Lost and Beyond Redemption

The next story will be Harbor Island Romance, about a female student and a powerful figure in Hong Kong, with a sponsorship premise.

Story blurb:

[Acting like strangers in public / kissing passionately in private / both inexperienced / male lead has a secret crush]

[Powerful Beijing-circle figure VS female venture capitalist]

1.

Meeting Si Yuting was pure chance. Perhaps the bar lights were too bright that night, or the night too dark. Slightly tipsy and unsteady on her feet, Zhang Ni walked up to a man in a black suit.

She narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. The man had long legs, broad shoulders and a trim waist, and a handsome profile. He was a perfect match for her tastes.

She nodded, satisfied.

Rising onto her toes, she breathed out a faintly sweet scent and parted her red lips. “Want to hook up?”

Si Yuting's gaze lingered on Zhang Ni's face for a few seconds. A faint smile played on his lips. “Sure.”

2.

Their brief affair lasted six months. Zhang Ni realized her feelings for Si Yuting had quietly changed, and after careful consideration, decided to end things.

In a hotel room, the man stepped out of the bathroom, his muscles taut. Zhang Ni's eyes flickered, but she quickly looked away from Si Yuting. Her voice was cool and decisive. “This is where our relationship ends.”

Si Yuting's body gave a slight jolt, surprise flashing through his eyes. A few seconds later, he accepted it with a mocking laugh. “Sure.”

A little over half a month later, the atmosphere in a luxurious CEO's office turned tense.

Dressed in business attire, Zhang Ni saw the man seated in the leather chair. Her thoughts roiled, panic flashing in her eyes.

“Si Yuting... Mr. Si.” Zhang Ni pressed her lips together, keeping her delicate features composed.

The man slowly turned a fountain pen in his hand. His face was stern, his eyes as deep as an abyss, and an amused smile tugged at his lips.

“Manager Zhang, I hope we work well together in our new relationship.” Si Yuting's words were laden with meaning, his eyes fixed on her like she was prey.

Her heart sank. This was a disaster. The man she'd wanted to get rid of had suddenly become her direct superior!

She wanted to run.

Bonus scene:

Her peach-blossom eyes, tinged red and clouded with a misty haze, gazed at him. Zhang Ni's mischievous hand touched the man's Adam's apple. “Si Yuting, if it had been another woman that night, would you have been willing?”

Si Yuting gave her a sidelong glance, caught her wandering hand, then stroked down her elegant back. “There wasn't another woman.”

Only prey or a lover could enter his forbidden territory.

Content warnings:

1. The heroine is a flirt in the early chapters, the hero has a secret crush, their casual arrangement turns into a relationship, and the story contains taboo themes.

2. The heroine is 25, the hero is 26.

3. The blurb was screenshotted and saved on Weibo on January 18, 2025.

Next story: Harbor Island Romance:

[Female student VS powerful Hong Kong elite]

[11-year age gap / an old flame rekindled / 1v1 / both inexperienced]

1.

When Ming Yang was 16, Huo Zhaolin took over as her sponsor.

At the urging and fawning of her uncle and aunt, the slender girl stood with her eyes lowered before Huo Zhaolin.

She wore a blue dress washed pale from wear. Her shoulder bones jutted out, and the hem fell far too short, exposing thin calves marked with scabs that hadn't healed. Tangled yellow hair hid most of her face.

Huo Zhaolin stared at the crown of her head. “Are you willing to come with me?”

Ming Yang looked up. Her beautiful black eyes shone brightly. “Mr. Huo, I am.”

Later, he taught her Cantonese and etiquette, sent her to a prestigious school, and nurtured her from a dusty pearl into the brightest flower in Hong Kong's elite circles.

2.

At her graduation ceremony at 23, she wore the designer gown Huo Zhaolin had given her and stood at the podium before thousands of admiring eyes.

When she ran toward Huo Zhaolin with her diploma, she saw his Rolls-Royce pull up at the Peninsula Hotel and pick up his fiancée, who had just returned from studying in the United States.

In Lan Kwai Fong, the slightly tipsy girl smiled brightly at a man who approached her. Huo Zhaolin rushed over and yanked her into his arms, gripping her so hard her wrist hurt.

Taking advantage of her drunkenness, the girl pressed her moist lips against his burning Adam's apple. “Mr. Huo, could you please not get married?”

The hand at her lower back stiffened. After a moment's silence, the man said, “Yangyang, we're not right for each other.”

She was a jacaranda in full bloom, while he was already over thirty. The age gap was impossible to overcome.

3.

From then on, Ming Yang disappeared from his world completely.

Huo Zhaolin seemed calm and composed, but on a rainy night, he tore apart the photograph his subordinate had handed him.

In the picture, the girl he'd raised and cherished was holding hands with a blond young man.

A private jet cut through the Sydney night. At dawn, Huo Zhaolin knocked on the apartment door.

The moment it opened, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her with burning intensity. His lips and teeth carried a devastating, possessive hunger.

“Break up with him.” The man's hoarse voice was an order. He pressed his forehead against hers, his posture utterly humble. “Yangyang, I regret it.”

Theme: Believe in love. Life is beautiful!