The Lower-Class Elite

Lan Su is the prime minister of the Federation. No one knows how many people have had the prime minister as a private lover or bedmate, and even Entertainment Weekly can't figure out how he went from a poor kid in the slums to a powerful man with immense influence. The birdcage they built for him, Lan Su saw as a ladder to the heavens. He was cold by nature, so he refused to believe their claims that he had seduced them first. It was nothing but an exchange of benefits. Call it sex for power or sex for money, whatever you like. He got what he wanted, and they got their reward. It was fair. A game of sincere affection and exploitation: whoever falls in love first loses; whoever gives their heart becomes a laughingstock. * Lan Su is indifferent to sex, but for the sake of his political future, he works hard to learn how to please powerful men and become an expert at luring them in, even though he never really gets the hang of it. He is emotionally detached, ambitious, aloof and stunning, alluring and sensual, with a beauty mark beneath the corner of his eye. Cold, ruthless, decisive, and in love, he takes whatever he wants and gives nothing back. Usually, he is restrained and abstinent. Not refusing is his way of playing along. His only weakness, perhaps, is the last trace of sincerity left in him after a life like hell. Don't ask how he can be a seducer when he doesn't know the tricks of a temptress. His face is his deadliest weapon. At first, Lan Su never meant to let them deceive him. But they were so awful: first they tricked him into going with them, then, after they'd had their fun, they begged him to give them his heart. As if that could ever happen. The love interests stop at nothing to get what they want. They seize and dominate, and they're ruthless. They're not good people. But they dote on Lan Su. A harem of rivals, a long road to redemption, a story about being loved by everyone, political scheming, and a beloved darling of the group. The setting features two political powers, the Federation and the Imperial House. Really, they go to every length to trick little Lan Su into giving them his heart, but can't bear to lose his beauty, so they resort to a few coercive measures. Overall, it's a beloved-by-everyone type of story. Theme: May you be loved, or learn to love yourself, and have a happy, warm life.