Eliminated [Entertainment Industry]

The next story will be "Hong Kong Island in Full Bloom," about a female student and a powerful Hong Kong tycoon, with a patronage trope.

Story Blurb:

[An Actress Without Natural Talent X The Heir to a Beijing Dynasty]

[Powerful Male Lead Bows His Head for Love / Groveling Chase / Seven-Year Age Gap]

[One-on-One, Both Leads Have No Past Relationships, Happy Ending.]

1.

Song Ci had been by Fu Qichen's side for three years, always knowing her place. She never asked what she shouldn't, and never said what she shouldn't.

Over those three years, Song Ci had devoted the best acting of her life to Fu Qichen. Everyone who saw how she treated him said the man was unbelievably lucky: a gorgeous, obedient superstar like her was a rare find.

At that, the man let out a mocking laugh. He glanced at the woman beside him: graceful and elegant, with a long, jade-white neck, delicate as fine porcelain. She looked over shyly, her eyes seemingly brimming with love.

2.

The truth was, she had no talent for acting. No matter how carefully she crafted a role, she always ended up playing herself.

She couldn't help it. Loving someone takes talent, and so does becoming a good actor.

After years of ups and downs in the entertainment industry, Song Ci knew she didn't have enough talent. When she asked to leave once her contract expired, Fu Qichen laid a hand on her slender, pale neck and said coldly, "You're something else!"

3.

They met again in the small town of Nancheng where she was born.

After changing careers, Song Ci scraped by running a flower shop. On a rainy night, the man shook the rain from his clothes and swept the shop with his sharp gaze, finally fixing it on Song Ci.

His breath brushed her ear. He braced one hand against the wall, half-enclosing her in his arms.

With nowhere to escape, Song Ci was forced to meet his deep gaze. She wore a pale green dress, its hem swaying in the breeze like a white lotus in bloom.

Fu Qichen slowly lowered his head and pleaded, "Will you stay by my side?"

The woman shot him a cool glance and parted her red lips. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fu. I've already kicked you out of the running."

Reader's Guide:

1. The heroine is 26, the hero is 33, a seven-year age gap.

2. The heroine is not based on anyone. Please don't project yourself onto her, thank you.

3. The heroine will transition out of the entertainment industry.

Coming next: "Full-Bloom Hong Kong Island":

[Female Student VS Powerful Hong Kong Tycoon]

[Eleven-Year Age Gap / Old Flames Reignite / One-on-One / Both Leads Have No Past Relationships]

1.

When Ming Yang was 16, Huo Zhaolin took over as her sponsor.

At her uncle and aunt's eager urging and shoving, the slight girl stood before Huo Zhaolin with her eyes lowered.

She wore a blue dress washed almost white. Her shoulders were bony, the hem far too short, exposing thin calves covered in scabs that had yet to heal. Dry, yellow hair obscured most of her face.

Huo Zhaolin gazed at the crown of her head. "Would you like to come with me?"

Ming Yang looked up. Her beautiful black eyes shone startlingly bright. "Mr. Huo, I would."

Later, he taught her Cantonese and etiquette, sent her to a prestigious school, and nurtured her from a pearl covered in dust into the brightest flower in Hong Kong society.

2.

At her graduation ceremony at 23, she wore the designer gown Huo Zhaolin had given her and stood on the stage before a crowd of thousands.

When she clutched her diploma and ran toward him, she saw his Rolls-Royce parked outside the Peninsula Hotel, picking up his fiancee, who had just returned to Hong Kong from America.

At Lan Kwai Fong, the tipsy girl smiled brightly at a man who tried to chat her up. Huo Zhaolin rushed over and yanked her into his arms, gripping her so hard her wrist hurt.

Taking advantage of her drunkenness, the girl pressed her damp lips to his burning Adam's apple. "Mr. Huo, could you not get married?"

The hand the man had at her waist stiffened. After a moment, he said, "Yangyang, we're not right for each other."

She was a jacaranda in full bloom, while he was already over thirty. They couldn't bridge the age gap.

3.

After that, Ming Yang disappeared from his world completely.

Huo Zhaolin appeared calm and composed, but on a rainy night, he tore apart the photograph one of his men had handed him.

In the picture, the girl he had raised with such care was holding hands with a blond boy, their fingers intertwined.

His private jet cut through the Sydney night. At dawn, Huo Zhaolin knocked on her apartment door.

The moment it opened, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her fiercely, his breath burning. His kiss was devastatingly possessive.

"Break up with him," the man rasped, his forehead against hers, his bearing humbled to the dust. "Yangyang, I regret it."

Theme: Live well, and be brave enough to pursue love!