Crown of Flames

Bright and bold x Mischievous, devoted guard dog | Love and hate

1. Shi Qingzui had been working at the Zhou family's modeling agency for just two months when, one night, she forgot her phone at work. She turned back to get it and met Zhou Chengxiao in the elevator for the first time.

The Zhou family's only son had a face that was half Chinese and half Thai. He loved printed shirts and was every inch the arrogant, rebellious rich kid.

She never expected that their fleeting encounter in the elevator would lead to him clinging to her from then on.

The next day, she went to a bar with her friends. Somehow, someone invited Zhou Chengxiao along. She got drunk, and Zhou Chengxiao drove her home. The car broke down in a torrential downpour, leaving them stranded on the highway. He kissed her by force and told her he really liked her.

Shi Qingzui slapped him, then drove his car home. But he stuck to her like a bad habit she couldn't shake. Wherever she went, he followed. Fed up, Shi Qingzui snapped, "Are you a dog?"

He grinned shamelessly. "Yeah. Your dog."

2. After six months of a long-distance relationship, Zhou Chengxiao suddenly broke up with her and accused her of cheating.

Shi Qingzui: "Huh?"

At the same time, she got a text from someone else: Zhou Chengxiao treats you badly. Date me instead. I'll treat you right.

The sender was none other than Zhou Chengxiao's childhood friend, Fu Yueze.

Two months earlier, he had appeared before her in his school uniform, covered in wounds. Shi Qingzui took him home and bandaged him up.

After many twists and turns, Shi Qingzui learned that he had sabotaged her relationship. Furious, she slapped him.

There wasn't a trace of remorse in his eyes. "I only did it because I like you."

"Someone like you doesn't even understand what love is."

He dragged her back to his villa and locked her in a room, his obsession and possessiveness laid bare. "I can learn. Teach me how to love."

Note: The heroine is imperfect and grows over the course of the story. Most of the main and supporting characters aren't exactly good people. If you have high moral standards or only like perfect characters, this may not be for you.

-- Sister story, upcoming: Blood on the Gilded Cage --

The first time Wen Yuyin met Zhong Zuxiao was in a chaotic red-light district in Thailand.

The man wore an elegant white suit. Broad-shouldered and slim-waisted, he had an Eastern bone structure and Western features. There wasn't a single flaw in his face or profile.

Her instincts told her he was a charming scoundrel, so she kept her distance. He gradually drew closer, smiling as his thin lips parted. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Once they were together, he showered her with love and controlled everything she did: what she wore, what she ate, even which way she turned her face when she smiled.

Later, she saw a photograph in his study. The woman in the picture wore a white dress and looked exactly like her.

At last, she understood that Zhong Zuxiao had only ever treated her as a substitute.

From then on, she kept her heart to herself, even accepting flowers from another man right in front of him.

He didn't react. She thought their relationship was over, but one night, drunk out of his mind, he dragged her from the filming set into his car and cornered her. His veiny hand clamped around her neck.

"Wen Yuyin, you still owe me a child. Don't even think about running."

Theme: Every loss brings something in return