A Lucky Break in the Package (Marriage Before Love)

[Also known as The 100-Day Plan to Help My Husband Keep His Lover and Why Is the Briefcase Like That?]

[Blurb]

The Ming family is in decline. Their only son, Ming Zhu, is no good at business, and everyone thinks the family is on the verge of ruin. Unexpectedly, the Pei family honors the marriage agreement made as a joke more than a decade ago, and sends their heir, Pei Shuchen, to propose in person.

Ming Zhu: An arranged marriage? If it helps my family, I don't mind.

Pei Shuchen: An arranged marriage? A wife for free?

Despite the gossip, the Ming and Pei families hold a lavish wedding.

To keep their marriage stable, Ming Zhu decides to help his powerful husband with his troubles:

People say Pei Shuchen plans to sleep with seven people on their wedding night to get revenge for being forced into marriage. When her husband heads out that evening, Ming Zhu thoughtfully slips a pack of condoms into his bag.

People say Pei Shuchen is close to that Miss Jiang, and even though he has a same-sex partner, he still wants to have children and carry on the family line. Just before her husband sets off for the Jiang family's villa, Ming Zhu thoughtfully puts red roses in his bag.

People say Pei Shuchen is interested in that rising pop star and wants to keep a lover in a love nest elsewhere. Ming Zhu gets the keys to their spare properties ready, puts them in her husband's briefcase, and thoughtfully includes a bottle of lube...

Ming Zhu's reasoning is simple: how many powerful people aren't unfaithful? If he doesn't make a fuss, how could they get divorced?

Pei Shuchen grows more and more afraid to open his briefcase. He has to work late on their wedding night, and rushes to the office full of guilt, only for seven packs of condoms to fly out in front of the shareholders...

He discusses an investment with Miss Jiang's mother, opens his briefcase to look for the contract, and pulls out a red rose right in front of her...

He assesses the rising pop star's suitability for an endorsement and arranges a meeting, only for a tube of lube to fall out of his bag...

President Pei's life is always so exciting.

The rumors reach the outside world, and there are 180 versions of the story that their marriage is in trouble. Pei Shuchen feels even guiltier. He decides to seriously cultivate a relationship with his partner: he holds Ming Zhu's hand on the way to work, takes Ming Zhu on a vacation to an island, and makes a ring with his own hands...

Ming Zhu has always known where he stands. He just assumes that his husband has lovers too, since he has some himself.

When Pei Shuchen's old school friend comes over for dinner, Ming Zhu knows that Pei Shuchen is finally going to bring someone home. Thoughtfully, he tidies up the master bedroom and sets out roses and candles, then heads to the supermarket next door to buy two more boxes of condoms.

But there he runs into Pei Shuchen, who has come to buy beer.

"...Condoms, lube, red roses?"

"..."

Only after all three things are used on him does Ming Zhu realize just how wrong he was.

A quiet, cheerful, reserved comic artist who has a wild imagination but takes it in the wrong direction, and a domineering CEO who is decisive at work but simple-minded after hours, and gets completely played by his wife. The CEO is doting and gentle.

One-on-one romance, happy ending.

A sweet little romance.

A setting where same-sex marriage is legal.

[Blurb written on 2024.6.5 at 0:26]

Theme: Even the powerful can love deeply.