A Marriage as Beautiful as Brocade

[Complete] The main story is finished. Bonus chapters will be updated whenever inspiration strikes. Please leave a five-star review! [Contract marriage to love: After Marrying a Cold, Tough Hunk] [After Marrying the Richest Man], please add them to your reading list! A melodramatic, old-school contract-marriage-to-love story. The male lead falls in love at first sight and has been plotting for a long time. The first time Jiang Man met Tan Xu was at a charity gala hosted by a wealthy man. The man was dressed in a suit, surrounded by a crowd of ingratiating executives, whom he dealt with at an unhurried pace. Amid the clinking glasses and lively chatter, it was already the third time he had looked past the crowd toward her. All night, heavy rain beat against the hotel windows. They spent the night together, and their paths crossed more and more often. Then Tan Xu's family arranged a marriage for him, and Jiang Man decided to end their ambiguous relationship. She had not expected him to speak first, his tone mild but his words astonishing: "Will you marry me?" Jiang Man froze, her gaze fixed on the muscular, honey-colored chest visible between the man's shirt, her mind going blank. Tan Xu sat down and discussed it with her as he buttoned his shirt. "I can give you everything you want." After a pause, he added, "We can try the marriage for a year first." "After a year, if you aren't happy with this marriage and want a divorce, I'll give you half my assets." "Mr. Tan," Jiang Man said, finally finding her voice after a long while, "marriage isn't child's play." Tan Xu met her gaze with his warm, deep eyes for a moment, then looked at the marks on her shoulder. His eyes darkened. "I'm serious." Everyone around them said Tan Xu and Jiang Man's marriage was a huge gamble. Wasn't he afraid she'd take the money and run when the year was up? After all, half of Tan Xu's wealth was enough to change the rankings of the country's richest people. It was a very tempting offer. Jiang Man had wondered about it too. Tan Xu calmly pulled her onto his lap and leaned down to kiss her. "What are you afraid of? If we don't divorce, it will all be yours." Years later, Tan Xu accompanied his wife to an interview. When a reporter asked what he wished for at the moment, he replied: Tan Xu: First, I hope my wife has a brilliant career. Second, I hope our marriage has a bright future. Jiang Man: I hope we can go to bed early tonight. Last night, when someone said, "One last time," she really wanted to call the police. "You are a welcome spring rain on a cold night in Jingbei, the beautiful spring day I've been longing for." - Both leads are each other's first. A cool, refined tycoon from the Jingquan circle has been plotting for a long time, carefully advancing step by step. Contract marriage to love. - Neither lead is perfect. This is a melodramatic, old-school story, not a power fantasy. It's pure sweetness. Read with care if that's not your thing. - The setting is entirely made up, and every plot point is pure authorial invention. Please don't apply it to real life. No baiting or picking fights. - The premise and blurb were written on 2024.04.27. Screenshots have been saved as proof. My new book, After Marrying a Cold, Tough Hunk, is out. Please visit my author page and add it to your reading list! - Strangers in a contract marriage / eight-year age gap / sweet everyday life Before the wedding, Cen Wan thought married life with Chen Yan would be polite and harmonious, with the two of them simply sharing a household. After all, they'd met through a matchmaking arrangement and had no romantic history. She had prepared herself to lie flat after marriage, living a quiet life free of desire. Who knew she'd lose her composure after the wedding? Chen Yan's ruggedly handsome face and strong, muscular body were just damn sweet. His low breaths by her ear were intoxicating, and his deep, magnetic voice was surprisingly gentle, the opposite of his forceful touch. When he'd had a taste and wanted more, he would hold her firmly and insist, "One more time." Before the wedding, Chen Yan had thought marriage was nothing more than a performance to placate his grandmother, and he'd felt no enthusiasm for it. He hadn't planned to change anything for the sake of marriage. He was prepared to lay down a few rules with his wife and keep to his own side of the line. Who knew he'd lose sight of that after the wedding? Cen Wan's fair, soft body was so pliant. Her clear, bright almond eyes grew hazy and dark in his arms, rippling with emotion. She was just damn bewitching. The breaths she spilled across his chest stirred him, and her weak, breathless voice was so sweet and alluring, completely unlike her daytime self. She would even complain with damp lashes, though her words said the opposite of what she meant: "Didn't you say it was the last time?" "Don't waste your wedding night, and don't let down the one you love." - Lawyer vs. elementary school teacher. By the fifth chapter, the characters had already gone completely off-script. You can decide for yourselves what their personalities are. I can't define them anymore, ahhh! - Both leads are each other's first, but the heroine has been in a relationship once before. Read with care if that bothers you. - The setting is entirely made up, and every plot point is pure authorial invention. Please don't apply it to real life. No baiting or picking fights. - The premise and blurb were written on 2025.01.09 and revised on 2026.03.27. Screenshots have been saved as proof. For anyone in a reading slump, here are some of my completed novels: Zero-Degree Moonlight Scorching Snowy Night Slowly Winning Her Over Giving You All My Passion Thinking of You, Day and Night Unparalleled Tenderness If the Moon Hasn't Yet Arrived, and more. Visit my author page to see them all. Mwah! Theme: Marriage is a gamble.