[Underworld and high society | Marriage first, love later | Older man, power imbalance | Kept-woman marriage]
1. Jian Shuyu never imagined her fiance would use her as a bargaining chip, offering her to the underworld as part of a deal.
She thought she'd be disposed of. Instead, Shen Jingchuan showed up in person that day.
The Shen Jingchuan of rumor came from a prestigious family, yet operated outside the law. He commanded underground capital and private security forces, and kept order in the shadowy world of high finance. He never appeared in public.
She hadn't expected him to be so beautiful, like the lingering image of an ancient goddess, sealed between colored glass and gold leaf. He was beautiful as a matter of faith, too sacred to profane.
And yet, there he was in the filthiest of underground haunts,
with smoke and oppression filling the room. He had descended from his altar, and no one dared look him in the eye. Instinctively, they lowered their heads.
Her arrogant fiance dropped to his knees and trembled, calling him Uncle.
Her uncle-in-law glanced at him and said coolly, "You've taken things too far."
2. She always thought he'd married her just to punish his "good nephew," so she was respectful and obedient, never once trying to get close to him.
Until one day, when she coughed in the hallway and looked up to see him approaching. He draped his coat over her shoulders and said in his cool voice,
"I protected you because you begged for your life. I didn't save you so you could throw it away."
3. Jian Shuyu's birthday was also the anniversary of her father's death.
She said she'd never made a wish before because she didn't believe there were gods in this world, but now she wanted to make one: "I hope everyone I love can be happy."
After saying it, she secretly glanced at him, only to find him looking at her too.
"Your wish has come true," he said. "The person I love has already made me very happy."
4. The first time he saw her was at her high school graduation.
She sat quietly among the crowd, like a beautiful decoration, fair and fragile.
The second time was at her father's funeral. She knelt in the rain, the corners of her eyes red, yet not a single tear fell.
He shouldn't have remembered her for so long, but somehow he couldn't forget.
"Her voice is so soft, and yet I hear it most clearly."
"She can say anything she wants in this life, but she can't say she doesn't want me."
[Reader's Guide]
1. A down-on-her-luck canary, gentle on the outside but strong within × a supreme hunter with godlike beauty
2. A wealthy-family main plot. The male lead is a little unwell, and only the female lead can ease his condition. He's celibate at first, but later gets very passionate.
3. The female lead is Jian Shuyu, nicknamed Zhiwei. Her name comes from the I Ching phrase "A wise person understands the subtle signs and sees their significance." Her father hoped she would be clever and perceptive, able to read people's hearts and know where to draw the line.
Theme: Love gives us a reason to seek the right path.
