Autumn Typhoon

Zong Xuan returns to China for a one-year exchange program, and his friends throw a party to welcome him.

A luxury convertible pulls in with a sharp drift. When everyone sees him arrive with Jiang Ninglan, their jaws nearly hit the floor.

The former is the heir to a top family, handsome and arrogant, surrounded by admirers.

The latter started out as a child star, spoiled and unruly. Three minutes ago, the hashtag "Professional Villainess Smashes Paparazzi's Camera" was trending at the top of the charts.

They couldn't be more different. Until now, no one would have connected them.

-

After a few rounds of drinks, someone asks whether he has a crush on anyone.

The summer night breeze carries the salty scent of the sea, blowing through her long hair and brushing his arm, raising a tingling sensation.

During the ten seconds Zong Xuan stays silent, condensation spreads across the ice-cold beer beside Jiang Ninglan's leg, and she drifts back to the memory of...

A year ago, on the evening they laid everything bare and fell out, the air was just as hot and humid.

He gripped her waist and pinned her against the kitchen island. A melting ice cube slid over her warm skin, its water soaking the counter.

He chuckled, then lifted his head and kissed her with his cold lips and tongue, his voice low and sexy.

"If you can't even handle this, Jiang Ninglan, how are you going to play with me?"

Top-tier star queen x top-tier cool guy

Happy ending | He has a secret crush | Friends-with-benefits to lovers | University and the entertainment industry | An unconventional childhood-friends-to-lovers story, after 16 years of knowing each other | Imperfect characters

-- Upcoming novel: Filling the Void --

The day Ni Mi discovers she's pregnant is the seventh anniversary of her relationship with Duan Youkai.

Calling it a relationship isn't quite right. They're nothing more than a secret affair.

Come daylight, one is a sophisticated, capable secretary, the other a financial tycoon's heir. Subordinate and boss, with a clear line between them.

After another night together, Ni Mi lies awake all night, watching the man sleeping beside her.

She starts selling off her homes, cars, jewelry, and designer handbags, then emails him her resignation letter.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" he asks. His right hand trembles as he lights a cigarette, his volatile anger ready to erupt. "Ni Mi, I gave you resources and connections. I helped you sort out all that mess. I brought you back from Wall Street to China. It wasn't so you could go home, get married, have kids, and serve your in-laws!"

"Not everyone is like you, known as a 'money-printing machine without feelings.'" She smiles, perfectly calm. "Mr. Duan, I'm just an ordinary person."

"You really want to get married that badly?" This is the second time he's asked her.

She smiles but doesn't answer.

"Fine." Duan Youkai grits his teeth, grabs his suit jacket, and heads for the door. "You're going to marry someone anyway. Ni Mi, bring your ID. We're getting married."

Later, in the eleventh year of her secret love for him and the eighth year of their friends-with-benefits arrangement, Ni Mi finally learns that Duan Youkai is human too. He's someone... with blood, flesh, and feelings.

Theme: Stay true to yourself and break through prejudice.