After His Canary Flew Away, He Was Left to Regret It

(Please add my ongoing groveling romance, The Honest Man Doesn't Want to Love Anymore [Groveling Arc], to your collection! Blurb at the end!)

Blurb:

Everyone knows that Xie Nanguan is a canary kept in a cage by Shi Bochen. Apart from his handsome face, he's good for nothing.

Only Xie Nanguan himself is in the dark.

His parents abandoned him, his brothers betrayed him, and his employer nearly harassed him. If Shi Bochen hadn't come to his rescue, he would have died long ago.

Later, he gets together with Shi Bochen and spends three years as his secret lover, doing everything a lover is supposed to do.

He's beautiful, gentle, modest, and obedient. He never makes a scene or asks for anything.

He has always believed that Shi Bochen loves him.

It's just that as the eldest son of the Shi family and heir to its business empire, Shi Bochen can't give him a proper status.

That is, until Shi Bochen's one true love returns to the country. In front of everyone in the Shi family, Shi Bochen puts an arm around that person's waist and draws them tenderly into his embrace.

Looking at that face so similar to his own, Xie Nanguan finally understands: he's nothing but a stand-in.

He can have all of Shi Bochen's affection, but he'll never get even a little of his love.

-

Shi Bochen has always thought that Xie Nanguan is the most obedient of all his lovers who serve as stand-ins.

Xie Nanguan is modest and compliant, never fighting or competing. Even in bed, he satisfies Shi Bochen's every desire. So Shi Bochen is willing to spend a fortune on him and, when in a good mood, say sweet things to make him happy.

Over time, Shi Bochen sees the intense love in Xie Nanguan's eyes, but it's something he can never return.

He can offer him a little insignificant tenderness, but never passionate love.

Besides, how could such a poor thing survive without him?

But the day Xie Nanguan really leaves, Shi Bochen finally realizes:

He loves Xie Nanguan so much he's going mad.

-

"Some people, once you miss your chance with them, are gone for good."

Gentle, modest canary * Playboy with a heart of stone

Reading guide: 1. Both leads are each other's only partner. Super old-school, melodramatic angst; this is my first attempt at writing this kind of story.

2. Please don't curse at the author, please don't curse at the author. Love you all / finger hearts

The Honest Man Doesn't Want to Love Anymore [Groveling Arc] blurb

[Groveling romance, happy ending]

Honest assistant bottom x flamboyant celebrity top

In their second year of high school, An Ming is Chi Xinglan's little sidekick. He queues up to buy him breakfast, covers for him when he skips class, and takes the blame for all his rule-breaking.

In their third year, An Ming gets his right hand broken because of Chi Xinglan and is forced to give up on taking the college entrance exam.

But he finally wins Chi Xinglan over, marries him, and becomes the closest person in his life.

At twenty, An Ming becomes Chi Xinglan's personal assistant, following him in and out of the entertainment industry. In everyone's eyes, he's a shameless gold-digger who used tricks to climb into Chi Xinglan's bed.

An Ming doesn't care about the rumors. He lies beside Chi Xinglan and quietly counts the ways he can make money next.

He knows Chi Xinglan never admits in public that they're lovers.

But that's all right. Chi Xinglan is an award-winning actor.

Actors of his stature can't just announce their private lives to the world.

When An Ming turns twenty-five, the hashtag #ChiXinglanConfirmsRelationship tops the trending list.

His lover is An Lin, his half-brother.

So Chi Xinglan wasn't unable to go public. He simply didn't want to.

An Ming knows it's time to leave. He obediently leaves the divorce papers behind and disappears without a trace.

-

Chi Xinglan thinks An Ming is a very good sidekick.

All he has to do is crook a finger, and An Ming comes running after him like a dog.

He mocks An Ming's childish pursuit while enjoying the admiration in his eyes. So he gives An Ming a meaningless title, as if tossing him a bone.

He has always thought An Ming would cling to him for the rest of his life, like a vengeful spirit.

Little does he know that it's only when he sees the divorce papers and ring An Ming left behind that he realizes:

He's the one haunting An Ming like a vengeful spirit.

An Ming was only using him to get what he needed, nothing more.

Theme: With love, you can overcome anything