◎ Luo Jinmeng x Chu Zhouzhou. Zhuang Zhou dreams of a butterfly, and the butterfly is Zhuang Zhou.
1
The Chu family, whose influence reaches every corner of Huaicheng, is on the brink of ruin.
The patriarch, Old Master Chu, dies suddenly for no apparent reason. His only son, a dashing playboy, has met with retribution too. They say he's gone mad and locks himself in a secret room all day.
People around town say Chu Zhouzhou is heartbroken over love. His rich-kid friends, who used to carouse with him, all have the same reaction: "Him? No way."
He's famous for having no heart.
2
The Kant Auction House has recently held a butterfly-themed auction called "A Dream of Zhuang Zhou."
Specimens, jewelry, antiques, and porcelain: they say these are all items Chu Zhouzhou has collected over the past few years.
Luo Jinmeng is specifically chosen to handle the auction.
With each strike of her gavel, she sells off one by one the gifts Chu Zhouzhou has given her over the years.
3
As the butterfly collection dwindles, so does Chu Zhouzhou's awareness.
His body is still curled up in the secret room, but his consciousness died long ago, on the night she pointed a knife at him and wept hysterically.
[Content Warnings: So many triggers, it's practically Hamlet]
1. A revenge story, the powerful one humbled, a short story, tragic ending, free to read.
2. The male lead is not a virgin at the beginning. He's a promiscuous playboy, but after meeting the female lead, he loves only her.
3. The female lead doesn't love the male lead at all at first. She hates him, and keeps hating him until the very end.
4. Because of the female lead, the male lead develops Cotard syndrome and feels that the world is nothing but a void.
(I wanted to write this kind of lovesick, unhinged setup. I was sad that I couldn't write the unhinged premise of my previous story, so I'm stubbornly going ahead and cooking this up myself...)
Theme: Move forward bravely
