Gray Moonlight and Norfolk Island Pine

The first time they meet is at a family banquet. In a garden alcove, Jiayu kisses her poor boyfriend, who's dressed as a waiter.

Her boyfriend has to go to work, so he leaves Jiayu halfway through trying to comfort her.

She turns and heads back to the banquet hall. Looking up, she sees a man standing by the third-floor terrace.

The cool moonlight accentuates the man's chiseled features. His gaze is damp and clinging, pinning her in place as if it could pierce right through her.

Jiayu's heart pounds.

That night, she learns that the man who watched her kiss her boyfriend from start to finish is He Xubai, the fiance her family has chosen for her.

Jiayu is abruptly dumped by her ex-boyfriend and comes down with a fever that won't break. To get revenge and escape her pain, she agrees to marry He Xubai.

She assumes He Xubai will resent her for using him, but he only says, "You can use me. There's just one thing: you have to start learning to forget him."

After they marry, Jiayu's opinion of He Xubai changes completely.

He Xubai is gracious and gentle, attentive in every way, and even cooks for her.

But gradually, Jiayu notices that something is wrong.

When she gets caught in a downpour after work, He Xubai somehow finds her and picks her up, even though she never told him where she was.

When she wakes up, her body is always sore.

When she showers, he always squeezes in with her and makes a mess of the bathroom.

Her husband's burning gaze feels so heavy that Jiayu tries to avoid it. He grips her face with the space between his thumb and forefinger and coaxes her softly, "Don't hide."

Her husband seems to have some kind of addiction. He takes any chance he gets to press himself against her.

Her ex-boyfriend, who vanished without a trace, has suddenly become a wealthy tech entrepreneur. He asks Jiayu to meet him in private.

"I have everything now. I can give you everything he can. Leave him. I won't abandon you again. Jiayu, he's been lying to you!"

After spending several miserable hours with her ex, Jiayu gets home late at night.

He Xubai walks out of the kitchen, his white shirt sleeves rolled up.

He steps forward and kisses Jiayu. "You must be hungry. I made something delicious. Want some?"

Jiayu hugs him, thinking: How could she doubt her husband because of her ex's attempt to sow discord?

He Xubai lifts his cold, sinister eyes from her hair, thinking: My wife smells different today. Who did she meet? Her scent is different from usual. Who did she meet?

Content warnings:

① The female lead is not a virgin, but the male lead is.

② The male lead is very experienced, dark and scheming, and dangerously obsessive.

③ Age gap romance, with a five-year difference.

Theme: Waiting for the moonlight to shine upon your chest.