A new idea for the New Year, please add it to your reading list
A sly actress who knows how to be content VS an ambitious, pure-hearted investor
Qiu Jingxu and Xu Jingqiu grew up together: they were classmates in elementary school, went to the same middle school, and attended university in the same city. As they gradually drifted apart, they headed in opposite directions during their final year of college. Their love and separation ran through each other’s youth.
When they meet again in the world of fame and fortune, she is a familiar actress with a good reputation but no awards, while he is a rising investment star in finance, known for his integrity but lacking in humanity.
Both are struggling to make it in a city far from home, both are older singletons, and both have to face the same nagging questions about marriage when they go home for the New Year.
“Let’s just make do. At least we know each other well.” Whether by some strange twist of fate or a return to old patterns, on the third day after their reunion, the thirty-year-olds get drunk and impulsively fast-forward their relationship, settling the matter of marriage with a contract.
“...So we’re just partners, putting on a show for our parents.”
At a reception before they head home, Qiu Jingxu hears someone describe Xu Jingqiu as a unanimously recognized cold-blooded workaholic. She believes that judgment neatly sums up the clear-cut boundaries of their relationship now.
“Qiu Jingxu, why don’t you take a look at where you’re being so self-righteous?”
Xu Jingqiu sneers and turns his head, sweeping out an arm to pull Qiu Jingxu, who is on the other side of the bed, firmly into his embrace.
“We’re adults. We can sleep together without catching feelings. Are you serious?”
“Qiu Jingxu, our marriage certificate is real.”
“I was just temporarily out of my mind!”
Qiu Jingxu blinks and tilts her head, trying to get up and retrieve the contract from the bedside table to remind Xu Jingqiu that they had only just fulfilled their marital duties.
“Then stay out of your mind for the rest of your life.”
Qiu Jingxu puts both hands on Xu Jingqiu’s arm, trying to lift it away. His low, cool voice suddenly rings in her ears. In an instant, all she can see is his handsome, deep-set face, suddenly enlarged, its gaze fixed entirely on her.
“If we weren’t old classmates, you and I wouldn’t even be worthy of standing side by side.”
On the day they register their marriage, Xu Jingqiu states this as a rumor about him and a famous actress tops the trending searches, while she is an unknown actress below even the third tier.
A year later, actress Qiu Jingxu’s new drama becomes an overnight hit. Onlookers swarm to gossip, and rumors emerge that her marriage is falling apart.
Amid the clamor, a certain man eagerly shows up at his wife’s filming location. The lavish afternoon tea, which has been reserved for the crew since filming began, finally gets a little blackboard of thanks placed in the most conspicuous spot. The words “Thank you, Qiu Jingxu’s husband” are written in huge, heavily bolded letters, making sure he gets noticed.
When they signed the contract, Qiu Jingxu and Xu Jingqiu agreed on plenty of duties and obligations, but carefully avoided talking about love.
Until one day, Qiu Jingxu suddenly noticed the letters tattooed over Xu Jingqiu’s heart: “qjx”
“When we broke up back then, didn’t you say that if you ever spoke to me again, you’d be a dog?”
“Woof, woof, woof...”
Theme: Time can change the people we love, but it cannot undo love.
