The Happy News of Divorce

Pre-release: Taming, a capricious heiress x a long-suffering adopted son. Blurb at the end~

Shortly before You Jia's divorce, an unwelcome guest suddenly moved into her home.

Her husband's cousin, Le Qi, the notorious black sheep of the family.

From that day on, You Jia sensed a cold, slick gaze clinging to her from behind.

Brazen, bold, everywhere.

-

You Jia kept her divorce a secret.

She went to Le Qi herself and gave him a stern warning:

"Stop clinging to me."

"Clinging to you?"

The man's brows arched with careless confidence. He tucked a stray lock of You Jia's hair behind her ear, his callused fingertips brushing her pale skin.

"We're family. How can you call it clinging when we're bound together for good?"

You Jia was so angry her face warmed, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

But the hands behind her back couldn't stop twisting together with excitement, trembling slightly.

-

Le Qi knew You Jia was lying to him.

He knew she was divorced.

Their lies wrapped around their desires as they tangled in secret.

The next time Le Qi chuckled and called her "sis," You Jia suddenly turned serious, her voice going cold as she laid down the rules.

"You should call me sister-in-law."

In the deep night mist, a fleeting, almost imperceptible shadow crossed Le Qi's eyes.

But his voice, brushing her ear, turned even more playful.

"Seems like you really like it that way."

He moved closer, trapping her in a dim corner of the bedroom, and bent his head to whisper to her.

His breath was scorching, dampening the little space between them.

"Sure. When do you want me to call you that?"

-

[Bonus scene]

Stealing a moment together in broad daylight.

You Jia stroked his brow, casually teasing him with a laugh.

"Your eyes are beautiful."

Le Qi's hand froze in midair. Then he deliberately closed his eyes, his breathing turning heavy.

He hated it most when You Jia complimented his eyes.

"Do you like my eyes, or the eyes I share with my brother?"

You Jia didn't care. "What's the difference? They're exactly the same."

Le Qi's eyes flew open. He squeezed You Jia's cheeks, forcing her to meet his gaze.

He bent down and bit her lip. The taste of blood spread across their mouths in an instant.

Rust-red stained those peach-blossom eyes.

"You Jia, look at me. See who I am."

"Don't ever think you can make me his stand-in."

Content warnings:

1. You Jia (jia, first tone), Le Qi (yue, fourth tone);

2. Younger man, female lead is not a virgin;

3. The female lead does not cross any lines with the male lead before her divorce. The second male lead has a larger role in the early love triangle;

4. None of the main characters are good people, and their sense of morality is practically nonexistent. The female lead especially puts her own interests first;

5. A self-indulgent work written for my own tastes. The characters' values do not represent the author's, and every element serves the plot, so please don't take it too seriously.

Here's the blurb for the upcoming Taming. Feel free to check it out on my author page if you're interested~

When Shan Gui was twelve, her father brought home a boy and told her that Nan Du would be her older brother from then on.

The boy stood with his hands at his sides, his features cool and aloof. He raised his eyes slightly, glanced over her face, then looked away.

Shan Gui clenched her fingers beneath her sleeves. She glanced at the boy's thin shirt, washed so often it had faded but was spotless, then turned halfway away and answered with just one word:

"Oh."

-

Shan Gui never called Nan Du "big brother."

Over the years, the words she said to him most often were:

"Nan Du, help me."

So he fought for her, took the blame for her, and did her homework for her, more times than he could count.

In her sophomore year of college, her father found an opened box of condoms in Shan Gui's car and confronted her in shock. Shan Gui looked at Nan Du, standing not far away, and smiled as serenely as ever. Without a sound, she mouthed:

"Help me."

Nan Du didn't hesitate. He walked straight over, pulled up the payment record from the last time he'd bought them for her and her boyfriend, and showed it to her father.

"I'm sorry, Uncle." Calm and collected, he stood half in front of her. "They're mine."

-

Later, the same kind of foil packet ended up in Nan Du's hands.

He held it between two fingers and waved it in front of Shan Gui.

"Is this the box I bought?"

Shan Gui's mind had wandered off. She couldn't think straight, and answered on instinct.

"I don't think... so."

Clouds swallowed the moon, and the last trace of light in the room disappeared in an instant.

Shan Gui lifted her face slightly, then suddenly shivered.

A faint, warm breath brushed into her ear.

"Yinyin, are you making me use one bought by another man?"

-

Content warnings:

1. Female lead is not a virgin; she has had several ex-boyfriends;

2. Not a wealthy-family background. The female lead comes from an ordinary, well-off family;

3. The leads are not on the same household register and are not blood-related. She was simply taken in and raised by his family.

Message: Live life with optimism.