Across the Winter [Marriage Before Love]

On the day of the first snowfall in Jing City, Ning Nanjia married Chen Che at the lowest point in her life.

Chen Che was the heir to one of Jing City's most powerful families.

Their marriage was a contract, and they agreed to be loyal allies to each other.

After the wedding, Chen Che treated her with gentlemanly courtesy and never crossed a line. If he accidentally held her hand, he apologized. Even when they were forced to share a bed, he respected the boundary between them and never so much as touched her. He was an aloof, noble man who kept his distance from love.

But one day, everything began to change:

When she felt unwell, he gently patted her head and comforted her.

He began waiting for her every morning so they could leave together, and coming home for dinner on time each night. They saw each other more in one day than they used to in a whole week.

He began placing elegant vases in the living room and on the dining table, filling them with her favorite flowers and changing them every day, even though they clashed with the home's formerly stark, minimalist style.

He began eating the desserts she made while practicing and giving them thoughtful reviews, even though he didn't like sweets.

He came rushing home through the heavy snow from far away, looking battered and exhausted, and told her that he was starting to fall for her...

One day after their wedding, Ning Nanjia went to the opening ceremony of Chen Che's younger stepsister.

At noon that day, Chen Che saw a photo post on his work phone's WeChat Moments, shared by his younger brother and sworn enemy.

In one of the pictures, he spotted Ning Nanjia at once. She was standing very close to the man, her head tilted down as she spoke while he looked up to listen.

He tossed his phone aside without changing his expression, but an invisible storm gathered in his eyes.

The next night, at the stroke of midnight, Chen Che, who never posted on Moments, shared a post on both his private and work WeChat accounts. It had only four words:

Happy birthday.

The photo showed Ning Nanjia with her eyes closed, making a wish over a cake in the dim candlelight.

Both leads are virgins. Happy ending.

Blurb written 2025.4.17

My next novel will be another marriage-first, love-later story, The Spring Hidden in Her Dimples. Please add it to your collection, everyone!

Blurb:

Lin Ting is famous in her social circle for being sweet and beautiful.

When news of her engagement came out, lots of people sighed.

Why did she have to be marrying Yu Chuan? Everyone knew he had a bad temper and was arrogant. How could someone like him know how to treat a woman well?

At the top of the circular mountain in North City, Yu Chuan recognized his newly chosen fiancée, Lin Ting, at a glance.

She stood by the side of the road, chatting with someone beside her with a bright smile.

The next moment, she saw the racers about to compete in the middle of the road. Her expression changed, and she threw herself against her brother Lin Zheng, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, pitiful beyond words.

It was obvious she was used to wielding tears as a weapon.

Yu Chuan hated girls who cried and made a fuss. He frowned, turned around, and strode away. He knew the race was off for the day.

His friend knew him well and teased him: "What are you going to do? She's exactly the kind you hate most."

Yu Chuan's face was cold as he replied in an unfriendly tone, "Can't do anything about it."

He thought that after they married, it would be like having a fragile Buddha statue enshrined at home. As long as she didn't cry in front of him, that was fine.

Married life was nothing like Yu Chuan had imagined.

Lin Ting never cried in front of him. She never asked him for help, either. Whatever happened, she quietly handled it herself. She was like a little sun.

Once, she worked for days straight and came down with a fever. The family doctor told Lin Zheng, who then told him.

When Yu Chuan rushed home, Lin Ting saw him first. Her little face was listless and expressionless.

But the moment Lin Zheng appeared, her eyes filled with tears and she looked so aggrieved that Lin Zheng, who had been about to scold her for not taking care of her health, was left speechless.

Yu Chuan: ...

Why does she have two different faces?

Their friends all thought this couple was bound to end up together in name only.

At an elder's birthday banquet, the couple arrived to offer their congratulations. They walked in without holding hands or speaking, and each delivered their own congratulatory speech.

Their friends exchanged glances: They aren't even pretending to get along anymore...

Halfway through the banquet, one friend went to comfort Yu Chuan and have a drink with him, but couldn't find him. Eventually, they found him in the small garden outside the reception room.

Lin Ting sat in a wicker chair with her head bowed.

The arrogant young master Yu was crouched in front of her, completely deferential, speaking in a gentleness no one had ever heard from him before: "If you want to cry, then cry. Why are you holding it in?"

A sweet marriage-first, love-later romance. Please add it to your collection!!!

Theme: We'll make it through winter and welcome new life.