Ming Ci was a model lady.
First, her looks: She was beautiful but never vulgar, with willow-leaf brows, almond eyes, fair skin, and a tall, graceful figure.
Next, her family: She came from a family of scholars. Her father was an award-winning international author, and her mother was a highly accomplished translator.
And finally, Ming Ci herself: She graduated from Peking University, studied at a top art school in the United States, then returned home to run an art gallery. Champagne glasses clinked amid the heady glow of wine and color.
Like every young lady of good family, Ming Ci married a proper "gentleman" after returning home.
Liang Jue came from a business family and had taken over the family enterprise, becoming independent at a young age. If one had to pinpoint when he became successful, it was surely the moment he was born.
He had a young body, an accomplished career, and a beautiful wife.
The two met at an auction hosted by their elders, a matchmaking event in all but name. He saw the leading lady in a white dress, earnestly and passionately introducing her paintings onstage, and bought one of them for an exorbitant price.
After they married, they treated each other with respect. Drawing on what they had learned from their parents, Liang Jue believed that he and his wife were deeply in love.
That is, until one day he noticed that when his wife came home, she had brought back a vivid bouquet, a lighter another man had forgotten in her pocket, and the smell of smoke clinging to her hair.
2025.4.13
Theme: Live well
