A Marriage in Name, Sweetness in Secret

○ Proud, dazzling heiress x proper, restrained daddy type

Two wealthy families | marriage before love | age gap | neither has been with anyone else

Wen Mingshu spent over twenty years living the pampered life of an heiress. The price was marrying Xie Zhiyan, the new head of the Xie family.

They said Xie Zhiyan was rigid, serious, and clueless about romance, a dull man with no joie de vivre. He was the cold-faced boss everyone in the company tried to avoid, and his only hobby was meditating at a temple.

Wen Mingshu took it in stride. Before the marriage, she kept things strictly businesslike and handed him a prepared agreement with a smile. "Mr. Xie, have a look."

His lawyer had already discussed the earlier clauses with him. Only the last one was unexpected.

His long fingers brushed over the document. His already somber expression turned even more severe.

Wen Mingshu thought he would object.

Instead, after a long pause, his distant voice said, "No problem."

*

Wen Mingshu had judged him correctly.

Xie Zhiyan was as strict about the agreement as a high school discipline director.

And who would have thought that the first thing this rigid man did after they married was help her get her health in order?

He took her pulse on schedule every day, forbade her from eating anything cold, and limited her to twice a week...

Apart from that, her life was quite comfortable.

Designer handbags, fashion shows in Paris, yacht parties, exclusive royal jewelry... Xie Zhiyan never begrudged her anything she wanted.

She wasn't sure when things started going off script.

The mattress flown in from overseas was replaced with a larger one, and his usually immaculate tie developed tiny wrinkles...

On a humid, rainy night, the atmosphere grew hot and heady beneath the hazy lights.

Wen Mingshu's eyes reddened. Furious, she said, "Xie Zhiyan, you've gone too far!"

His long fingers wound around a soft lock of her hair, and his deep eyes held a hint of laughter. "It was only one extra time. I'll make it up to you double."

*

On the day he was supposed to visit the temple, his assistant was holding the documents and about to arrange a car.

Xie Zhiyan loosened his tie and said hoarsely, "Change the destination."

"Today's an auspicious day."

The assistant was about to speak when his usually composed, serious boss calmly added, "It's a good day to start trying for a baby."

"???"

Wen Mingshu had tried to protest.

When she pointed to the agreement, the man said coolly, "That was for a wife."

Wen Mingshu: "And?"

"We're boyfriend and girlfriend now, of course it's void."

"???"

#Fake marriage turns real

#Getting married won't stop us from dating

-

Please add the author's next book, Glassy Newlyweds, to your favorites

The day after the Wen family went bankrupt, Wen Ni packed twenty suitcases and moved into the Ji household.

The Ji and Wen families had been close for generations, and her engagement to Ji Wenzheng, the Ji family's only son, had been arranged long ago.

The problem was that they had been famously at odds since childhood.

She was a pampered heiress surrounded by gold and jewels. He was a cold, restrained heir who kept himself strictly disciplined.

Wen Ni knew full well that the two of them could never be together. The reason she moved in early was simple:

She wanted to make Ji Wenzheng lose patience and call off the engagement himself, so she could get a hefty breakup fee!

With that money, she might not be able to live as extravagantly as before, but she could still live comfortably. Most importantly, she would never have to see Ji Wenzheng again!

*

Wen Ni knew Ji Wenzheng hated nothing more than the spoiled behavior of an heiress like her. After moving in together, she was even more determined to wreak havoc at the Ji household.

Just like ten years ago, when she ordered him to climb a two-meter-tall tree to pick crabapples for her, then sent him out to buy two candied hawthorns, only to give him the paper wrapper and keep the rest for herself.

Ten years later, she lounged on the sofa and sweetly complained that she was so tired she couldn't take another step, making him carry her to bed.

And that wasn't all. She snapped up rare handbags without blinking, hijacked his private jet to fly to Paris Fashion Week at the drop of a hat, and even planned to sign him up for a yacht worth a hundred million...

Three months.

Wen Ni figured Ji Wenzheng would put up with her for three months at most!

*

It wasn't just Wen Ni. Her friends had never believed in the marriage either.

After all, this pampered princess was famously unable to tolerate the slightest inconvenience. She'd only agreed to the marriage to appease the older generation. Maybe one day she'd have had enough and divorced him on the spot.

But as time passed, Ji Wenzheng became harder and harder to get hold of.

A friend called to ask what was going on. The phone rang for a long time before the man finally answered. His voice was deep, his tone even more languid than the night. "I'm with my wife. I'll call you back later."

Friend: "...?"

Another month passed.

At the Best auction in Hong Kong, the Ji Group made a splash by buying a twenty-carat Argyle Pink Legacy diamond ring.

That evening, someone saw the pampered heiress aboard a yacht in the Ji family's private waters. She wouldn't even take off her own shoes.

Dressed in a suit, the man knelt on one knee, leaned forward, and personally removed her expensive high heel before kissing her foot...

*

As for Wen Ni...

In a dim room, the young woman’s cheeks were as red as a rose, her eyes burning and her mind hazy as the man held her close and coaxed her into going again. She was filled with regret:

If I could do it all over again, I'd be hardworking, brave, honest, and kind. I never would have tried to take such a shortcut! Aaaah!!!

Theme: Women should stand on their own two feet and be strong.