The Graceful Camellia

Just a few days after her first love dumped her without warning, Cheng Luan was forced to marry Qi Mingze.

The Second Young Master Qi had a face made for a life of wine and luxury. Behind him stood a prestigious family with four generations of accumulated virtue, and he was born with an arrogant, ruthless, domineering streak. Cheng Luan had never once been nice to him, even as a child, and after they married, she only got worse.

But no matter how badly she bullied him at home, Qi Mingze took it all in stride. He never hit back or talked back, and was as shamelessly obedient as a dog.

The only time he ever let his true nature show was when she suggested they divorce after three years. That night, Cheng Luan nearly couldn't get out of bed.

When she woke, groggy and half-conscious, she saw Qi Mingze sitting at her bedside, the air around him icy.

“You can't get divorced. The only way you'll ever leave me is as a widow.”

After hearing that, Cheng Luan had considered making him die. But the next second, his sharp eyes softened in the dim, warm light.

“Remember that fortune-teller we met the day we got our marriage license? He said I was your fated servant, reincarnated just to wait on you. I've accepted my lot. Cheng Luan, I'm your husband. I'll take good care of you and protect you.”

Cheng Luan didn't answer. In her heart, she cursed him for being a shameless bastard.

Should she accept this fate?

That fortune-teller hadn't been entirely full of nonsense. He'd read her upbringing with uncanny accuracy.

She had been born a sinner. Though she grew up in luxury, she spent her childhood walking on eggshells under the resentment and strict demands of her closest family, and her life was hardly peaceful or happy.

If anyone had ever indulged or protected her, it had always been Qi Mingze, and no one else.

She also knew that marrying him meant a different fate: sharing his power and wealth would give her greater freedom and make it easier to pursue her dreams and career.

But she didn't like Qi Mingze. She hated him.

-

Three years into the marriage, Cheng Luan still hadn't divorced him.

She had to admit that Qi Mingze had always taken excellent care of her. He fulfilled both the duties of a fated servant and those of a husband, and did so flawlessly.

On a sunny summer day, she said to him, “You should die before I do.”

Qi Mingze objected without a moment's hesitation, speaking with absolute conviction. “You're so delicate and your temper is so awful. If I'm gone, who'll take care of you properly? Could you really manage without me?”

It seemed she couldn't.

Cheng Luan stared blankly for a long time before coming back to herself. In a low murmur, she said, “I don't want you to lose me.”

Qi Mingze had never expected such a tender remark from her. He hid his delight and put on a show of composure. “You can say it another way. I'll teach you.”

He held her tightly in his arms and spoke gently. “I love you.”

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[Reading Guide]

1. Female lead is the pursuer, male lead the pursued; childhood friends; old-school, melodramatic Mary Sue romance; bittersweet and healing. The heroine has a first love early on, but the hero eventually wins her over.

2. The hero is the one who indulged the heroine's bad temper. She's spoiled rotten and shamelessly takes advantage of his love: gentle and kind to others, but irritable and cutting with him. She loves him without realizing it, mistakes a racing heart for a heart attack, and often pushes him to the brink.

3. The hero is an overpowered, heaven-defying protagonist with a maxed-out golden finger, but the heroine has him wrapped around her little finger for life. In short, he's the First Emperor of Qin, serving tea and water.

4. The story about their daughter is complete. The baby is an important character in the story and will be born in the middle-to-late stages.

5. The timeline is around the turn of the millennium, but this isn't a period novel. The hero's wealth is centuries ahead of its time, and this is still a lavish, high-society romance.

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Synopsis written on September 15, 2026, with a screenshot saved as proof.

Theme: After the pain comes new life.