Can't You Two Just Kiss Already?

Su Ran was as lovely as a lotus rising from clear water, gentle and well-mannered, a distinguished young lady from a military family, famous throughout the capital. At fifteen, she followed her elders' arrangement and married a proper, upright gentleman of the Wei family.

The night before her wedding, her own daughter from ten years in the future appeared at the door of her bridal chamber.

The girl opened with a bombshell: "My father is Xie Zhiyan."

He was Su Ran's sworn enemy, the capital's number-one playboy, a hedonistic young heir famous for his arrogance and wild ways.

Su Ran: "I'm marrying into the Wei family. How could I ever marry a dissolute playboy later?"

Her daughter pouted and said:

"The Wei family is hiding his cousin, who's eight months pregnant. He'll dote on his concubine and mistreat his wife. During the years you marry him, you'll live through nothing but humiliation."

"But my father will become the top grand secretary in the cabinet. After you divorce, he'll marry you right away. He'll never let anyone say a bad word about you, and he'll make a fortune for you to spend, so you can be the most envied lady in the whole capital!"

The truths her daughter told made Su Ran angry, but the rosy future she painted was tempting.

But Su Ran was going to marry the Wei family tomorrow...

For the first time in her life, Su Ran, who had always followed the rules, rebelled.

That night, still wearing her bright red bridal gown, she carried a ladder and climbed into the playboy's residence next door.

"I order you to come steal me away at dusk tomorrow. Bring a hundred chests of betrothal gifts and marry me."

Xie Zhiyan lounged with easy elegance, drinking flower wine as he gave her a teasing, insolent smile. "Why should I?"

Su Ran answered earnestly, "We have a child. She's seven."

"...?"

Xie Zhiyan sobered up instantly.

That year, all of the capital gossiped about the young master of the Xie family, usually such a carefree playboy, stealing his friend Wei's fiancee and marrying her himself. The two young masters of the capital's great clans fought over Su Ran and eventually became sworn enemies.

Everyone thought Su Ran would be miserable in the hands of the carefree young marquis of the Xie family, until an unexpected visit to the residence revealed this:

The man: "My dear, can I please sleep in the bed tonight?"

The woman: "Nannan, should your father sleep on the floor tonight?"

The daughter: "Of course! Dad hasn't finished his homework. If he doesn't finish it, he won't earn any money to buy Mom jewelry."

"..." Xie Zhiyan resigned himself to studying by lamplight.

Later, their daughter realized her parents had been married for a month without ever making love, and were still sleeping in separate beds.

They couldn't stay this distant forever.

One night, she sat between Su Ran and Xie Zhiyan and said, "Kiss me on the cheek, both of you!"

When they leaned in to kiss her, the girl immediately ducked her head, hoping they'd kiss each other instead.

But she saw Su Ran and Xie Zhiyan's lips touch, then watched them awkwardly pull apart and turn away.

The girl put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Mom, Dad, can't you two just kiss? For longer! Then you'll be able to make me in no time!"

[Sweet, clear-eyed beauty x unrestrained, free-spirited chief grand secretary x precocious daughter]

Theme: Stand on your own two feet.