Scenting Roses at Night

Paranoid, scheming older woman and a beautiful, aloof ice queen, wild and proud

April 24: Reverse V

Before she turned 23, Si Ruowei was the kind of model child other parents held up as an example. A small-town exam ace, she had risen to the top in one leap.

In the ivory tower, no diligent, practical little rabbit believed more firmly than she did in getting exactly what you put in.

Until Ye Wanjing barged into her life, building a fairy-tale town where love and career advanced side by side.

Cinderella should have been so lost in the fairy tale that she became a little princess. But one plot twist after another sent her growing crooked instead...

Before the truth came out, Ye Wanjing thought to herself: Once the little white rabbit grows into a big white rabbit, soft, sweet, and delicious, she'll be just right.

Six years after they parted, Ye Wanjing's heart pounded: Is this a delicate little white flower, or a man-eating one?

Si Ruowei dreamed of standing shoulder to shoulder with her beloved after graduation. Instead, before graduation, online abuse, prison, and a court summons handed her a grand slam.

She dropped out, left home, and vanished without a trace. A rising star was reduced to dust overnight.

Seeing Ye Wanjing and her childhood friend announce their wedding plans, she finally realized she had been nothing but a foolish substitute.

You gave me one night of tenderness, so I'll give you and your fiancee a lifetime of madness. Bankruptcy plus insanity: satisfied?

After a brush with death, Si Ruowei sneered: An ivory tower? A fairy-tale town? A battlefield of love is much more fun~

After five years abroad, Si Ruowei was eager for some gossip. Her assistant replied coolly: She's kept herself out of trouble, without a single scandal.

Si Ruowei thought to herself: ...Keep pretending.

Outside the company, a young employee who looked like Si Ruowei deliberately approached Ye Wanjing. She hurriedly dodged him: She was a flash of the aurora, capturing my heart in an instant. No one can imitate her. As I said in the polar night, my whole life belongs to her alone.

The game is already in disarray, and there's no undoing what's done...

Si Ruowei's reputation soared, and she became an acclaimed curator.

Ye Wanjing dropped to one knee, holding a rose, bloodstains marking her wrist. "Ruowei, will you marry me? I'll spend my whole life making amends..."

Lan Yin stood beside her, speaking softly and tenderly. "Ruowei, give me a chance to make it up to you. Come home with me, will you?"

A rabbit dancing with wolves never bares its teeth before it bites.

Si Ruowei gave a scornful sneer. "I despise charity. I'm always the one giving others a chance. The people, the home, and your love are all mine."

In a cafe in a rainy alley in Country B, Ye Wanjing held out a little pig-shaped candy. "Want to try it? It's sweet, strawberry-flavored, your favorite."

Si Ruowei picked up the pig and bit off an ear. "Miss Ye, does your ear hurt?"

Ye Wanjing's expression shifted.

Si Ruowei gobbled down the soft candy. "My favorite, you said."

Ye Wanjing stood beside her with her arms folded, her voice low and lingering. "Xiaowei, you're adorable."

"Of course."

Ye Wanjing: "Adorable, adorable, and headless. You ate your own head."

Coming soon: The Iceberg Professor Stole the Grass Beside Her Nest, originally titled She's Back!

Cool, aloof professor and heiress V mischievous genius young teacher

Also known as The Cool Professor's Cat-and-Mouse Game, The Little Cat Goes Fishing, Only to Be Reeled in by the Ice-Beauty, and The Daily Pursuit of His Wife by a Ruthless 007 Boss

Four years ago:

"Teacher Ye, will you take me on as your first-ever disciple?"

"Sorry, our fields of study aren't compatible."

"Is that so? What you really mean is that a teacher-student relationship wouldn't be appropriate, right, Teacher Ye?"

"Xiaowan, you're crossing a line..."

"I didn't say anything... Never mind. Take care. Goodbye."

Four years later:

At the new faculty welcome event for young talent, Ye Feichi's phoenix eyes were tender as she spoke in a steady voice. "Associate Professor Mu, join my group."

Mu Wan was courteous but distant. "Director Ye, that wouldn't be appropriate. Our fields of study aren't compatible."

"We share the same pace and work together as a couple. I think it is appropriate." Ye Feichi was domineering and decisive.

Mu Wan's gaze was tender and warm. "Oh, I'll make sure the wedding candy is ready soon. I hope Director Ye will honor us with your presence at the wedding."

The room buzzed with gossip as everyone speculated about which talented young man in the group had won the gifted Mu Wan as his fiancee.

Mu Wan only lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Ye Feichi, however, already looked dazed...

Was she really one step too late?

Years later, the two walked hand in hand along the ginkgo-lined road at Jiang University in late autumn, just as they had when they first met.

Mu Wan said with a smile: Everyone fears a beauty growing old, but that sunset, on that day so many years ago, warmed the 18 years of darkness in my life.

Tenderness rippled in Ye Feichi's narrow phoenix eyes. "But we aren't afraid. It's not a beauty growing old, but a beauty who came to love Mu Wan late, beneath both the morning sun and the setting sun."

Five-year age gap, mutual secret crushes, first love for both

Night-Scented Roses guide: impostor, fake and real heiresses, and a regret-filled pursuit; eight-year age gap, happy ending

[Lots of old-school tropes. This story is pure self-indulgence...]

[Important: Please don't offer writing advice. If it's not to your taste, drop it early.]

[Revisions from time to time]

Theme: Fight back from the brink, steadfast and fearless