She's Hard to Pursue

● Complete | Second chance at love | First love with youthful charm | Bittersweet

● My other novel, Summer Night Surrender, is now updating | Powerful man bows his head | Winning back his wife, sweet and indulgent romance. Please add it to your collection.

About having my ex-boyfriend as my interviewer...

Chen Nuanxing was browsing the internet when she saw a male celebrity trending because of his irresistible sex appeal. She opened the comments, and the top-liked one read: "This guy looks like the type who's really rough in bed, wipes away your tears, but doesn't stop..."

Her ears suddenly felt hot, because the celebrity's eyes and brows looked just like those of the ex-boyfriend she'd once dumped...

Chen Nuanxing was born in a poor little town in eastern Inner Mongolia, and all she wanted was to earn herself a good future through good grades.

Chen Che, a transfer student in her senior year of high school, came from a privileged background and treated life like a game. Handsome, aloof, and a little rough around the edges, he was a wild wolf, cold and proud, impossible to tame.

And yet, at some point, Chen Nuanxing easily began to sway his emotions.

*

She delivered a love letter to him on behalf of a younger schoolmate, but he frowned in confusion. "Do you just love playing messenger for people?"

When someone pressed her about him, she once denied it despite her true feelings: "Like him? That's so shallow." Unfortunately, he overheard.

But beneath the desert stars that night, Chen Nuanxing's shy, inexperienced kiss landed at the corner of Chen Che's lips.

*

They were just about to begin a passionate romance, but then Chen Nuanxing disappeared.

Chen Che searched for her like a madman, nearly turning all of eastern Inner Mongolia upside down.

Then her captivating smile appeared on the television.

Without a word, she'd accepted a scholarship from a company as a top student and gone abroad to study. No longer humble and reserved, she radiated the glow of a winner as she sent a message to the younger students watching:

"Studying is the only thing I believe in. Everything else has to take a back seat."

*

When they met again, Chen Che had become the CEO of a publicly listed online gaming company and was at the height of his success.

He looked at the woman he'd been separated from for five years, seated across from him. He held her resume, his expression distant and languid, then casually tossed it aside.

The way he looked at her was no longer as fervent as it had been five years ago. It was like a calm, still lake.

Chen Nuanxing had been caught in the rain on her way to the interview, soaked like a drowned puppy. Whether from the cold or fear, she trembled slightly, her smile masking her panic.

Chen Che cleared his throat. "So, Ms. Chen, what promising future are you pursuing this time?"

*

What a coincidence. They always seem to meet in the worst weather.

Reader's Guide:

One-on-one romance, both leads' first time, slow burn, everyday life, happy ending.

The story opens with their reunion. "Stars" represent the present, while "wind and sand" recall the past.

Coming soon: A Sleepy Marriage

■ Marriage first, love later | Unrequited love becomes mutual | Reunion after years apart | Sweet everyday moments

■ Sleep-deprived, high-maintenance heroine vs. cool, reserved sleep therapist

Zhou Mian had suffered from insomnia for a long time. At last, she worked up the courage to seek treatment. On the first day, the senior specialist she'd booked with canceled at the last minute, and a doctoral student took his place.

Zhou Mian entered the consultation room. The young male doctor receiving her wore a mask and was focused on the computer screen in front of him. When she came in, his gaze swept over her. "Appointment slip."

The doctor reviewed Zhou Mian's medical history and said in a cool voice, "Director Jiang already gave you your first relaxation-training session. Today is the second. All right, let's begin. Go lie down over there."

Zhou Mian stood frozen, staring blankly at the man in front of her.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

Lying on the treatment bed, Zhou Mian heard her heart pounding violently.

"Lie down and relax. Don't tense your muscles. Good..."

"Breathe from your diaphragm. That's right, breathe in... and out..."

His low, magnetic voice surrounded her, and Zhou Mian couldn't relax at all.

Just then, someone knocked on the door, and a young nurse poked her head in. "Dr. Lu, sorry to bother you. There's an older woman visiting from out of town who wants to squeeze in an appointment."

Lu Qingchuan turned his head. "Okay, give me a moment."

*

Zhou Mian next met Lu Qingchuan seven years after graduating from high school.

By then, she had been in love with him for ten years.

*

By the end of her tenth treatment session, Zhou Mian's insomnia had improved considerably.

But she discovered a bug:

It seemed she could only fall asleep when Lu Qingchuan was there.

So, one sunny morning, Zhou Mian asked Lu Qingchuan, "Dr. Lu, sorry to bother you."

"Would you marry me?"

*

Their marriage of convenience was for one year. When the contract expired, Zhou Mian drafted a divorce agreement.

At the time, Zhou Mian was away on a business trip, halfway around the world.

In a foreign country, under pressure, in an unfamiliar bed, her insomnia returned.

That night, rain poured outside. Zhou Mian was repeatedly practicing diaphragmatic breathing in bed when she heard the doorbell and got up to answer it.

She froze when she saw Lu Qingchuan, drenched through, standing outside.

Zhou Mian: "Why are you here?"

Lu Qingchuan: "I came to sleep with my wife."

That night, Lu Qingchuan pinned her beneath him, their fingers intertwined as he panted heavily.

Lu Qingchuan: "Getting a divorce is a big deal. Couldn't you discuss it with me first?"

Zhou Mian: "I didn't discuss getting married with you either. So, shall we discuss it now?"

The next moment, Lu Qingchuan's kiss sealed Zhou Mian's lips.

Amid the haze, she heard him whisper in her ear, "There's nothing to discuss."

[It's our first meeting. Please sleep with me!]

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