The Crime of Delusion

Eight-year age gap, one-on-one, both each other's only one, older seme

Blurb:

1. Li Xiang first met Meng Qingyu at an upscale club.

She sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea, elegant and inscrutable.

Li Xiang, meanwhile, was being pressured to drink with the guests, down on her luck and out of her depth.

She thought their worlds were so far apart that they would never cross. But just as she was about to give in, Meng Qingyu stepped in and saved her.

The second time they met, Li Xiang hit her luxury car, and Meng Qingyu let her go.

The third time, Li Xiang helped her fend off an enemy, and Meng Qingyu accepted the business card she offered.

That night, Li Xiang discovered that Meng Qingyu was one of Haicheng's most powerful figures. Deciding to climb to the top by relying on her, she said, "Ms. Meng, please help me."

Meng Qingyu handed her an agreement. "Sign it."

At the time, Li Xiang didn't know that every part of this had been a trap, carefully laid by Meng Qingyu.

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2. Meng Qingyu never treated Li Xiang as an accessory. Out of gratitude, she kept her by her side, taught her how to survive, and gave her boundless resources.

As they spent every day together, Li Xiang fell for Meng Qingyu. She bravely confessed her feelings, but Meng Qingyu accused her of delusion and drove her away.

That night, snow fell over Haicheng for the first time in living memory.

The snow-covered roads were hard to walk, but Li Xiang dragged her suitcase toward the airport alone.

She had no idea that the black Maybach that had driven her around countless times was following behind her at a crawl.

Then the person in the car got out.

Meng Qingyu blocked her way, held an umbrella over her, and scolded her with worry, "Why are you still so stubborn? Why don't you ever turn back?"

At those words, Li Xiang's eyes suddenly reddened.

"You don't love me. Why would I turn back?"

Meng Qingyu fixed her with an inscrutable gaze and pleaded softly, "A-Li, if you'll just stop loving me, I'll take you home right now."

Li Xiang took a step back, standing in the snow. "Let's never meet again."

Meng Qingyu fell silent for a moment, then turned and left.

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3. Much later, after time had passed, Meng Qingyu, who had walked away so casually, rushed all the way to London.

In the darkness, only their heartbeats intertwined.

Meng Qingyu firmly pulled Li Xiang into her arms, her warm breath brushing the side of her neck. "A-Li, I was wrong before. I'm here to accept my punishment."

After so long apart, Li Xiang had grown a backbone. She ignored Meng Qingyu's love. "Who taught you to apologize like that?"

Meng Qingyu gripped her chin and kissed her hard.

At the height of their passion, she rasped, "A-Li, I'll let you forget me once, but you must never forget me a second time."

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Bonus scene:

A twentieth-anniversary interview for Women of the Times magazine.

Reporter: "Ms. Li, everyone is curious: what does it feel like to knock your sugar mommy off her pedestal, take the throne yourself, and then lock her in a gilded cage?"

Li Xiang: "One word: fantastic!"

The reporter turned to Meng Qingyu. "And you, Ms. Meng?"

The once-dominant woman smiled faintly. "Being pecked by the hawk you raised... it's not bad."

Pseudo-sugar-mommy romance / age gap / powerful woman bows her head

One-on-one / both each other's only one / second chance romance / groveling romance / happy ending

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Coming soon: Ending with Us

Fang Hao and Gu Wangshu went from school uniforms to wedding dresses. In everyone's eyes, they were destined for each other.

But in their second year of marriage, Gu Wangshu suddenly asked for a divorce, left with nothing, and vanished completely, as if their eight years of love had been nothing but an illusion.

Three months later, Gu Wangshu died unexpectedly.

As black smoke rose from the crematorium, Fang Hao stood at the edge of a rooftop. She bitterly thought of the countless times she'd cursed Gu Wangshu, wishing her a horrible death. But the moment Gu Wangshu truly turned to ash, Fang Hao leapt after her.

She didn't die. Instead, she fell into a cruel loop.

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When she opened her eyes again, she was back on her university's sports field.

Fang Hao laughed and cried. This was the twelfth time. No matter how she tried to avoid Gu Wangshu, cling to her, give in, or fight back, Gu Wangshu always left in the end. And she always died.

Gu Wangshu ran past her again, her white shirt billowing in the wind and her ponytail flying. When she looked back, she was still smiling, bright and beautiful.

But this time, Fang Hao caught a fleeting glimpse of pain in her eyes, a sorrow that didn't belong to the Gu Wangshu of this timeline.

So she was trapped in the loop too.

So all those cold rejections and silent withdrawals were a fate she had endured alone through endless repetitions.

At last, Fang Hao understood that the way to break the loop wasn't to avoid Gu Wangshu or keep her captive. It was to uncover the truth that Gu Wangshu would rather die to bury than let Fang Hao know, even if it meant being hated by her.

At their wedding, Fang Hao clutched Gu Wangshu's trembling hand. Her voice was choked with tears, but firm. "This time, whatever happens, we'll face it together! You are not allowed to let go of my hand again!"

Gu Wangshu's tears fell onto their clasped fingers. She squeezed Fang Hao's hand so tightly it felt as if their bones had fused. "All right. This time, I won't let go!"

Undercover police officer / illustrator

Blurb written on 2025-11-02

Theme: Love is a hand that lifts you higher, one step at a time.