1. Snow in a silver bowl
His gentleness, like a gentle breeze, touches the heart.
Spoiling Her
April 14, 2023 / Taoyu
First release
Chapter 1
Spring is in full bloom in Shanghai this year.
Located on Huashan Road, Shang Mansion boasts a private garden adorned with vibrant weeping crabapple and magnolia trees.
The well-arranged early cherry blossoms and two varieties further enhance the rich and varied color gradient, filling the entire traditional Chinese manor with the fragrance of spring.
Aunt Hui pushed open the door to Shangxin's warm bedroom, and the fragrance of flowers and birdsong from the courtyard rushed in.
"My dear Miss Nuan Nuan, it's already noon, why aren't you up yet?"
Upon hearing the sound, Shang Xinuan frowned and turned over.
She is currently a graduating senior in the Literature Department at Shanghai University, and just received master's offers from Peking University and Cambridge University at the beginning of the month. This is undoubtedly a safe haven for any senior student.
At the same time, her graduation thesis was like a sharpened dagger, and she had to bear the sharp blade overhead, starting a routine of sleeping at three in the morning and waking up at noon.
Aunt Hui closed the door and used the remote to open the tightly closed curtains in the bedroom, instantly illuminating the light beige room with natural light.
Shang Xinuan lay on her side, revealing half of her back. Her slender yet fleshy porcelain-white skin shone with a soft, delicate, and jade-like luster.
Her long, straight, tea-brown hair was as smooth as silk, and the gold and jade Maitreya Buddha necklace around her neck lay on the brocade, her smile amiable.
Shang Xinuan was finally forcibly awakened by the spring sunshine. She reluctantly opened her eyes and asked indistinctly, "Has Grandpa come back?"
“Chairman Shang went to Yijing early this morning, and he probably won’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.” Aunt Hui saw her sit up before going to the bedside to pick up the documents and computer scattered on the carpet. “Then you go wash up first, and I’ll go prepare the dining table.”
"good."
Aunt Hui had just left when Shang Xinuan's phone, which was on the bedside table, rang again. She picked it up, pressed the answer button, and heard a sweet voice on the other end, tinged with eager excitement:
"Why did it take you so long to answer my call? Did you even look at the link I sent you?"
Shang Xinuan turned on the speakerphone, tossed her phone aside, and replied listlessly, "Sister, if I'm not mistaken, it's six in the morning in Florence, right? Did you just get up, or are you still awake?"
"Isn't it perfectly normal for fashion design students to work through the night on their graduation projects?" Qiao Xi argued vehemently.
Shang Xinuan sighed and said dejectedly to Qiao Xi, "Sleep at four and get up at six, even the King of Hell will praise your good health."
"I even call the King of Hell my best buddy!" Qiao Xi retorted, urging her, "Miss, quickly look at the link I sent you, it'll make you wake up quickly."
After hanging up the phone, Shang Xinuan saw the latest Shanghai financial news push from Qiao Xi, sent three hours earlier: [Li's Group wins bids again, narrowly defeating Feng's Group to secure a family-friendly resort project in Shanghai]
The financial reporter first introduced that Li Xiran was appointed as the chairman of the Li Group four years ago in a time of crisis. At that time, the Li Group, which made its fortune in real estate, was in turmoil and on the verge of collapse due to the rapid shrinkage of the industry.
Since taking office, he has quickly expanded his focus from single-line residential buildings to commercial shopping malls, office buildings, hotels, industrial technology parks, high-end clubs, sports clubs, and even schools, hospitals, agriculture, and government landmark buildings, all of which have corresponding strategic plans.
This family-friendly resort in Shanghai is one of the most anticipated projects in recent years.
Almost every group in the industry, large and small, involved in real estate, tourism, and catering participated in the bidding. Li Xiran, leveraging the Li family's comprehensive and outstanding achievements, won this highly sought-after project.
Then, a financial interview video automatically played, showing Li Xiran sitting face-to-face with the financial reporter on a leather sofa.
The reporter has interviewed many outstanding business leaders in the industry, but Li Xiran is definitely the youngest one he has ever interviewed.
At only thirty-two years old and with only four years in power, he had enough achievements to fill two entire sections of the financial team's performance report.
This person in an absolute high position, dressed in a dark Ralph Lauren bespoke suit, exuded a mature and reserved elite aura, making the entire recording studio seem like his own domain.
The reporter stared directly at Li Xiran's strikingly British-mixed features, especially his eyes, which resembled solidified amber set within emerald jade—deep, mysterious, and gentle.
He casually leaned against the back of the sofa, his two well-defined hands interlacing their fingers, revealing a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. From the way he raised his hand, one could also vaguely see a string of dark blue-green decorative English tattoos under the wristband.
He first asked Li Xiran a few questions about the resort project, and then went off-script to ask a question that involved his private marital and romantic relationships.
"As we all know, Chairman Li is still unmarried and single. Many people are curious about what kind of girl Chairman Li would like?" The question is harmless, but it effectively generates online clicks.
The video was instantly flooded with comments from netizens:
[Li Xiran, a rising star in Shanghai's business community, not only comes from a privileged background but also holds a master's degree from MIT. Employees of the Li Group say he has an incredibly gentle personality; any girl who is favored by Chairman Li must be exceptionally lucky.]
As someone in the finance industry, I'd like to share my perspective on Li Xiran from an insider's point of view.
[It's well known that Beijing values social circles, while Shanghai emphasizes seniority. When Li Xiran took over the Li Group four years ago, he wasn't well-regarded; many thought his mild personality wouldn't be able to handle the company's precarious situation. However, he distinguished himself through his gentle yet firm business acumen, winning over the many arrogant and senior figures in the old Shanghai business community.]
The current president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, Shang Zun, is grooming him to be the next president.
[Let me summarize for you: He's an elegant and composed gentleman! He's also a capable and resourceful business leader!]
Faced with the unannounced question, Li Xiran nodded as if he had thought of something. He then let out a low laugh and said, "I am not one to speak ambiguously, but there is indeed no definite answer yet."
"But I think that girl will make me feel insecure and unable to control myself."
After answering the question, Li Xiran looked at the camera with gentle eyes.
At that moment, his gaze seemed to pierce through the screen and land on Shang Xinuan's slightly flushed cheeks.
Even after the interview video ended and froze, she was still immersed in Li Xiran's gentle demeanor on the screen.
It was Qiao Xi calling again, pulling her back to reality. "Isn't my uncle handsome?!"
Qiao Xi's mother is Li Xiran's cousin, so according to seniority, she calls him uncle.
Shang Xinuan called Li Xiran "uncle" because Li Xiran was her maternal grandfather's student.
“Yes, Uncle Li is certainly handsome.” Shang Xinuan bit her lip. Even though there was a six-hour time difference between her and Qiao Xi, she still felt a sense of shyness and excitement from her.
"Then wouldn't our young lady like it even more?" Qiao Xi teased her.
It's common knowledge among those close to Shang Xinuan that she likes Li Xiran.
Shang Xinuan first met Li Xiran shortly before the college entrance examination.
She remembered that the spring sunshine that day was exceptionally warm, making the man sitting upright in the garden appear almost otherworldly, and also calming her temper after she had been feeling restless from her studies.
In spring, pavilions and flower terraces adorn the landscape.
She was wearing a blue-green floral print sundress, with her hair in braids and no makeup, and even had a triangular scarf of the same color tied around her round little head.
She appeared to be preparing for the college entrance exam at home while also being at Paris Fashion Week.
When their eyes met, Shang Xinuan heard a strange heartbeat for the first time in her life.
Like a deer lost in the forest, encountering a solitary crane in the clouds.
"You're the tutor my grandfather hired for me?" Miss Shang lied through her teeth, clearly having come on her grandfather's orders, but now that she saw the person, she didn't want to be polite anymore.
The man put down his teacup, his eyes calm and gentle as he looked at her. "No, but what are the benefits if I tutor you?"
The young lady wasn't coy at all. She immediately took out a past Shanghai college entrance exam paper from behind her back and spread it in front of him. "I don't know any of it. If you teach me, you'll see what the benefits are."
That day, she deliberately made Li Xiran explain a very simple question over and over again, just so that her grandfather, who was standing on the second floor, could see it.
And Li Xiran did not disappoint her intention to help, remaining generous, proper, gentle and patient throughout.
As she saw him off, the young lady clasped her hands behind her back, her fingers twisting painfully, but still spoke in a haughty tone: "I'm very satisfied with your upbringing. Remember to be available whenever I call you from now on!"
Li Xiran stopped and bent down to look her in the eye. "Miss Shang has helped me so much. I will help you solve any problems you may have in the future."
She watched Li Xiran get into the car, waved to her, and finally disappeared around the corner of Huashan Road.
That 18-year-old, who was in a state of chaos due to the college entrance examination, was stirred by a sudden feeling one morning. Like the first rain of spring, it came quickly with the wind and landed on the calm and silent lake of her heart, silently stirring up ripples.
"Why aren't you answering me?" Qiao Xi asked, noticing Shang Xinuan's silence.
Pulling herself out of her distant memories, Miss Shang, unusually shy, asked softly, "Xixi, do you think Uncle likes me?"
Qiao Xi bit her lip, recalling the daily life Li Xiran spent with her best friend.
In her memory, her uncle was gentle and cultured, and while he was approachable to everyone, he was also restrained and distant.
Her best friend is the apple of her family's eye; she's usually bright and obedient, but when she gets stubborn, she can be spoiled and difficult to appease.
From any perspective, the two are from different worlds.
But Li Xiran would travel thousands of miles to Yijing, where land is incredibly expensive, to make it possible for Shang Xinuan, who couldn't get a private horse farm from her maternal grandfather.
Despite being someone who hates trouble the most, she still goes to great lengths to please people by using all sorts of tricks on the Shangxi radiator.
Even the usually mild-mannered man lost his temper for the first time in public because someone spoke rudely to Shang Xinuan.
However, if we talk about favoritism, these minor details are also intertwined with family affection and the older generation's indulgence and compatibility with the younger generation.
"You know. My uncle seems gentle and easy to get along with, caring for his employees and the community. He's a big boss without any airs. But in reality, he's very deep and cunning. Ordinary people can't fathom his mind at all."
Li Xiran is a typical high-ranking person, a mature businessman, who appears gentle and easygoing, but is actually aloof and indifferent.
"So, it's no use no matter how much I like it..." The young lady's voice couldn't help but sound dejected.
“But I heard that it’s all over Shanghai that your uncle wants to get engaged to you after you graduate from university,” Qiao Xi muttered. “They also said that he was personally chosen by Grandpa Shangzun as his successor, and naturally, he was also chosen as the son-in-law for his most beloved granddaughter.”
Shang Xinuan flopped onto the bed and replied in a muffled voice, "If it were true, Grandpa would have sounded out me long ago."
"Has Grandpa Shangzun done anything unusual lately?"
"Oh! There really is one. My grandfather renovated the Greentown Jade Garden that my mother left me, and now all that's left is to choose furniture for the living room and bedroom."
"Isn't Greentown Jade Garden in the Lupu Financial District right next to Uncle's Wan Palace No. 1?" Qiao Xi exclaimed. "My mother told me that Uncle's Wan Palace No. 1 was completely demolished at the beginning of the year. At the fastest renovation speed of two years, that's exactly the time it takes for you to graduate with a master's degree!"
“...”
"Auntie!" Before Shang Xinuan could react, Qiao Xi preemptively struck.
"Qiao Xixi, don't fabricate such a false illusion for me. You know I can't bear the truth," the young lady said with her last shred of reason.
After a moment of laughter, Qiao Xi calmed down and said to her, "Nuan Nuan, you know about your uncle's background. Even if Grandpa Shang Zun is willing to part with him, my Grandma Shao Yi is not an easy mother-in-law to get along with."
Shang Xin rested her chin on her hand, and those old memories began to flood her mind. "I believe in my uncle, and I believe in myself."
Qiao Xi then let out a sudden laugh, "That's all for the future. The most important thing right now is to find out if my uncle has feelings for you."
"Is there any good way?"
Qiao Xi deliberately lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "To see if a man has you in his heart, you have to see if he is willing to give you his most precious things. For example, the money of a poor man, the profit of a merchant, and the favor of a god."
“My uncle is not short of money or power. So many socialites in Shanghai like him, and he is not short of love either. But since he took over the Li family business, he has not rested for a single day. It is obvious that what he lacks most is time.”
"So, to see if my uncle has someone in his heart, just see if he's willing to accompany you. Greentown Jade Garden is still missing a few pieces of furniture, right? Ask your uncle to go with you to choose them."
"Is this a good idea? Won't it disturb my uncle's work?" Shang Xinuan was already tempted, but she still had some concerns.
"Don't worry, my uncle's board office is a well-known time management master, and he knows best how to plan work. As long as my uncle is willing, he has a whole team to pave the way for you."
Upon hearing this, Shang Xinuan hung up the phone with Qiao Xi, steeled her resolve, and opened the chat box at the very bottom of the chat list.
She had saved Li Xiran's name in her contacts, and his profile picture was a photo she had secretly taken of Li Xiran and his grandfather sitting in a tea room enjoying tea.
Against a backdrop of verdant Zen-like greenery, a man of exceptional stature stands holding a delicate porcelain covered bowl carved with magnolia blossoms. The moment the shutter clicks, Li Xiran happens to look at her, his eyes filled with a tenderness like still spring water, gently touching the heart.
It was on that occasion that Li Xiran took the initiative to add her on WeChat, and he never changed his profile picture in the four years since.
[Silver Bowl Filled with Snow: Uncle, do you have time this afternoon?]
After sending it, Shang Xinuan immediately took a screenshot and sent it to "Qiao Xi".
[Silver Bowl Filled with Snow: Waiting for my uncle's reply.]
[Silver Bowl Filled with Snow: My uncle uses a photo I took as his profile picture. It's so gentle, the more you look at it, the more your heart melts!]
[Silver Bowl Filled with Snow: Could you help me choose which dress is more suitable for my date with my uncle...?]
About half a minute passed, but she still hadn't received a WeChat notification.
The young lady couldn't wait any longer and prepared to make a phone call to Qiao Xi.
But the moment she picked up her phone, she noticed that the message on the contact page read "Uncle Li" in big letters.
When Shang Xinuan looked at the chat interface again, the phone screen had become white and blurry, but Li Xiran's smiling profile picture was becoming clearer.
At that moment, she seemed to see Li Xiran behind the screen.
Even his smile gradually turned into a half-smile, with a scrutinizing look.
Shang Xin's throat began to tighten, and a burning pain spread from her cheeks to her ears.
She bit her lip tightly, her fingertips trembling as she selected the messages that should have been sent to Qiao Xi.
Then click: [Withdraw].
The bedroom was so quiet you could hear the falling petals.
The girl, who was just moments ago as fair as milk, turned as red as a ripe peach the moment she frowned.
The upright strands of hair seemed to be filled with shame and embarrassment.
But a minute passed and she still hadn't received a reply from Li Xiran.
Even the frantic little deer began to harbor a sliver of hope: perhaps Li Xiran hadn't seen those words...
Yes! He definitely didn't see it!
Shang Xin said firmly.
But just as she calmed her embarrassed heart, a bright red dot flashed across Li Xiran's profile picture.
Uncle Li: I have time.
He only replied to the first message.
Shang Xinuan blinked, now basically confirming that Li Xiran had indeed not seen the message she had mistakenly sent.
Immediately following was a voice message, which Shang Xinuan opened without any warning.
Her gentle voice was magnetic, like a lingering breeze.
He said, "The first dress is more suitable for a date."
A note from the author:
This spring, Uncle Li and his beloved little magnolia tree kept everyone company...
As is customary at the beginning, here's a minefield warning sign:
Regarding their relationship: Uncle and Nuannuan are ten years apart in age, both are each other's first love, and have no prior romantic experience.
Special note: Uncle is 32 years old and has no romantic experience. This is only related to his upbringing. He is in good health, so please rest assured, dear readers! However, due to plot-related matters, Peach cannot reveal too much.
Regarding family hierarchy: Li Xiran is Nuannuan's maternal grandfather's student and a business acquaintance of Nuannuan's maternal uncle, so he needs to be addressed as "uncle" according to family seniority. This will also become a little bit of a fantasy later on, hehe~
Regarding the character settings: a gentle older man and a spoiled heiress. The uncle's gentleness is a natural expression of his personality and upbringing, but also a result of his carefully cultivated interpersonal skills. Therefore, his gentleness towards friends is friendly and tolerant, while his gentleness towards enemies is like a slow, insidious attack. Towards Nuannuan, it's boundless pampering: "I know all your flaws, but that doesn't stop me from loving you." Nuannuan's spoiled nature is merely the coquettishness of a young girl, the coquettishness of someone pampered by her whole family. Occasionally, when she feels insecure, she uses this coquettishness as a strategic retreat.
The text includes descriptions of manor courtyards, clothing, and luxury goods; example images can be found on Peach's blog @桃屿不止有点甜.
Now, the story begins...
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My next book to be published is "Wild Crow Camellia".
Wealthy young master X female college student
Long-awaited reunion X Broken mirror mended
1.
Lin Yujing's teenage years were filled with love letters, paint, and poverty.
In his senior year of high school, in order to pay for the high cost of training for art exams, he shamelessly agreed to help a powerful figure in Beijing find his son.
In Penghu, a town known as a paradise for art exam takers, she stayed at the home of a gentle and reserved young man.
At first, the boy did not react to her subtle flirting.
Later, on a hot night filled with the chirping of cicadas, she would place her feet under the table on the boy's lap.
Anyone who looks down can see Chen Jingshu ambiguously caressing her ankle.
It was just a heart-fluttering story of youth, which ended with the girl's disdainful and indifferent remark: "I like Chen Jingshu from the Chen family of Yijing, not Chen Jingshu from Pengzhen No. 1 Middle School."
On a stormy night, the boy's fist missed her cheek and landed on the old locust tree. He roared fiercely, "Get out, and don't let me see you again."
2.
Lin Yujing met Chen Jingshu again at a business investment reception in Yijing.
At that time, he was already Chen Jiagui's sole and unspoken heir, while she was just a student representing the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University to solicit investment.
Given their vastly different social statuses, Lin Yujing didn't even dare to entertain the thought of humiliating herself.
Just as she was being relentlessly harassed, Chen Jingshu suddenly appeared.
"I'll give you one minute to convince me." The man's tone was icy.
Having long since toned down her boisterous nature, she became somewhat cautious, saying, "My project to protect endangered animals..."
"Jingjing, you should know what I'm interested in." Chen Jingshu's eyes were red, as if suppressing surging hatred, or as if unable to dissipate love.
After that night, the news spread throughout the elite circles of Beijing that Chen Jingpeng had kept a beautiful female con artist by his side.
At first, everyone thought that Young Master Chen was a gentleman who would take revenge even after ten years, but later they watched as he poured all kinds of resources into Lin Yujing.
They held an art exhibition for her at Yintai Centre and even set up a personal studio for her outside Hepingmen, where land is extremely valuable.
My friend joked, "Young master, your method of retaliation is quite clever. First, you lift someone up high, then you throw them down hard."
The man looked tenderly at the person walking towards him and pondered, "The person I support is not someone who will fall."
Forget about the phrase "destined to meet but not to be together." If you just nod, I have the power to unleash a torrent of emotions. — Chen Jingshu
Reading Guide:
1. SC, 1V1, clean everywhere!
2. The school period is presented in flashbacks and is not very long.
3. The "Beijing-Shanghai-Hong Kong-Suzhou Rich Family Series"—Sweet Romance Novels set
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