The Alluring Night in South City

1. If you want to trade in jade in Nancheng, Menglai State, there are three things you must never touch: Yi Wansui’s goods, Yi Wansui’s guns, and Yi Wansui’s women. There is only one woman: Qu Jiangchi. Qu Jiangchi has been the jade appraiser Yi Wansui keeps close by for three years, but everyone knows their relationship goes far beyond that of boss and employee. The Wulu River’s course has never been changed for anyone, but the Yi family estate has seen the two women’s entwined bodies melt into the night countless times, their passion hazy and intoxicating. At night, Qu Jiangchi lies on Yi Wansui’s bed, a cigarette of Yi Wansui’s between her fingers. She bends one long leg and lifts Yi Wansui’s chin with her toes, bewitching to the bone, her eyes full of tenderness. Yi Wansui reaches out and grips her ankle, pressing her thumb to the mole on her ankle bone and rubbing it slowly. Her gaze pins Qu Jiangchi down, dark and heavy. “You’re getting above yourself.” Qu Jiangchi laughs softly, her eyes and brows full of allure. “You taught me… President Yi.” 2. Yi Wansui is the president of the Menglai State Jade Merchants’ Association in southeastern Biandao Prefecture, the largest jade merchant in the entire prefecture. She controls the key routes from importing rough stones to exporting finished products. In Menglai, where all manner of powers are locked in a tangled struggle, her association is an intermediary none of them can do without. It’s all consensual, the game of adults. Qu Jiangchi has played along with Yi Wansui for three years, partly for the woman’s body, partly to secure a place to live in chaotic Nancheng. Qu Jiangchi guards her heart, warning herself not to fall into President Yi’s hazy, tender trap. But over the course of those three years, Yi Wansui has protected her more than once, murmuring as she kisses her, “You will always be mine…” Only when news arrives that Yi Wansui is about to get engaged does Qu Jiangchi understand what those words mean: How long can anyone expect to thrive on beauty alone? With a scornful laugh, Qu Jiangchi tosses the imperial-green jade ring the woman gave her into the Wulu River, then prepares to leave Menglai for China with Ruan Yue. What she doesn’t know is this: Ruili, Mandalay, and the Jiegao border crossing are crawling with lookouts. Huge bounties cover Menglai State, and the entire underworld is searching for Qu Jiangchi. That night at the Jiegao border crossing, just as Qu Jiangchi is dragged from a car, she catches a glimpse of Yi Wansui’s cold, shadowed face in the back seat beneath the blinding headlights. Desire smolders in those amber eyes as they stare straight at her. Countless boats drift across the Wulu River, searching day and night for the ring. 3. She must have been unable to bear her sorrow and resentment. Even if they meet again, they cannot ask. Her dark brows once left their mark on a spring dress. The future is uncertain; her heart breaks, and her fragrance fades. The lone pine thrives in late years, while all the other trees love the spring bloom. The Jialing River winds past Qujiang Pool; though the moon is the same, people are parted. Age gap / class gap / crossing the line of propriety / morally gray female leads A cunning, flirtatious fox, 1, x a scheming, beautiful viper, 0 *The story is told from the top’s point of view, but there is no absolute top or bottom between women. *Contains role reversal. Please don’t read if that bothers you. *The main characters are Chinese diaspora and will return to China later. *Monogamous, both leads have had no other partners. Their relationship doesn’t involve men, but there are male side characters and cannon fodder. Please don’t read if that bothers you. *Please don’t offer writing advice. Theme: Promote Chinese jade culture and cultural confidence. Learn the virtues of a gentleman like jade: benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, and purity. Honor the cultural spirit of China’s jade forebears and encourage a commitment to seeking truth, practicality, kindness, righteousness, and love for one’s hometown.