The Substitute

I Made Myself a Substitute, and From Then On I Dared Not Ask About Love

My name is A Ruo, and I am the leading courtesan of this Green Tower. I have no memories of my past. Ever since Mother brought me here, my life has been confined to this little red-light district. Everyone says I was born beautiful, that even the hibiscus pales beside my faintest smile. Countless young men present me with silver hairpins and say, “I adore you.”