Once My Teacher, My Husband for Life

"The Oxford playboy" Fu Ting'en was driving around Europe during the Christmas holidays when he saw Zeng Runcheng in the sunset before Cologne Cathedral.

His former math teacher, the man he'd secretly loved and admired for so long.

At graduation, he'd worked up the courage to confess, only to be rejected. The reason: "I don't like men. I have to go back to my hometown, get married, and have children."

Now he watched with his own eyes as another man forcefully gripped Zeng Runcheng's chin while Zeng tried to dodge him in a panic. The two of them kissed passionately on a crowded street...

The young man held back his jealousy and walked over through the fading light, one step at a time. "It's been a long time, Teacher Zeng."

He pretended to look around. "Oh, where's your wife? Didn't you go home to get married? Is this your honeymoon? You have to introduce us. Let me meet your wife." His voice had lost its youthful softness, now low and tinged with teasing.

Zeng Runcheng went deathly pale, his hands and feet turning cold. He'd never imagined their reunion would come so suddenly.

Li Jinglin eyed Zeng Runcheng's cold expression, his heart surging with intense resentment. He considered how to push him into a corner.

"It's a guaranteed win-win deal. There's only one condition: spend a night with him." He flicked the water with his finger, sending ripples across the surface. "So... are you willing?"

He raised the stakes without showing his hand. "You saw the Doberman he keeps, right? I hear he has some... unusual tastes."

Sure enough, Zeng Runcheng's closed eyelids trembled. The water rippled, and faint shudders coursed through his chest as it rose and fell.

"I'll go," Zeng Runcheng said, opening his eyes. "But..." His gaze fell on the water as he spoke softly. "After this, can we call it even?"

Li Jinglin moved close to him, so close that the blood vessels in his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes were clearly visible. A cold smile played on his lips. "Call it even? You think you can call it even with me?"

He tightened his fingers, and Zeng Runcheng's jade-white face instantly flushed red. "That's not up to you."

● This story contains major potential triggers, concentrated around two pursuers competing for one love interest, domineering CEO tropes, and outrageous melodramatic plot twists. Readers who avoid certain tropes or prefer exclusive pairings, please don't read this story if it might upset you. Thank you.

Theme: Love makes us brave and gives us boundaries. Even after losing our way, we can still find our way home.