He's Really a Scumbag Top

--

"There's a secret everyone in Beijing's circle of the rich knows.

I love Jiang Yancheng more than life itself.

But I play big.

The aloof designer, the arrogant tycoon, the wolfish celebrity, the loyal dark-skinned puppy... I love them all.

There's only one rule: Don't let it get back to Jiang Yancheng."

Yun Canglan was Beijing's playboy prince, born into a prominent family. Impossibly handsome and charming, he drifted from one lover to the next, his foxlike eyes capturing countless hearts.

But even the flirtatious Mr. Yun had one rule he never broke:

Jiang Yancheng.

He and Jiang Yancheng had been a couple since they were young, and their bond ran deep. Mr. Yun kept him hidden away and cherished him, never letting the filth of their social circle bother his husband.

The flirtatious Mr. Yun had lovers everywhere, but he always came home for dinner.

That man would always hold a place in his heart, enjoying the one-of-a-kind love of the rakish Mr. Yun.

They say Mr. Yun once had a lover who thought he was special and tried to force his way into the marriage. But after that lover said something offensive about the one dearest to Yun Canglan, he was promptly cast aside. All his connections and resources were taken away, and his status plummeted. He was left so destitute he could barely get by in Beijing.

So everyone knew that Mr. Yun loved his husband deeply.

A rake might be fickle, but his one and only love had already been given to that man.

--

Jiang Yancheng was a perfect man.

He never fought or competed, never got jealous or resentful. Always gentle and aloof, he handled everything perfectly and tolerated his husband's philandering, as if he had no emotions at all.

--Because he didn't exist.

Yun Canglan had been a flirt since he was young, forever surrounded by lovers. Over the years, more than one of his exes had tried to slap him, though he had dodged every time.

Those men wanted a real commitment. They wanted marriage, love, to be boyfriends, to have his undivided attention forever, instead of being nothing more than lovers.

Each one more greedy than the last.

Whenever Yun Canglan sensed them crossing the line, he would promptly end things. He hated emotional entanglements. Lovers were much better: each got what they wanted, and they knew their place.

He only wanted to fill the chasm of his desire. He never wanted love.

He would calmly break up with them as they stared at him in disbelief, their eyes reddening. They always got furious or questioned him in anguished, hoarse voices.

"What did our time together mean to you? Did you never love me, not even a little? Did you never feel anything for me?"

...No.

Then, while calling him a scumbag and falling apart in pain, they would try to slap him like people did in TV dramas.

Mr. Yun would catch their wrists and give an almost inaudible sigh.

They all knew he had no heart. He had made it clear from the start, and they'd agreed to keep things within bounds and be lovers, nothing more.

What Yun Canglan didn't know was that he was an abyss, alluring and corrupting, yet capable of loving deeply. People would always fly toward him like moths to a flame, burning themselves to ashes.

After another breakup that nearly ended with him getting slapped, Yun Canglan held a cigarette between his fingers and narrowed his eyes as smoke curled around him.

He thought that if he kept breaking up with people like this, one day a slap really would land on his face.

To keep his handsome face from getting hit someday, and to stamp out any thoughts his lovers might have of crossing the line in the future,

Mr. Yun simply announced that he was married.

He invented the perfect, untouchable spouse. After reading plenty of stories about scumbags pursuing their wives after losing them, he was especially delighted by the line, "I love XX more than life itself, but I play big." His foxlike eyes narrowed with amusement.

--That was exactly the scumbag persona he wanted.

The once irresistible Mr. Yun got married overnight, repeatedly declaring his one-of-a-kind love for his spouse, a love so grand it was supposedly too much for anyone else to bear.

And so the unmarried Mr. Yun became a married man in the blink of an eye, transforming from a playboy top into the world's most spectacular scumbag.

Married scumbag: buff fully stacked.

He was convinced he would find lovers who suited him, who knew their place and were content with getting what they wanted.

...And who wouldn't try to slap his handsome face after he dumped them and cut off contact.

--

Just as life was carrying on as usual, with an aloof designer pining for him day and night, a wolfish celebrity hinting at a confession in his new song, and an arrogant tycoon who hated him but couldn't resist their love-hate rivalry, challenging him to a fight at the boxing gym,

A man returned to the country.

The man wore a white trench coat. His handsome, cool features were calm, with the hint of an almost imperceptible smile. He pushed up his glasses with one fingertip, then extended a long, pale hand.

His expression was restrained and composed, and his voice low and unhurried.

"Hello, Mr. Yun."

"...My name is Jiang Yancheng."

He paused, drawing out the last syllable with a trace of malice as he narrowed his eyes and stressed the words.

"Your husband, Jiang Yancheng, whom you love more than life itself."

No.

Why had nobody told him there was actually a man in this world named Jiang Yancheng?!

--

He had no idea how much he inspired greed and longing in others.

They would keep coming closer like moths to a flame, growing crazier with desire, wanting more and more of what they could never have. Thorns would coil around the clouds, and they would gladly endure the pain.

They would fall into the abyss, then claw their way out of hell and cling to the fox's ankle.

1. A seductive, foxlike, flirtatious top, warm on the outside and cold within, adored by everyone. A tangled love rivalry.

2. All the bottoms are miners. Some people will try to become mistresses, creating fake love-triangle drama. Unhinged, gloomy men crawl everywhere, each darker than the last.

3. I don't want you getting drunk alone in the dead of night. I don't want other men to see your charms. You should know that would break my heart.

Theme: dd