I Went Gold-Digging with My Ex's Best Friend, Then Failed to Escape

Elegant, gentlemanly young master with a hidden dark side x money-loving, fake-pure schemer

A melodramatic tale of mutual torment and affection, with love and hatred tangled together. Overall, a satisfying read

01/

Cheng Song is poor, but he wants to live in a mansion.

He studied and worked himself to the bone, and achieved that dream in his early twenties.

Not through his own efforts, though. It was all thanks to his aunt marrying a wealthy building contractor.

But living with your hand out is no way to live.

Watching his aunt's tears, he realized that only what you hold firmly in your own hands truly belongs to you.

And so Cheng Song began his climb up the social ladder.

He stopped at nothing, lied constantly, and was a brilliant actor. In the end, he successfully landed a job as tutor to the Zheng family's young master, and made his way into the world of the rich and powerful.

As the saying goes, you get the moon first when you live near the water. Cheng Song had a sharp eye, and immediately picked out a super-eligible bachelor who was taller, richer, and more handsome than any typical tall, rich, and handsome man.

The key was that this bachelor seemed like a gentleman, and innocent, too?

At the time, Cheng Song thought with delight that he'd struck gold.

But not long after, when victory was almost within his grasp, Cheng Song came to his senses at the crucial moment and turned tail.

Of course, he didn't get away.

02/

"You weren't studying at the library?"

In a nightclub restroom stall, Cheng Song stared at the message in terror.

The night breeze crept down his collar, sending a chill through his spine.

His phone rang sharply.

"Answer it."

Cheng Song's heart skipped a beat. He bit down hard on his lip, but in the end, he still didn't dare answer.

Knowing he was done for, he decided to throw caution to the wind and switched on airplane mode.

But just a few seconds later, the restroom went pitch-black. The lights had gone out.

A moment later, Cheng Song finally reacted and pushed open the stall door, then looked down through the window.

The black car at the entrance had its window half lowered. Those desolate gray-green eyes were fixed on him.

He was so startled he almost burst into tears. Cheng Song stumbled downstairs, his thoughts in a jumble.

Huo Yichuan rested one hand on the steering wheel, glanced up at him, and said nothing.

Next, Cheng Song should have straddled Huo Yichuan's lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, and kissed the man's chin to appease him.

A moment later, the car window would slowly rise, and the glass would turn opaque.

But for some reason, Cheng Song didn't move. He simply stood there, looking at the man before him, as a sudden courage sprouted like weeds and filled his chest.

The evening breeze tousled the hair over his forehead, hiding Cheng Song's clear eyes.

"Let's end this here."

He spoke softly.

03/

"Tell me the truth."

Huo Yichuan's expression had gone completely cold, enough to make anyone's heart pound.

"I don't like being lied to."

After a few seconds of tense silence, Cheng Song finally broke. He crumpled completely and wept, sobbing, "I did, but only a few times. Just for a little while. I'm sorry..."

After hearing this, Huo Yichuan tilted his head back slightly and let out a faint laugh through his nose.

Cheng Song's heart sank to the bottom. His knees went weak, and he could barely stand.

Without even looking at Cheng Song, Huo Yichuan turned and sat back down on the deep brown leather sofa.

He crossed his long legs, his bearing as composed and elegant as ever. His whole figure was immersed in the shadows beyond the moonlight, with only his green eyes gleaming faintly.

Lowering his lashes, he unhurriedly took off his watch and casually set it on the marble coffee table. It made a soft clink.

Huo Yichuan parted his thin lips.

"Take it off." (This scene has already been posted.)

Happy ending. The two leads have only ever slept with each other. Mostly a feel-good, indulgent read.

Also known as Self-Esteem on the Floor

Next book is available for preorder. Don't miss it as you pass by!

Lin Yuqing is a beta househusband. His husband, Wan Junhui, is an Alpha executive at a publicly traded company, and they have a clever, adorable daughter named Lanlan. Their life is happy and prosperous, and everyone around them envies them.

But what you show the outside world is always the most polished side of things. Lin Yuqing has troubles he can't talk about, too: tedious housework, a shrinking social circle... and the loneliness and emptiness that are so hard to bear on long nights.

His husband seems to be cheating.

Lin Yuqing tries everything he can to save their marriage, but what he never expected was that one day, not long afterward, he would be the first to have a full-blown affair.

01/

After a reception, on a quiet path leading to the parking lot, Lin Yuqing boldly hooked his little finger around his husband's and worked up the courage to whisper some clingy sweet nothings, even brushing his fingertips against his husband's palm.

The moon shone bright. Ahead of them, their shadows overlapped on the ground. At a social gathering, this was the intimate distance reserved for partners.

As he watched, Lin Yuqing suddenly froze.

Wait, that wasn't right.

His husband was clearly... only half a head taller than him.

Realizing something, Lin Yuqing stiffly let go of the hooked finger and slowly turned his head.

Their eyes met.

The aggressive pheromones of a young man swept over him.

Between swaying tree shadows and dim lights, a pair of calm amber eyes gazed down at him in silence.

02/

The next morning, as the moving company's truck drove away, the long-vacant villa across the street welcomed its new owner.

While preparing ingredients, Lin Yuqing grew curious and pulled open the blinds to take a distant look. The next second, the egg beater fell from his hand.

H-How could this be such a coincidence?!

From that day on, two very different lives that should never have crossed paths began to entangle and intertwine, inevitably.

A budding heartbeat, a figure sought out without thinking, the vigor of youth, a heart long parched by loneliness, a dangerous line that must never be crossed, a forbidden love that no one would accept...

Things were heading in an irreparable direction.

03/

The family went on vacation during winter break.

At the hotel, Lanlan had played herself tired and was now sleeping soundly. Her husband had drunk quite a bit of sake and collapsed onto the bed without taking off his shoes, sleeping more soundly than a dead pig.

But Lin Yuqing didn't go to bed. He put on his coat, took one last look at his husband and daughter, then quietly closed the door and slipped out of the room without a sound.

Ding. The elevator doors opened.

17, 18, 19...

As the numbers continued to rise, Lin Yuqing's heart pounded in his chest. In the half-length mirror on the back wall, his face was already flushed with an unmistakable, alluring desire.

Lowering his long lashes, Lin Yuqing pressed his lips together, wrapped his cashmere cardigan more tightly around himself, steadied his breathing, and once again braced himself for the most outrageous act of his life, which was about to happen.

Ding. The elevator doors opened again.

Dr. Liao's face appeared before him. He wore a sharply tailored black suit, his hair carefully styled, and held a large bouquet of gorgeous white roses in his arms.

"Mr. Lin." He smiled, his eyes curving. "Good evening."

04/

Outside, a torrential rainstorm raged. A bolt of lightning flashed, and the crystal chandelier inside cast a deathly pale light.

"It doesn't matter if you don't divorce him."

Liao Jincheng's smile was desolate, his dark eyes fixed firmly on the panicked Lin Yuqing.

He took a diamond ring from his pocket.

"I had someone custom-make this. It was made to be a perfect match for the one you're wearing."

Lin Yuqing's pupils trembled.

He slowly slipped the ring onto his slender ring finger, intense, frenzied love surging in his eyes.

"I'm willing to be your lover for the rest of my life."

Happy ending. Younger top, who has a secret crush on the older bottom. The top is inexperienced, the bottom is not. Later, the husband regrets everything and pursues his wife. There's a rivalry between the husband and the top.

The ABO setting is barely noticeable, so you can basically read it as a standard danmei novel.

Theme: Run toward a happy tomorrow