(The manuscript is ready. I'll start posting once this reaches 100 saves, so please add it to your library ˃̶͈ ꇴ ˂̶͈ )
Lin Gou'er was born into a lowly life, the kind of wretched mud anyone could trample on.
Some people say you should accept your fate.
If you were born in the muck, you belong in it for the rest of your life.
But Lin Gouyu refused to accept that.
She hated the filthy mud and wanted to make something of herself.
*
At fourteen, she killed her beast of a father, a man who did nothing but drink, gamble, and visit brothels.
From then on, she made the greatest enemy of her life: Lu Chi.
At fifteen, to save her older sister, she decided to enter the palace as a servant, becoming Lin Gouyu instead of Lin Gou'er.
At seventeen, she decided to assassinate the emperor.
But something went wrong while she was taking down that bastard emperor,
and she fell into the hands of her nemesis, Lu Chi, once again.
*
Everyone knew Lu Chi as a loyal dog raised by Emperor Jianing.
He was strikingly handsome but ruthless, the perfect man for dirty work.
Lu Chi's greatest disgrace was accidentally letting a young country girl escape during that palace coup.
He staked his lifelong honor on tracking her down,
determined to capture her and have her executed by a thousand cuts.
Who could have guessed that this illiterate wild girl
would be more cunning than every bandit and pirate he had ever pursued?
This time, Lu Chi had bitten off more than he could chew. He not only chipped a tooth, but lost his heart as well.
*
Amid their life-or-death pursuit,
their relentless killing intent quietly changed into something else.
The lone wolf lowered his head; the fierce horse bowed.
Hunter and prey traded places.
At some point, that crude country girl had become the reins around his neck.
One small tug from her could control his every move.
*
In the end, Lin Gouyu still escaped.
Everyone said Lu Chi had fallen flat on his face,
and might even lose the official cap on his head this time.
Lin Gouyu also thought she had finally shaken off that persistent nemesis.
She was about to win the freedom she had always dreamed of.
*
But one morning, she opened her door
and found someone standing outside: tall, handsome,
and none other than her nemesis, Lu Chi.
Lin Gouyu instantly went on high alert.
But Lu Chi was covered in wounds and soaked through, as if he had been standing there for a long time,
as though there were no place in this vast world for him to go.
Lin Gouyu's thoughts shifted. Slowly, she loosened her grip on the weapon hidden in her sleeve.
It seemed she was just in need of a guard dog.
*
"You there, Lu. If you lower your head and beg me, I might just take you in."
Lin Gouyu reached out, lifted Lu Chi's chin, and smiled with cruel, careless amusement.
"I'll keep you as my dog."
Lu Chi looked at her for a moment, then actually lowered his head.
"Please take me in."
Only...
where Lin Gouyu couldn't see,
Lu Chi's thin lips curled into a faint smile.
Who is the hunter? Who is the prey?
Whose hand will the deer die by?
Cunning, unhinged palace maid who plots to kill the emperor vs. brilliant, scheming commander
A wily country girl takes on a handsome commander, an enemies-to-lovers couple
Blurb inspired by an upload on September 7, 2025.
Theme: Never give in.
