Tidal Wave of Tears

[Marriage First, Love Later] [Substitute Romance] Buddhist-minded host vs. distinguished man in power

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Lu Jinwei agreed to go on a blind date for his grandfather. At their first meeting, he saw his date sobbing in the rain for someone else after they parted.

He had already prepared a way to turn her down, but changed his mind.

His requirements for a future wife were simple enough: she needn't love him, and they would treat each other with respect.

Jiang Xu fit the bill.

Before getting married, the two reached an unspoken understanding.

He warned her, "Don't expect any feelings from me."

She agreed. "We each get what we need."

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Jiang Xu's impression of Lu Jinwei came mostly from magazine profiles: the heir to a wealthy family, a gentleman praised by everyone, yet aloof and heartless, decisive and ruthless in business.

Apart from the occasions they had to attend together, they kept out of each other's way.

Everyone assumed Lu Jinwei had no feelings for his wife. Even Jiang Xu thought so.

One day after they were married, Jiang Xu was covered in tears. Lu Jinwei said nothing, just drew her into his arms and let her tears soak his clothes.

The next day, Lu Jinwei went to great lengths to cheer her up. Jiang Xu couldn't help asking why he was doing all this.

His expression was calm, his eyes deep. "I don't want you to cry."

Later, Lu Jinwei learned about the person who had once made Jiang Xu cry.

In the living room late at night, Jiang Xu was held so tightly she couldn't move.

Lu Jinwei brushed away the tears at the corner of her eye and said helplessly, "Don't cry. Could you love me?"

"Could you make just a little room for me in your heart...?"

[The bond between two people begins with tears.

If tears are the culmination of sincerity and love, I hope that, for you, they mean happiness.]

My next novel, All I Can Do, is open for preorders: love at first sight + getting back together after a breakup (resilient junior employee x cold-hearted man in power / five-year age gap / Beijing social circle)

Ye Liwei first met Shen Jingtang at an airport in Madagascar.

The man was tall and composed. As he spoke with his companions, every gesture showed his noble, free-spirited bearing.

His exceptionally handsome face and broad shoulders and long legs drew many eyes, including hers.

The second time they met, Shen Jingtang paid for her meal.

She ran after him to ask for his contact information, and his friend teased, "Hey, miss, you're being way too obvious. He won't fall for it."

Shen Jingtang glanced at her, his voice amused. "If you really want to pay me back, come here tomorrow and treat me."

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Ye Liwei and Shen Jingtang shared nights of romance, and Beijing, once a foreign city where she drifted alone, became a glittering playground.

People around her warned that Shen Jingtang came from a powerful family. Men like him, born into Beijing's elite, had met too many people and would never stop for anyone.

But she walked on with him anyway, clear-eyed yet falling deeper.

Until one day at a gathering, Shen Jingtang's friends teased him, asking if he really planned to make things official with Ye Liwei. He smiled lazily. "We both want this. Why take it so seriously?"

A dream of Nanke, its splendor all gone.

Ye Liwei said goodbye with composure, taking the generous breakup settlement. "Shen Jingtang, I don't think I liked you all that much after all."

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Ye Liwei went to London. Shen Jingtang was left alone and desolate, feeling the world around him grow colder, like yellow leaves falling in autumn, withering and drained of life.

Later, as a blizzard swept over Beijing, Shen Jingtang traveled far and wide until he reached the other side of the ocean.

The weather in London was always miserable. That day, rain fell in a soft, steady patter.

Shen Jingtang looked haggard, his voice hoarse. "Weiwei, I think I love you more than I ever imagined."

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Ye Liwei's life was uneventful, but she was always short on luck. She was always one or two points short on exams, low-probability misfortunes always found her, and every road she took led to a dead end. Even the people she chose never seemed to be destined for a happy ending.

But that's all right. Life is simple enough. If I do everything I can, I won't have any regrets.

Theme: The eyes can be deceived, and so can the heart.