After Faking His Death, His Best Friend Dropped the Act

Battle-scarred beauty general bottom × scheming playboy prince top

Xie Zhi, courtesy name Tingyu (bottom); Ning Xuanyue, courtesy name Jingcheng (top)

Xie Zhi was a man of outstanding bearing. After receiving an imperial order to guard the border, he served his country with unwavering loyalty, only to lose his father and elder brother in a disastrous war.

He returned to the capital with a body still recovering from grievous injuries, only to discover that he had been framed as a traitor.

And the mastermind behind it was none other than his former confidant, Prince Duan, Ning Xuanyue.

Ning Xuanyue was handsome and charming, with an easygoing nature. Though he was a prince, he often slipped out of the capital in his youth to travel far and wide.

Years ago, just after arriving on a willow-lined bank in Jiangnan, he was robbed by bandits. By chance, Xie Zhi rode past and drew his blade to rescue him.

The two hit it off at once and spent their days together in Jiangnan, until Xie Zhi enlisted and Ning Xuanyue was summoned back to the capital. They both thought there would be plenty of time to meet again, but then came the news that the Xie family had rebelled and the entire household had perished.

When Ning Xuanyue was granted an arranged marriage, Xie Zhi abducted the bride, put on the wedding robes, and used the opportunity to get close to Ning Xuanyue, hoping to uncover the truth behind Prince Duan's embezzlement of military funds.

But when Ning Xuanyue lifted his veil, he was not at all alarmed. Instead, he clasped Xie Zhi's hand and pulled him firmly into his embrace.

...This isn't going at all the way he expected, is it?

-

The first half of Ning Xuanyue's life was brilliant and dazzling, making his imperial brother wary of him. In the second half, he devoted himself to pleasure and earned the world's scorn.

No one knew that, despite seeming to have no ties to anyone, he had kept one person, Xie Zhi, in his heart and never stopped thinking of him.

But after years apart, the only news he received was: “The Xie clan has committed treason. The entire family has perished on the northern frontier.”

Ning Xuanyue was consumed by remorse and bitterness. Just as he was being forced to accept an arranged marriage, the person he had longed for day and night suddenly appeared on the wedding bed.

He had no idea why Xie Zhi was holding a gold hairpin to his throat. He only had time to think: To see Tingyu in wedding robes again, it was worth it.

Then, heedless of the hairpin piercing his skin, he clutched Xie Zhi tightly, deciding that this time, whether in life or death, he would cling to him and never let go.

But he never expected that Xie Zhi hadn't come back for an old love. He had come to settle a new score.

Xie Zhi: I don't dare trust you, but I can't bring myself to hate you either.

Ning Xuanyue: Then love me.

Later

Ning Xuanyue: If I don't play the part of a worthless prince, His Majesty won't be able to sleep at night.

Xie Zhi: You... If you keep acting this shameless, I won't get any sleep tonight!

-

Reading guide:

(1) One-on-one, both leads' first and only love, happy ending.

(2) Fictional setting, entirely made up. Don't take it seriously.

(3) Thank you all for your love and support. More comments, please! ^^

My next historical danmei novel, The Resentful Take the Bait, is available to preorder. If it sounds interesting, please add it to your favorites!

A sickly, venomous beauty bottom × a cold-blooded, deeply scheming top

Pei Qin's greatest dream was to live out his life peacefully with his mother.

Unfortunately, he was born with a face no one could forget, and his talent for poetry at the age of five made him famous in his hometown.

Unfortunately, he was the illegitimate son of the Xia emperor, conceived during one of the emperor's visits to the pleasure quarters. As a result, he became a thorn in the eyes of the empress and others, and was forced to flee from place to place with his mother.

When Pei Qin was fourteen, Prince Wei of Liang, Xiao Mingyi, conquered Xia.

Abandoned as a hostage, Pei Qin was escorted to the capital of Liang by Xiao Mingyi and made crown prince's study companion.

Pei Qin carefully navigated the capital, maneuvering among the crown prince, the Emperor of Liang, court officials, and Xia's imperial relatives. He was obedient and sensible, and knew how to charm people.

Only Xiao Mingyi was immune to his act.

He had seen Pei Qin before he came to the capital: wretched and lowly, yet still a scorpion raising its tail to sting even as it was trampled underfoot.

Xiao Mingyi sneered. “Honeyed words and a false face. Disgusting.”

Pei Qin smiled. “The prince is content to remain a fish in a pond. Such ‘generosity of spirit’ is beyond my humble self.”

-

Xiao Mingyi was the emperor's youngest brother, gifted and brilliant. The Qinglian Sect, a powerful religious order in Liang, regarded him as a divine child, so he was kept far from the imperial palace and court from a young age.

That continued until the emperor personally led a campaign against Xia and was captured, throwing the court and country into turmoil.

Xiao Mingyi used the opportunity to leave the Qinglian Sect, won glorious victories, and brought the emperor back to the capital. But from then on, the emperor “kept” him in the capital, forbidding him to leave.

With nothing to occupy him, Xiao Mingyi found his curiosity piqued by Pei Qin, that false, fawning scorpion.

He wanted to see how long this beauty, scorned and coveted by everyone, could keep up the act.

But as he watched, his feelings gradually took a different turn

Xiao Mingyi: This scorpion is charming to everyone. Why does he refuse to show me a pleasant face?

And so the words came true.

On a dark, windy night, cold rain soaked them to the skin. Pei Qin pushed aside his drenched clothes, revealing a knife wound at his waist. “Prince Wei, save me.”

Xiao Mingyi took him back to his manor, thinking: If the scorpion willingly takes the bait, he can't blame me.

Unbeknownst to him, Pei Qin was thinking: Those who wish to be caught take the bait.

-

Pei Qin, courtesy name Hongyu (bottom) × Xiao Mingyi, courtesy name Yunyan (top)

Theme: Though the world may wrong me, I will not wrong its people.