things through once Qi Chu is settled. What era is this? There's no way she'll accept an arranged marriage.

But things don't go as Qi Chu expected.

Living together breaks down the boundaries between them, and Su Ziyue gets used to the comfortable daily life of having someone take care of the house.

The longer they spend together, the less Su Ziyue wants Qi Chu to leave.

Before she can talk things through with Qi Chu, she overhears her scoffing on the phone.

Qi Chu: “Su Ziyue? She's such an old-fashioned prude. I bet she wouldn't dare touch me even if I stood naked in front of her.”

Qi Chu: “A coward and a hypocrite, that's all she is.”

Qi Chu: “Enough. I've kept this up for so long, and I'm done playing along. I'll go back and tell them she's no good, then have my mom call off the marriage.”

Qi Chu: “If I want a thrill, I'll find someone like you.”

It turns out Su Ziyue had been the model child Qi Chu's mother always held up to her, using her to spur Qi Chu to work hard and improve herself.

But Qi Chu was hopeless. Even when she was sent abroad to study, she failed every class and was dismissed from school.

Qi Chu's mother was at her wit's end and wanted to marry off her rebellious daughter.

Qi Chu hadn't accepted the arranged marriage either, but when she heard her match was Su Ziyue, she changed her mind.

If she could make the always-excellent Su Ziyue her captive, trapped in love, would the child of heaven still be able to control her life as usual?

Qi Chu would love to see Su Ziyue lose control.

But the door opened, and Su Ziyue took off her tie and bound Qi Chu's wrists with it.

Her sharp eyes were filled with shadows. Clouds blotted out the sky, and Qi Chu's vision, too.

Everything fell into chaos.

Reader's Notes:

1. Same-sex marriage is legal in this setting. 2. The bottom has had many exes.

Theme: Take the road one step at a time, and eat your meals one bite at a time