Rules for Living Together Without Falling in Love

Blurb:

Have you ever experienced a time when you were short on money?

Luo Zhujing, whose family was in debt, knew the feeling all too well. So when a variety show called Rules for Living Together Without Falling in Love approached her, she agreed without much hesitation.

But simply joining the show wouldn't earn her any money. Under the rules, she had to fill out all kinds of information, including her ideal type. After the matching process, she would be paired with a guest who considered her their ideal type, and the two of them would live together for three months. If neither developed feelings for the other by the end of filming, they would receive a two-million-yuan prize. There would still be a two-year observation period, though.

Luo, a lifelong single, thought it sounded ridiculously easy. But when she opened the villa door and saw her partner, she discovered it was actually Jing Yunluo, who had a terrible impression of her!

If the two of them ended up together, either she had to be crazy or Jing Yunluo did, because...

Before Luo Zhujing's family went bankrupt, her mother had once hired a girl from a dance academy to serve as her nude model for a week. The girl was slender, with supple skin. Her features were cool and refined, yet under Luo's gaze, her body gradually flushed pink. Her fingertips, clutching the stool tightly, were as white as fresh snow.

Luo Zhujing had never seen a woman so beautiful. Even her usually steady hand trembled twice, and the place where she touched went a little too far. She saw Jing Yunluo's eyes grow moist, with a wronged, indignant look hidden beneath their clear, misty sheen.

Jing Yunluo must have been short on money too, or she wouldn't have crossed paths with Luo twice. Luo had planned to keep out of each other's way, finish filming, collect the money, and say goodbye. But the production team kept stirring up trouble, sending one task after another: holding hands, hugging, kissing. They acted as if they couldn't see the resistance and disdain in Jing Yunluo's cool gaze.

But two months later, Luo Zhujing couldn't understand how she had ended up pinning Jing Yunluo against the bathroom sink and kissing her, in a restroom without any cameras. Even more baffling, Jing Yunluo leaned toward her between breaths, her low voice full of temptation as she murmured, "A Jing, do you like me?"

"I do."

When the production team played this recording for Luo Zhujing, she finally learned that Jing Yunluo's task was the exact opposite of hers. Only if Luo willingly fell in love would Jing Yunluo get the two-million-yuan prize.

Luo couldn't quite name what she was feeling. That very night, she packed her things and left the filming location. Over the next two years, she watched Jing Yunluo gradually become a hugely popular and acclaimed singer. Luo, meanwhile, became an art-streaming host, livestreaming the painting process for commissions she was allowed to share publicly. Thanks to her fame from the show and her impressive artistic skills, she paid off her debts. Then one day, after ending her stream, she heard the doorbell ring right on time. Thinking it was a food delivery, she went out, only to see...

Jing Yunluo stood there in the dark green strapless gown Luo had once praised as beautiful. Her eyes were red and wet. She reached out with a trembling hand, but nervously drew it back before she could touch Luo Zhujing. As her lips parted, a tear slid from the corner of her eye. "A Jing, the two years are up. Do you still want me?"

Guide: Happy-go-lucky ENFP top x sensitive, rational ISTJ bottom

Art-world big shot x singer-songwriter (four-year age gap)

Same-sex marriage is legal in this setting; a light groveling arc for the top

Theme: Even in adversity, keep living well. Hope will always come.