A Letter from Furong

A rugged retired officer * a sweet, fragrant hibiscus flower

Blurb: Jiang Linlang had an easy, comfortable life for twenty-one years. At twenty-two, after graduating from college, her family began pressuring her to go on blind dates.

At first she went along with it, but after meeting far too many awful candidates, she stopped going altogether.

"Langlang, your mom and I aren't trying to make you get married. We're just afraid that when we're gone, no one will look after you. Even having a child would be enough."

"So all I need is a child, right?"

Her parents thought she would obviously have to get married first, so they nodded.

Later, they found out Jiang Linlang was pregnant. The father was unknown, and she was keeping the baby without the father.

*

The eldest son of Beijing's vast Lu family returned from the military. At his welcome-home banquet, the black suit did little to hide the powerful muscles he'd built through military training. With sharp brows, dark eyes, and an imposing aura, he left the young women both thrilled and intimidated.

He found the girls who approached him uninteresting. Three years earlier, a mission had left him with psychological trauma, and he could no longer sleep peacefully, not until the night he met a soft, fragrant woman.

He slept wonderfully beside her, but the next morning, she left without a word. He had thought about looking for her, but if she'd chosen to leave, she clearly didn't want to get entangled with him.

He had no interest in the dazzling banquet and was about to leave when he looked up and saw her.

She was wearing a pale pink strapless gown, looking like a hibiscus in full bloom among the crowd.

She passed by him, and he caught the same fragrance as that night. His suppressed longing burst out from deep in his bones.

That night, the eldest young master Lu reached out to stop her. "Do you remember me?"

The hibiscus flower didn't answer, only smiling radiantly.

He repeated the words she'd used to invite him that night. "Want to sleep together tonight?"

*

Lu Feng had never planned to be with the hibiscus flower. He only treated her as a sleeping pill, until one day she got out of his bed and said she was going on a date. Jealousy and resentment rose in his heart.

Was he not big enough, or not satisfying enough for her?

Later, he learned she was married. It was his first time being the other man, and it was a novel experience.

Later still, he found out her husband had died, leaving behind twin sons. Perfect! He'd always wanted to be a stepdad.

He knew she didn't love him and had been playing with him all along. He didn't mind. It was enough that he loved her.

Theme: Break free from adversity