A Bright Future Arrives

[Upcoming: The Stopped-Clock Illusion. Marriage first, love later, newlywed rivals pulling at each other. Please add it to your collection!]

Two wealthy families, childhood friends | Older man with a long-standing crush | Heiress x heir | Bright, adorable girl x paternal older man | Height difference

Chi Yu'an and Ying Zeqing had known each other since childhood. Though their personalities were worlds apart and their careers had nothing in common, they had always been close.

According to their mutual friends, there was an atmosphere between them that no one else could break into.

At a small gathering with friends, though, the two acted nothing like they usually did. Chi Yu'an seemed uncomfortable and ignored Ying Zeqing completely, even avoiding him when they crossed paths. The man she was ignoring looked calm as ever, giving nothing away.

After the gathering, one of their mutual friends asked Mr. Ying, clearly eager for gossip:

"What happened?"

"Did you finally confess after holding it in for so long and scare her off?"

Ying Zeqing glanced at him coolly without saying a word, tacitly confirming his guess.

He was always calm and restrained, making long-term plans in business, but none of that applied when it came to Chi Yu'an.

He was no longer content to be her so-called good older brother and good friend.

When Chi Yu'an discovered the photo in his wallet, Ying Zeqing met her gaze and admitted without hesitation that he liked her.

Shocked and conflicted, she asked if he had misunderstood his own feelings, mistaking protectiveness and friendship for liking and love.

Ying Zeqing thought, How could I not understand my own heart after loving you for so many years?

In his usual mild tone, he told her, "I've dreamed about having sex with you."

Bonus Scene

At their first gathering after they started dating, Ying Zeqing and Chi Yu'an sat together again. He even ordered her favorite dessert. Their friends knew Chi Yu'an had been the only one giving him the cold shoulder lately, and now they seemed to have made up. They teased Ying Zeqing for never being able to say no to her. The heiress had a high opinion of herself: "He's pursuing me, of course he should treat me well." Faced with everyone's curious stares, Ying Zeqing glanced at the proud little girl beside him and readily agreed.

On the way home after dinner, Chi Yu'an got into the car and immediately tried to kiss him. Ying Zeqing held her chin and looked down at her coolly. "What are you doing? Didn't you say I was pursuing you?"

Chi Yu'an was surprised and protested, "We just got together and you're already not letting me kiss you?"

Ying Zeqing raised the partition and looked at her. "Come here. Sit on my lap, and I'll let you kiss me."

Chi Yu'an climbed onto his lap. Between kisses, the man asked, "Miss Chi, when are you going to make our relationship official?"

Kissed senseless, she said, "...Tonight."

-

Chi Yu'an knows full well that no matter how high or far she flies, he will always be there to protect her. They've known each other for years, like two tidally locked planets. The love she never noticed was on the far side of the moon.

The title is from a song. Synopsis revised on January 16, 2026.

Reading Guide:

1. Both leads are virgins; the heroine has an ex.

2. Includes a secondary couple.

3. Four-year age gap.

[Upcoming: The Stopped-Clock Illusion. Please add it to your collection!]

Marriage first, love later | Haughty beauty who knows how to be a little difficult x high-attack, low-defense young master who thinks he's all that | Newlywed rivals | Instinctive attraction | Unconventional female unrequited love

"Marrying Lu Qiange was a dream of Min Ci's girlhood. Marrying into the Lu family was not."

1

Lu Qiange and Min Ci had been married for a year, but had only seen each other a handful of times since the wedding.

Photos of their passionate kiss at their lavish wedding were still a hot topic in the gossip media, yet the newlyweds were already living apart.

Because of her job, Min Ci traveled frequently and was rarely home. For the past year, they'd kept out of each other's business and given each other as much freedom as possible.

They were like tinder and flame in bed, but after getting up, they were strangers wherever they went, never in sync.

2

Lu Qiange and Min Ci attended the Lu matriarch's birthday banquet together, putting on an affectionate display in public.

After the banquet, the matriarch kept Lu Qiange behind to lecture him. Min Ci left first and waited by his car.

The matriarch had gone on and on about how he should treat Min Ci well. His mind in a muddle, Lu Qiange walked over to his car just as he heard her discussing their marriage with someone on the phone.

"It's just like that. It's not as if we can get divorced, anyway."

When she met his gaze, her expression shifted ever so slightly.

Lu Qiange kept watching her. After she hung up, the corner of his mouth lifted in an unreadable smile. "Miss Min, walls have ears."

Min Ci thought she understood what he meant. "Got it. Next time, I'll say it somewhere private."

That only annoyed Lu Qiange more.

3

One time, after drinking, Lu Qiange suddenly wondered if Min Ci had agreed to marry him because her own job kept her away from Beijing so much.

His friend gave him a puzzled look.

"When did you become a resentful husband?"

"Isn't this what you wanted before the wedding? Are you lonely now that you're rattling around in an empty house?"

He was so annoyed. He took out his phone to message Min Ci, but had no idea what to say.

At that moment, he thought his wife was impossible to please.

Only later did he realize she wasn't hard to please. She just wanted a little love.

Without love, she'd rather not have that kind of "kindness."

Theme: A passionate, unwavering love.