Wooden Fish in the River

[I'm constantly revising this. Pirated copies are incomplete, so please support the official version! If you read pirated copies, please don't leave comments. They only make me angry and serve no purpose. Thank you for understanding.]

Fragile little white flower x cruel young master

Please follow my author page. I'll add a bonus chapter for every hundred new followers!

/. Li Yu moved into her employer's home with her mother, who worked as a housekeeper, during her second year of high school. She transferred to the best school in the area.

The luxurious, spacious apartment spanned two floors, with a sweeping view. In the morning, she could see the river winding through the city and the landmark television tower in the first light of dawn. For the first time, Li Yu had a room of her own.

Her employers were considerate and easy to get along with, and everything was comfortable. The only trouble was their son, Jiang Jinyu. The young master had a face full of rebellious charm. In public, he acted amiable, but behind closed doors he was capricious and cruel.

They went to the same school, and he ordered her to pretend they didn't know each other. He agreed to go to school with her, but every day he made her get out of his luxury car halfway there. Her classmates laughed at her, while he walked past with a cool, indifferent expression. He would offer to tutor her, then berate her for being stupid in their shared study... Knowing they were worlds apart, Li Yu only wanted to graduate and leave. She was used to pleasing him and cautiously enduring his coldness.

On her eighteenth birthday, he celebrated with her alone. She spent the whole night crying and saying, "Jiang Jinyu, I hate you," but he didn't stop.

On graduation night, he cornered her in the study and wouldn't let her go.

"We're perfect together."

His bright eyes were fixed on her, his voice hoarse.

"Come abroad with me and keep taking care of me like this, okay?"

His hot breath brushed against her cheek.

Under his relentless, cruel caresses, she was forced to nod.

Later, Jiang Jinyu waited at the airport until nightfall for her to change her college application. The message she left was full of heartfelt thanks to his family, but she didn't leave him a single word.

/. Years later, they met again at a dinner celebrating the organization where Li Yu worked.

The man sat at the head of the table, surrounded by people currying favor with him. His frank gaze kept drifting toward her again and again. Her colleagues grew curious, and Li Yu smiled and brushed off their questions.

When she made an excuse to go to the restroom, someone forcefully cornered her in the hallway.

Jiang Jinyu clamped a hand around her wrist, gripping hard enough to make her heart skip.

"We don't know each other?" He looked at her with an almost-smile, teasing her. "You didn't say that when you kissed me and lured me in back then..."

"Li Yu is a silly little carp, but that's all right. Jinyu is her river." - From Jiang Jinyu's diary

It took Li Yu a long time to understand that his love had buoyancy. It held her up and would never let her sink.

P.S.

* The intimate relationship begins after they are adults.

* Both leads are each other's first and only partners. The heroine is good and obedient. The hero is crazy, wicked, very horny, and deeply in love. He's instinctively attracted to her. That's how they're written, so please distinguish fiction from reality. I'll say it again: distinguish fiction from reality. This is a story written purely for fun. If it's not your thing, please stop here. If you read it, don't insult me. You can insult the hero, but not the heroine.

* The title and blurb may change later, but the core story won't.

* I write part-time, and it's serious work that leaves me exhausted, so please don't leave irresponsible, baseless judgments, speculative content warnings, unsolicited writing advice, personal attacks, and so on...

* I'll update according to the rankings once the book is listed [don't worry, I'll post more than 15,000 characters a week].

* There are other completed stories on my author page. Love you all (sending hearts)~

Screenshots have been taken of every version of the blurb. Please act accordingly.

While I'm at it, check out my friend's new story, Peach Twilight [Fostered], by Ban Shu Zhima.

Cool, roguish bar owner x gentle, pure, well-behaved young woman. Fostered upbringing / age gap / celibate daddy

If it's not sweet, you don't pay!

Divider

My next story, Crossing the Line After Marriage, is available for preorder. If you like it, please add it to your collection.

Blurb:

Song Zhi's impression of You Yi was still stuck in their school days. He was arrogant and cold. Apart from his handsome face and excellent grades, he was dull in every other way. She summed him up in two words: such a poser.

And when people brought up Song Zhi, You Yi's verdict was: too proud, too smug, too full of herself.

He didn't say she was too beautiful.

Too many people had already said that.

In short, neither had a good opinion of the other, and everyone thought they couldn't stand each other.

So they never expected that their shared anxiety over their families pressuring them to marry would lead them into an unusual relationship, becoming rather absurd "fake marriage partners."

An ordinary office worker and a well-known corporate CEO, the two came from vastly different backgrounds and social standings, yet were forced together.

They were both only trying to appease their elders, and Song Zhi knew this was a relationship they were keeping up as best they could.

She never expected him not only to agree, but to take his role far too seriously.

When they met each other's parents for the first time, he put an arm around her waist. "Don't move. Mom's sneaking a look."

During a video call with the extended family, he held her hand the whole time, yet warned her, "If you blush any more, they'll all know we're faking it."

In public, he'd even hug her under the pretext of helping her put on a coat, holding her so tightly...

At the dinner table, they acted like an affectionate married couple. In bed, they kept to their own sides like a river dividing two lands.

Every so often, Song Zhi would list all the ways he was pushing his luck and reassure herself: So what if he put his arm around her waist? So what if they held hands or hugged? They had to make the act convincing, after all. That's what she said.

But gradually, she realized something was off... First, how had they kissed? Then, wait, how had they kissed again? That wasn't in the contract!

Well... she wouldn't make a fuss over it. A kiss was no big deal. She silently pulled out her phone and sent him a payment code.

Y: [?]

Song Zhi, completely unfazed: [The fine for last night: 50,000.]

Then one day, she woke up in bed with her mind still hazy. Looking at her enormous savings and the marks on her waist that wouldn't fade, she began to suspect something was wrong. Could this guy You Yi actually be serious...

Theme: May you have abundance year after year