He, Chen Sitang

This story is published exclusively on Jinjiang Literature City and may not be reposted. Any appearance on other websites is an illegal copy!!!

*The story is complete. Feel free to start reading and add it to your favorites~

A wild rose from the snowy mountains, a dazzling pianist who's sweet on the outside and ruthless within x a scheming, love-struck, arrogant, jealous architecture mogul

/The male lead resolves to eliminate every rival in love

-

There was one thing Shen Yizhou knew for certain.

Qin Yantang was indeed adored by her elders.

She was cultured, courteous, gentle, understanding, talented, and a refined young lady from an eminent family.

She was a master at handling people, attentive to every detail, and could make anyone happy with just a few words.

Chu Yin's mother had high standards, was ruthless and haughty, and was no easy person to deal with.

When choosing a fiancee for her son, she set a notoriously exacting list of requirements.

They said that when Old Master Chu first arranged for Chu Yin and Qin Yantang to marry, Chu's mother was very displeased when she heard about it.

But after meeting Qin Yantang, she was so thoroughly charmed that she couldn't have been happier with the match.

It could be said that much of Qin Yantang's good reputation came from Mrs. Zheng, Chu Yin's mother, who spread the word about her.

Shen Yizhou had long known Qin Yantang was skilled at putting on an act, especially in front of the media.

But when the piano recital ended and she lifted her skirt, smiling as she walked down from the side of the stage, Chu Yin was waiting at the foot of the stairs with a huge, magnificent bouquet of roses. He embraced her and kissed her forehead under the flash of cameras. Shen Yizhou's expression turned uglier than ever before.

He was going to break them up, even though they weren't really a couple to begin with.

-

As luck would have it, snow was falling when Qin Yantang left the grand theater that day.

She stood alone beneath the awning, keeping company with a crumpled cigarette in her hand. She tilted her head to look at the dark night sky. Snowflakes fell on her cheek, cold and damp, and melted moments later, wetting her face.

Unbeknownst to her, a tall figure stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the cafe across the street, holding a cup of warm coffee. His eyes were half-shadowed as he watched her for a long time.

-

Ravel's "Ondine."

Shen Yizhou had heard Qin Yantang play the piece before.

A water nymph in a forest tempts a handsome young man playing by the water, inviting him to follow her deep into the woods, to her palace beneath the waves, where he will become king of all the lakes.

The story doesn't end well. Yet whenever he recalled the tiny red heart-shaped mole beneath her left eye, he couldn't help thinking that if she were the water nymph, perhaps the story's tragic ending would have to change.

After all, Qin Yantang was the very definition of danger. It was as if she had been fashioned into a vivid, blossoming red rose, one that could stir a person's most secret and repressed desires.

-

*Reading guide

1. The male lead pretends to help the female lead break off her engagement, but actually sets out to eliminate all her rivals in love.

2. The male lead deliberately flirts with her, but she flirts right back and has him wrapped around her finger. They keep their relationship secret at first, pretending to be distant and proper in front of their mutual friends.

3. Childhood sweethearts, equal family backgrounds, reunited after years apart, and healing each other's hearts.

My next story will be "Sorry, I Just Want to Cuddle You [Contract Parenting]". Here's the blurb:

[Dark children's-book illustrator x refined, gentle top philanthropist]

1.

All her fans know that Xia Qi has a peculiar obsession: she is fascinated by long, sexy necks, whether they belong to men or women.

When she once again made the rude request to cuddle up to Liang Jin, whom she had only met a few times, he gently but solemnly declined.

"Miss Xia, given how little we know each other, I don't think that's appropriate for a second time."

Disappointed, she stared at the pale, jade-like skin on the side of his neck, where blue veins stood out. Remembering the excitement she'd felt the first time she got close to him, she had to work hard to resist the urge to go over and cuddle him.

"But if I had a wife, I'd be happy to let her do that whenever she wanted."

Liang Jin smiled and pulled a small velvet box from his coat pocket. "Perhaps you could do me a little favor?"

2.

Liang Jin was a top philanthropist: humble, approachable, gentle, refined, and the perfect gentleman in the eyes of everyone in Lincheng.

Xia Qi was the queen of dark illustration: arrogant, sharp-tongued, self-centered, and the number one nightmare of Lincheng's keyboard warriors, who hated her but couldn't take her down.

When the news broke that the two had "been secretly married for four years and had a son," the media in Lincheng erupted.

A philanthropist and a hypocrite join forces. Is it the death of humanity or the collapse of morality?

Shocking! A clash of extreme genes! Will their child grow up to be an angel or a devil?...

No one knew that this so-called four-year secret marriage was nothing more than a contract they had signed in ten minutes.

3.

After the wedding, Xia Qi lounged in the spa room of their detached villa, blissfully enjoying a luxurious private treatment. With a plaster-like facial mask covering her face, she glanced over the terms of the marriage contract:

[Party A: Xia Qi; Party B: Liang Jin.

1. Party A will cooperate with Party B's act, helping the foundation establish a positive family image.

2. Party A may cuddle up to Party B at any time, and Party B must cooperate unconditionally. The frequency, nature, and timing of their married life will be entirely at Party A's discretion.

3. Party B will publish no fewer than 9,999 picture books for Party A each month and cover all related risks and expenses.

4. As the marriage inconveniences Party A's private life, Party B will transfer RMB 1,000,000 to Party A each month as emotional compensation.

...]

She flipped through the pages. "Perk, perk, perk, perk, perk..."

Apart from the first clause, which would take some effort on her part, the rest were all perks.

Her new husband certainly lived up to his name as a philanthropist, even doing charity through marriage.

Xia Qi smiled with satisfaction. When she turned her head, she saw the four-year-old Liang Chuche, who was waiting on her hand and foot, working like a little servant.

There was just one thing that made her suspicious.

This so-called "child of his late cousin" looked quite a lot like her kindhearted philanthropist husband.

Wait, could it be...

Theme: Two equals falling for each other completely