Jade

▲ Early on: Heir to a powerful Jing City family x impoverished college student ▲ Later: He descends from on high to pursue his wife x bold, ruthless rich woman ▲ A dependent flower rises up / "Guns" (international edition) / rags-to-riches story 1. At twenty, Ming Fei first met Zhong Yuxing in a private room full of glamorous men and women. The lights swirled like mist and smoke. The man wore an indifferent expression, his eyes lowered and unhurried, making him seem difficult to approach. A woman knelt at his feet, carefully peeling a grape with her long, pointed fingernails, then picking up the slightly uneven fruit and offering it to his lips. She had come along to deliver something. Her exquisite beauty and awkwardness in social situations caught the attention of a big boss, who asked her name and age. Her supervisor, perhaps trying to rescue her or perhaps pushing her into a pit of fire, said, "Her name is Ming Fei, Fei as in jade. She's still in school, studying jade carving part-time while working. She can only carve a few little trinkets that aren't good enough for a proper occasion. Please forgive her." The big boss laughed heartily. "That's a good name. You were born for this line of work. When you have some time, let's have a meal. I'll bring you some stones to practice on." The next time Ming Fei saw this big boss, she was bathed in the mottled, dazzling lights, leaning against someone. The boss bowed and scraped in their direction, saying things Ming Fei couldn't understand. Every word amounted to this: Please, Mr. Zhong, show mercy. Zhong Yuxing's elegant hands were slowly peeling a grape. The fruit was plump and round, peeled even better than the woman's. He lifted it leisurely and fed it to her. He asked, "Fei-fei, is it sweet?" 2. Years later, Ming Fei had long forgotten whether the grapes were sweet, and the man's features had faded from her memory. She delved into the jade rough-stone market, traveling through unstable countries, where she learned the mercilessness of bullets and the terror of the human heart. Back home, her work was worth a fortune, but she didn't take private commissions. Only very occasionally would she make a piece and consign it to an auction house to help cover household expenses. But a careless friend dug up one of the little pieces she had kept hidden. Ming Fei rushed back to the country, but it was too late. She gritted her teeth and raised her bidding paddle. Who knew the other bidder would be blind, foolish, and loaded, pushing the price of her immature practice piece to nearly ten million. At that price, she'd have to work for years to earn it back. Ming Fei gave up. Afterward, she found out where the winning bidder's lounge was and knocked on the door, not expecting much. A few minutes later, staff from the auction house came to the door to handle the paperwork. They had barely started speaking when a loud crash suddenly came from inside, accompanied by a woman's faint sounds of struggle. They were left wondering whether they should keep knocking. Inside, Zhong Yuxing restrained the struggling Ming Fei, his face buried in the hollow of her shoulder. His voice was controlled and strained. "You put our keepsake up for auction. What does that mean?" Ming Fei could barely catch her breath. She hit and kicked him. "It's mine! I can sell it for money if I want. What business is it of yours? Let go!" Only when she felt a little warmth and dampness spread across her neck did her hands drop, as if all her strength had left her. She heard him say: "Fei-fei, you're the only one I can't let go of." 3. Zhong Yuxing never believed in gods or Buddhas. He believed only in power, profit, and himself. Who could have imagined that, for years after Ming Fei left, this man would climb Chang Mountain every three months, knock at the temple door, and kneel devoutly beneath the compassionate yet indifferent gaze of the statue high on its platform? He, who had always stood high above others, made his first request for something he could not obtain on his own. He begged the gods and Buddhas. He begged them to bring back his Fei-fei safely, the woman who had left him so cruelly and without a trace of mercy. He once thought Ming Fei was a delicate butterfly. Only when she spread her wings did he realize she was an eagle. He couldn't let go, but he couldn't hold on to her either. Reading guide: 1. The heroine is poor at first and becomes rich in the middle and later parts. She has a fully developed career arc that takes up a portion of the story, possibly as much space as the romance. 2. As the heroine's career progresses, there will be multiple romantic pairings, including a second male lead with the heroine, as well as mentor-student, friendship, and family relationships. The hero's only romantic interest is the heroine. 3. Both have had no other partners. 4. Eight-year age gap: the man is 28, the woman is 20. 5. Information about jade comes from online sources. Corrections are welcome. Cities and countries in the story are not based on real-world locations, so please don't scrutinize them against reality. 6. Updates five or six days a week, with one day off. Theme: Being loved gives you flesh and blood