Out of the Mire

Older partner provides support | Love grows over time | Bittersweet at first, sweet later

[Gentle, devoted man × Adorable girl]

After years of working hard away from home, Chen Jingyan finally gets the chance to bring his mother from their hometown to live with him.

But the night before he returns home, his mother tells him she's found him a wife.

Chen Jingyan is at a loss.

The next day, when he gets home, he is astonished to discover that the wife his mother found for him is mentally disabled.

That day, he, usually so gentle and dutiful, has a huge argument with his mother.

*

On the day he sees Song Ting off, Chen Jingyan tells her to go far away and take good care of herself.

Song Ting looks at the man who once gave her warmth. She doesn't want to leave him, but she also doesn't want to become a burden to him.

In the end, they part at a bus stop.

Chen Jingyan never imagined that one day he would hold a ring and ask Song Ting if she would be his girlfriend.

Song Ting doesn't answer right away. Instead, she asks, "If I become your girlfriend, can I keep living here and stay with you forever?"

Chen Jingyan's lips twitch into a smile. "If you want to, you can keep living here and stay with me forever."

"I do," Song Ting replies with a smile.

P.S. 1. The heroine isn't truly foolish. She was traumatized as a child, and her family favored boys over girls. Her emotions were never given a chance to settle, so she comes across as a little slow.

2. Song Ting is a heroine who grows over time, but not in the way people might expect, suddenly becoming a top professional in her field after three or five years. Her growth is very slow, incredibly slow, but you'll see it. She has to climb out of the mire before she can move forward.

3. I started writing this because I came across some things before (please don't ask for details; they were just an inspiration, not based on a real person). At first, I thought it was too heavy and didn't want to write about it. But several months later, I remembered those things again, so... I began writing.

4. I hope she finds happiness, even if only in a fictional story. I hope she finds happiness beyond fiction, too.

Blurb written on 2025.5.17

Theme: Loving someone is like tending a flower