The Waves Suddenly Clear

[This is the next story I'll write. I'll polish the blurb before opening the novel, but the core premise won't change.]

By-the-book, repressed man x hot-blooded airhead

After her aunt unexpectedly dies, the case is hastily closed despite many suspicious details. Her direct superior, Yan Qianze, is rumored to mistreat his employees. He's violent and ruthless.

Nuo Shu identifies him as the murderer.

She enters the suite as room service and sees her target sitting on the sofa, reprimanding a subordinate.

He's exactly like the photos Nuo Shu saw online. The man wears a dark suit, his eyes and brows distant and aloof, his expression stern and imposing. He radiates an intense sense of menace.

Nuo Shu dawdles as she takes the dishes off the service cart.

Yan Qianze removes his suit jacket, slowly rolls up his shirt sleeves, and glances sideways at her. "Tell me about the dishes."

Only then does Nuo Shu realize they're the only two people in the room.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! She introduces the dishes while keeping an eye on his movements. When the moment comes, she pulls a knife from her waist and thrusts it straight at him.

Blood trails down his arm. Yan Qianze gives a scornful laugh. "You came earlier than I expected. You're pretty agile, but you can't keep your cool. That's why you failed."

A minute later, Nuo Shu is tied up in a bundle and thrown to the floor.

/

Nuo Shu got the wrong target for her revenge. With a shared goal, the two become contract lovers.

In the eyes of outsiders, the head of the Yan family makes grand declarations of love and lavishes her with money, spoiling her like a delicate climbing vine.

In private, Yan Qianze caters to her every whim, and the act becomes real. Until she hears him tell a friend, "How could we ever really be together?"

After that, Nuo Shu spends his money even more recklessly and uses his resources to pave her own way. She acts up as much as she likes, yet he only asks patiently, "What is it you want?"

The day before their contract ends, she opens his safe, takes a few valuable items, leaves behind a letter with a face sticking out its tongue, and runs away.

During the years she's abroad, she hears that Yan Qianze has been looking for her the whole time. Nuo Shu doesn't dare return to the country, but happily and fearfully spends his money.

/

The head of the Yan family is dumped by the delicate vine he had spoiled rotten. Then he gets into a car accident, and the news spreads like wildfire.

When he leaves the hospital, the media photograph him sitting in a wheelchair, gently stroking an elegant white cat with heterochromia on his lap. Beneath his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes seem fragile, as if he could break at any moment.

Nuo Shu has to return to the country for personal reasons. She hides in the city's dark corners like a mouse and finally takes care of her business.

The day before she leaves, her ex-boyfriend drives her home. They even hug before parting.

She's had a little to drink, her head is hazy and her steps unsteady as she hums a tune and opens her front door.

The moment she switches on the light, her heart pounds wildly.

The man from the news is sitting in a wheelchair before her.

The lower half of his face is exposed to the light, his lips especially red. His voice is cool, but beneath it lies a sense of relief:

"I found you."

[Reader's Guide]

○ Older man, eight-year age gap / heroine is not a virgin, hero is

○ The male lead is able-bodied. His leg injury from the car accident will heal.

Theme: When you're tired of saving the world, come dock at my harbor.