Conceding Defeat

This story may be revised from time to time. Please support the official release. [You can find my upcoming novels Bittersweet and Plunging into the Deep Sea on my profile.] A well-matched pair / rekindled romance / the hero humbly pursues his wife Cheng Shuyan first met Shang Zeyuan when she was nineteen. That summer, she moved into the Shang household with her mother. At the dinner banquet, Shang's father introduced her to Shang Zeyuan. “From today on, Shuyan is your younger sister.” Shang Zeyuan leaned back in his chair and raised his eyes lazily, his gaze sweeping over the hem of her pure white dress. “A good girl, huh?” He smiled nonchalantly. “What should I do? My new stepsister just happens to be my type.” He was clearly trying to embarrass her. Cheng Shuyan lowered her head and ran off without a word. The next day, she changed into a spaghetti-strap dress. Her long hair fell in soft curls, and she looked dazzling. Shang Zeyuan was leaning by the stairs, smoking. Cheng Shuyan walked over, plucked the cigarette from his fingers, put it between her lips, and tilted her head to blow a smoke ring at him. Through the haze, she curved her lips into a smile. “Sorry, but big brother is totally not my type.” * Word soon spread through their social circle that Shang Zeyuan had a “younger sister.” They acted amicably on the surface, but beneath it ran an undercurrent of tension. As soon as they left the Shang house, they pretended not to know each other at all. Later, on many nights when nobody knew, the air in the top-floor room would turn damp and scorching. Shang Zeyuan would tease her, then ask in a low voice, “Pretending you don't know me? But you sure call me big brother nicely now.” * At first, Shang Zeyuan was always confident he had the upper hand in their relationship. “Admit it, Cheng Shuyan. We're cut from the same cloth.” “You and I were made for each other.” Later, Cheng Shuyan dumped him. He glowered and threatened her with all sorts of things, but she never even looked back. When they met again, Shang Zeyuan knelt on one knee before her, his voice hoarse as he asked, “Could you try loving me just once?” “Please. I'm begging you.” Bad-boy charmer x cool, aloof tease B-king x cool girl *Note: The leads are not related by blood and are not a real blended family. They have no intimate contact before they reach adulthood. Content notes: Both leads are sexually inexperienced. The heroine is cold-hearted and self-serving; the hero only pretends to be a womanizer but is a devoted lover deep down. The leads are flawed, so readers with high standards for male or female virtue may want to steer clear. I may delete negative comments about the heroine at my discretion. Thank you for understanding. Coming next: Bittersweet [Intense push and pull + living under the same roof + groveling pursuit] On the third day after Qiao Yining moved in with Jiang Yi, rumors were already flying all over school. In everyone's eyes, Qiao Yining was beautiful and seemingly innocent, but also capricious, domineering, and arrogant, the very picture of a delinquent girl. Meanwhile, Jiang Yi was handsome, clean-cut, an excellent student, calm, and refined, practically the school's dream boy come to life. So when they started showing up everywhere together, and Jiang Yi repeatedly covered for her by doing her homework, their classmates panicked, afraid their pure and pristine idol would be led astray. Until someone spotted them in a small park outside school. Qiao Yining was treating the wound on Jiang Yi's face, asking in a sweet voice, “Why did you go pick a fight with him?” His tone was mild. “I couldn't stand him always hanging around you... Ow.” “Does it hurt?” She quickly pulled her hand back. “Yeah.” Jiang Yi lazily curled his lips into a smile. “So are you going to comfort me?” * Everyone knew Jiang Yi as composed and polite, a breath of fresh air. Qiao Yining thought so too, at first. Until one day, she accidentally caught a glimpse of the side of him he kept hidden. His drawer was full of her photographs, love letters he'd never sent her, and diary pages covered in the words “I want her.” It was a dark, obsessive, almost fanatical secret crush. Just as Qiao Yining was reeling in shock, his deep, pleasant voice came from the doorway. “Well, this is awkward. You found out.” She turned around and met his intrigued gaze. Then the door locked, and she couldn't leave the room that day. “I hid the love letters. I smashed the window in your room.” “From the first day I met you, I never planned to let you go.” “I'm claiming you.” Spoiled princess x sweet on the outside, dark on the inside Arrogant, capricious heiress x obsessive, twisted young master Coming after that: Plunging into the Deep Sea Mutual secret crush / rekindled romance / groveling pursuit Yu Ning had been in love with Yan Qi for seven whole years. At last, at the age of twenty-three, she got her wish and married him. After the wedding, he treated her with courtesy. He said he loved her, kissed her, and never missed her birthday or their anniversaries. But Yu Ning always sensed an indescribable distance between them. Then one day, Yu Ning happened to discover that his decision to marry her had been part of a scheme from start to finish. He didn't love her at all. * On Yan Qi's birthday, Yu Ning cooked for him herself and gave him a present. That night, as they held each other, she saw the deep affection in his eyes as he kissed her. In that moment, there was only one thought in her aching heart: “Yan Qi, you're a wonderful actor.” The next day, she left him a divorce agreement. When she saw him pick up his pen to sign it, she went cold all over, grabbed her suitcase, and walked away without looking back. On the seventh day after Yu Ning left, Yan Qi, usually so calm and restrained, lost control. * Yan Qi was a spider born to hunt. He wove an airtight web around Yu Ning, and she was the butterfly trapped inside it. But he didn't rush to devour her. He simply thought her colors were beautiful and wanted to keep looking at her. Later, he started bringing home a new little trinket every day to cheer her up. Later still, he came home to find the butterfly had torn through the web and flown away. In that moment, the world he'd spent so long building in his heart came crashing down. Theme: Love is about becoming better for each other