Atobe Has Quite a Few Tricks Up His Sleeve

My name is Feng Qianyu, and I'm the fifth child in my family.

I have three older brothers and one older sister. I'm the youngest.

One day, my father, who had spent half his life working himself to the bone for our whole family, became gravely ill. From his hospital bed, he held my hand with his left and that of his old friend's son, Atobe, with his right. With tears in his eyes, he said:

My eldest daughter has been married for years, and my three sons are all grown and able to stand on their own. The only one I can't stop worrying about is my youngest daughter. After I'm gone, I hope Atobe will take good care of her in my place.

Looking at my father's ashen face, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

I choked back tears. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll do as you say."

Perhaps Atobe couldn't bear to let the old man die with regrets, so he said, "Don't worry, Uncle. I'll take good care of Qianyu."

My father nodded over and over, deeply moved. He closed his eyes, tilted his head, and passed away with a smile.

I thought we were all just humoring him.

It wasn't until the engagement dress arrived that I realized:

Wait, buddy, are you serious?

I was baffled. "Why did you agree so readily back then?"

Young Master Atobe took a sip of coffee. "I spoke without thinking."

I was sincere. "...I understand. You can still change your mind."

Young Master Atobe set down his coffee. "There's no need. I despise people who go back on their word."

Fine. Whether he needs to maintain the image of a trustworthy, responsible man who keeps his promises, or thinks this is an effective way to preserve the ties between our families, he doesn't care who his "wife" is. None of that matters. I've already given up on marriage, and this is a powerful alliance that will also shut up all the other ladies trying to sell their sons to me. That's good enough.

We're just a couple for the cameras. Whatever.

We'll act, sure. We can both act.

At least we'd get through a few months first. Then, when it was time to send out the wedding invitations, we'd discuss how to break up with our elders without losing face. That's what Atobe told me.

Until one day, I found Atobe's secret account.

The timeline went back to high school, several years ago. There was nothing else in the entire feed, just post after post:

Day 123 of Feng Qianyu dating: Did she break up with that guy today?

No.

Day 206 of Feng Qianyu dating: Did she break up with that guy today?

No :)

Me: Huh???

Reader's Guide

● The story takes place when the characters are adults. You don't need to have read the original to enjoy it.

● A marriage-before-love romance x a long-planned scheme. No melodramatic love-hate saga or wealthy-family power struggles, just a simple sweet treat.

● The heroine's ex isn't really an ex-boyfriend. They were basically just dining and entertainment buddies, and he's only a background character.

● Blurb recorded in April 2025.

Theme: True love means helping each other become the best versions of yourselves.