[Handsome Fox-Spirit Crown Prince x Sweet, Adorable Girl]
After her grandmother passed away, Cheng Jiayu had no choice but to move to Shengjing with her father.
But her father spent all his time by the Crown Prince’s side and didn’t feel safe leaving her to live alone. With the Crown Prince’s permission, he brought Cheng Jiayu to stay temporarily at the Crown Prince’s residence.
On her first day there, her father laid down three rules: “First, don’t cause trouble in the residence. Second, don’t go near the main courtyard. Third, remember not to approach His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Cheng Jiayu took her father’s words to heart and kept to herself. She stayed in her room every day, avoided contact with the people in the residence, and never entertained any improper thoughts. Each evening, she would leave through the west side gate and wait obediently beside the stone lions at the front gate for her father to finish work so they could have dinner together.
And so the Crown Prince often caught sight of the tiny figure huddled beside the stone lions. He watched her smile, watched her worry, watched her blink her big eyes and call him “Father” in her sweet little voice. His heart, quiet for so many years, stirred for a moment.
But she smiled at everyone else: the matrons, the guards, the maids. Everyone but him. With him, she always acted as if she wanted to keep him at arm’s length.
The moment she saw him, she would panic and try to hide. The bright eyes that once sparkled would grow dim, and she even started thinking about moving out of the Crown Prince’s residence.
The Crown Prince was not pleased.
Then one day, her father failed to come home for three days in a row. Uneasy, Cheng Jiayu went to ask around. Seeing her father’s disciple stammer and dodge the question, she felt her heart sink to the bottom.
After making inquiries, she learned that her father had fallen into a trap. Someone had evidence of his crime, and he had already been sent to the imperial prison.
Cheng Jiayu rushed into the main courtyard and knelt before the Crown Prince, who had always been kindhearted.
Cheng Jiayu wept bitterly. “I beg Your Highness to save my father. I am willing to do anything you ask.”
She was willing to sell herself into servitude, if only it would save her father’s life.
But the Crown Prince merely helped her to her feet and said gently, “The Crown Prince’s residence happens to need a female ceremonial attendant. If you’re willing to take the position, you can go see your father right now.”
Just as expected, Cheng Jiayu agreed at once, without hesitation.
And when no one was looking, the Crown Prince finally stopped turning the ring on his finger.
Later, Cheng Jiayu became one of the most capable people in the Eastern Palace and the leading candidate to become the Crown Prince’s steward. Even the Crown Prince once asked her to her face whether she would be willing to take charge of the residence’s household affairs.
But Cheng Jiayu’s uncle had found her a match back home. She had had enough of the scheming and intrigue in the capital, so she used the excuse of returning home to pay respects to her ancestors to bid farewell to the Crown Prince.
They thought they would never have anything to do with each other again, but two years later, they met once more in the capital.
Only this time, he would never let her escape again, no matter what.
Bonus scene:
One day, General Cheng Han was having a drink with his former master when he suddenly sighed after a few cups.
The Crown Prince asked, “General Cheng, why the sigh?”
Cheng Han replied, “My daughter’s love life has been terribly difficult. That’s why I sighed.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Han heard another sigh beside him.
Cheng Han asked, “And why are you sighing, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince replied, “My own love life has been full of twists and turns as well.”
Cheng Han looked at the Crown Prince, who was pretending to be nonchalant, and for a moment, his mind, muddled for years, suddenly cleared.
He thought he might have figured out why his girl’s love life was so difficult.
Reader’s guide:
1. A sweet romance. The heroine is adored by everyone.
2. The hero is a guiding partner. He doesn’t spoil her unconditionally, but helps her grow alongside him.
3. The hero is a fox spirit in the traditional sense: seductive and a little wicked, with a complicated mind. He even schemes against his future father-in-law. Terrifying.
4. One-on-one romance, happy ending, both leads are sexually inexperienced, with a little coercion along the way.
Revised December 19, 2025.
Theme: Be strong and brave.
