Spring Begonia Overture

Gentle, clear-eyed beauty x refined, elegant man in power

Second Male Lead Takes the Lead | Marriage First, Love Later | Long-Standing Scheme | The Powerful One Bows His Head | Sweet Romance

Ji Tangyuan has a secret: she has been in love with her childhood friend, Gu Tingzhou, for seven years. But Gu Tingzhou has always kept her at arm's length, leaving her caught between hope and disappointment.

Fortunately, Ji Tangyuan eventually gets her wish and becomes engaged to Gu Tingzhou.

The bitterness of those seven years turns to sweetness. Ji Tangyuan thinks Gu Tingzhou is finally beginning to care for her. But just as she eagerly starts preparing for their engagement, his first love breaks up with her boyfriend. One call from her, and Gu Tingzhou calls off the engagement ceremony in progress, leaving to comfort her.

Ji Tangyuan is left alone, calling Gu Tingzhou over and over. He finally answers on the eighteenth call, only to reply coldly, "Tangyuan, I'm busy. Be good and don't make a scene."

Exhausted from loving him, Ji Tangyuan asks Gu Tingzhou to end their engagement.

Gu Tingzhou frowns and agrees at once, thinking she's just being childish and throwing a little tantrum.

His friend tells him to go comfort her, but Gu Tingzhou sneers. "Don't bother. Once she's done sulking, she'll come back obediently on her own."

-

No one knows that on the day Ji Tangyuan ended her engagement, an understated luxury car worth a fortune was parked outside her apartment.

Spring rain falls in a steady drizzle, casting a hazy filter over the scenery. The man inside the car has striking, handsome features, like a cold moon in the heavens, aloof and untouchable. His dark eyes gaze over at her, warm and casual, meeting Ji Tangyuan's directly.

She recognizes him: Xu Zhixu, head of the top-tier Xu family.

He smiles faintly, his voice low and pleasant. "I'm very interested in Miss Ji, and I happen to need a wife. Would you be willing to marry me?"

Standing in the rain, he slowly bends and holds out his hand. "From now on, I'll protect you."

-

A month passes. Ji Tangyuan doesn't look back. She cuts off all contact with Gu Tingzhou and disappears without a trace. This time, Gu Tingzhou panics completely.

They meet again at a banquet. Ji Tangyuan wears a custom-designed gown, elegant and poised, smiling as she chats on the phone and affectionately calls the person on the other end "Honey."

Gu Tingzhou loses control and pins her against a corner wall, eyes bloodshot as he demands, "Ji Tangyuan, who gave you the nerve to fool around with another man?"

A cool, magnetic voice sounds behind him, silencing everyone present.

"Mr. Gu, watch yourself."

Xu Zhixu gently takes Ji Tangyuan's hand and reveals their wedding rings to everyone. "Yuan-yuan and I are already married."

Their fingers intertwined, the matching rings gleam, driving Gu Tingzhou completely mad.

-

On a summer night in Jiangcheng in August, a torrential rain pours down. Despondent, Gu Tingzhou stands beneath Ji Tangyuan's apartment building, waiting desperately, hoping only to earn her forgiveness.

Inside a car concealed in the darkness, Ji Tangyuan is held around the waist.

Xu Zhixu gently brushes her red lips and softly reminds her, "Mrs. Xu, pay attention."

His low voice drifts by her ear, laced with danger. "Don't look at him. Look only at me."

Reader's Guide:

1. Both leads are each other's only partners. Three-year age gap. A warm, sweet story. The heroine used to like her childhood friend. The hero is devoted to her in both body and heart, and absolutely respects the rules of fidelity.

2. Neither lead is perfect. The hero appears refined and elegant, but he's actually a bad man with little regard for morality. Still, he treats the heroine exceptionally well.

3. More to be added if I think of anything.

Pre-release: The Day of Open Love. Please add it to your reading list!

Nephew Steals His Uncle's Love | Second Male Lead Takes the Lead | Childhood Friends | Uncle-Nephew Love Rivalry

Sweet, gentle little bunny x devoted troublemaker

Zhen Yin has known since childhood that she is engaged to someone from the Jing family, and the person she loves is the Jing family's younger uncle, Jing Yichen.

But Jing Yichen is an aloof, desireless man, impossible for her to win over no matter how hard she tries.

For his birthday, she painstakingly plans a romantic confession. But Jing Yichen simply stands quietly on a foreign street and rejects her, coldly and cruelly. "We're not right for each other, Yinyin. You should find someone closer to your own age."

After her confession fails, Zhen Yin returns home dejectedly and tries to heal her heartbreak at a friend's cafe, only for an unexpected visitor to show up.

A motorcycle roars. A black helmet comes off, revealing a handsome face with a defiant edge. He raises an eyebrow. "I heard your confession went badly?"

It's Jing Chi, Jing Yichen's nephew.

And Zhen Yin's childhood friend.

After hearing the whole story, Jing Chi says nonchalantly, "Easy. It's just a man's little game of playing hard to get. Find a guy and make him jealous. Give him a little push."

Feeling stubborn, Zhen Yin thinks it might work. "Who should I find?"

Jing Chi folds his hands and leans toward her meaningfully, his lips curling with interest. "What do you think of me?"

-

The next time Jing Yichen hears news of Zhen Yin, it's the happy announcement that she has married his nephew, Jing Chi.

At the family dinner, the two are inseparable, a perfect match. The beautiful scene cuts deep, and Jing Yichen suppresses his unease as he says with a trembling voice, "Yinyin, come here."

But Zhen Yin affectionately links arms with Jing Chi, her tone indifferent and devoid of her former love. "Uncle, I only like men my own age now."

At night, Jing Yichen knocks on Zhen Yin's door. "Yinyin, you only married Jing Chi to get back at me, right?"

"Yinyin, Jing Chi isn't right for you."

Through the heavy wooden door, the tall man pins Zhen Yin against it. His warm breath clings to her neck, full of possessive intent.

"Yinyin, are we right for each other?"

Zhen Yin is on the verge of tears. "Y-yes..."

During an argument after they marry, Zhen Yin is furious and starts dredging up the past. "We agreed it was only an act! Now you've made it real and refuse to get divorced! Jing Chi, you're such a scoundrel!"

Jing Chi replies indulgently, "All right, all right. I'm a scoundrel."

He waves his phone. "Just asking politely: your scoundrel husband ordered a hundred million yuan worth of fine jewelry and gemstones for you. Do you still want them?"

At that, Zhen Yin immediately loses her steam. She hesitates, then puffs out her cheeks.

"...I do."

Jing Chi chuckles. "Then come give your husband a kiss."

Reader's Guide:

1. Both leads are each other's only partners. The heroine used to like the hero's uncle. The hero is devoted only to her in both body and heart, and absolutely respects the rules of fidelity.

2. Neither lead is perfect. The hero has a sharp tongue and no manners, but he treats the heroine exceptionally well.

3. More to be added if I think of anything.

Theme: Love