Making Money in a Cliché-Filled World

Before he received his diagnosis, Xu Yao never thought he would have anything to do with Chu Hengdong.

Apart from having gone to high school together without ever speaking, the two of them had nothing in common.

Chu Hengdong had so many things Xu Yao didn’t:

a wealthy family, a handsome face, excellent grades, and plenty of money.

They were like the moon in the sky and stars reflected in the water: parallel, never to meet.

After falling ill, Xu Yao went to Chu Hengdong himself and became his lover.

Mr. Chu was more generous than he’d imagined.

At first, they each got what they wanted, and everything was peaceful.

They got together in spring. By autumn, Xu Yao had saved enough for surgery and headed north alone for treatment.

The day he flew north, Chu Hengdong was getting engaged.

A grand alliance between two powerful families, devoid of love and driven entirely by business.

When Xu Yao heard about it, he only smiled.

To Mr. Chu, everything he did had to bring a return, and marriage was no exception.

Chu Hengdong was just like him, a ruthless money-making machine who never lifted a finger without a profit in sight.

In Xu Yao’s mind, his deal with Chu Hengdong was already over. They could part on good terms.

That was, until the day before his surgery, when Chu Hengdong unexpectedly appeared at the hospital room door, travel-worn and red-eyed.

Xu Yao froze. “Our business is over, isn’t it?”

Chu Hengdong closed the door, pushed Xu Yao back down onto the bed, and after holding back for a long time, gently kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Let’s keep negotiating,” Chu Hengdong said. “I have everything you want.”

Xu Yao poked his wallet, then his chest. “You’ll give it all to me?”

Chu Hengdong nodded without hesitation. “All of it.”

*

1. A pretentious, straight-laced perfume-industry tycoon x a genuinely money-loving engineering designer

2. A melodramatic, prime-time tale of chasing his lover. The whole thing is nonsense with no regard for logic, purely for your amusement.

3. Sweet, sweet, sweet, angsty, angsty, angsty, sweet, sweet, sweet, angsty, angsty, angsty, in every possible combination

4. A short story, updated daily. The whole thing is written in advance, so feel free to binge-read once it’s complete.

*Entirely fictional, with no real-life counterparts. No professional knowledge included. Please don’t associate it with anyone.

Theme: Grow through setbacks