A Match Made by Stealing a Friend

Stealing someone else's partner / Love and hate / Enemies to lovers / Female-centric / The woman hurts the man

A wily, sharp-tongued brothel madam with a clever streak vs. an arrogant, sharp-tongued, love-struck censor

This is a story that seems to be about scheming to steal someone else's partner and climb the social ladder, but is really about getting thoroughly devoured and dragged down from his lofty perch.

A bolt of heavenly lightning gouges a deep pit into Zhang Shunqing's smooth road to success, and brings him a female demon to boot.

She is Xu Mingke's lover, kept in a brothel by his good friend. Sharp-tongued and merciless, she never spares anyone her biting remarks.

At their first meeting, she infuriates him to no end, and he even catches the two of them in the middle of an intimate encounter in a dimly lit carriage.

Heartbroken to see his once elegant, moon-bright friend sink so low, Zhang Shunqing decides that this woman is a disastrous beauty and certainly no good.

Time and again, she uses Xu Mingke to help her sister elope, get a suspect out of trouble, and lead Zhang Shunqing in circles.

To keep his friend from getting burned, Zhang Shunqing resolves to play the role of Fahai: he will not rest until he breaks up the couple.

Later, he finally succeeds in ruining Xu Mingke's match.

But when his friend confronts him, Zhang Shunqing finds himself unable to meet his eyes.

The lingering warmth of a touch at his fingertips comes back to him. For the first time in his life, Zhang Shunqing tastes guilt.

*

Forced into a life of prostitution after her family fell into ruin, Fu Yun is determined to escape this hellhole that devours people without a trace and avenge her family, who died unjustly.

Before a chance to escape presents itself, she needs to find a powerful protector to fend off the rotten matches her madam keeps trying to force on her.

Xu Mingke, the legitimate son of a Duke's household, is handsome, well-born, and decent. He is perfect as her steady, loving lover.

But an interloper appears out of nowhere, determined to ruin her match and punish her for harboring a criminal.

If he dares to stand in her way, she will just have to remove this obstacle.

And when she learns he is the son of the Grand Chancellor and a close aide to the emperor, Fu Yun suddenly decides that an obstacle might make a fine stepping stone.

This cold-faced censor, who prides himself on his uprightness, sneers that she is deluded if she thinks she can marry into a powerful family, yet his gaze grows deeper and more inscrutable by the day.

Fu Yun cannot help but rejoice. If a lofty branch has offered itself to her, why should she refuse it?

What's more, this lofty branch does everything just right for her: he takes the initiative to end her complicated engagement and is even willing to help her leave the brothel and enter officialdom, guiding her step by step toward her enemies.

Fu Yun could laugh herself awake from her dreams, but she cannot help worrying about him too. When the day comes that she turns her blade on him, will Censor Zhang, who stole his friend's match, regret what he did?

Reading Tips:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first relationship, happy ending.

2. The plot and romance are split evenly. The first four chapters focus on the plot; the leads cross paths in Chapter Five, and the love-hate dynamic begins.

3. The heroine is skilled in divination and astrology. She is clear-headed and rational, never ruled by emotion, and every step of her plan is for revenge.

4. The hero is a master of verbal sparring, always either delivering a face-slapping comeback or on his way to one.

The following new novel is currently being serialized: My Cousin Is Hard to Win Over

Living under someone else's roof / Male and female rivals competing / Reunited after a breakup / The ex pursues her after losing her

A cousin who seems aloof but is warm inside, a heartthrob loved by all vs. a cousin who seems to guide her but is really seducing her

The day Jiang Chunzhi sought refuge at the Marquis's estate, the household was in turmoil. A scandal had yet to die down, and in a fit of anger, the family matriarch wanted to send all the young female cousins away.

Her parents were both dead, she had no money, and she still had three years of mourning and a six-year-old younger sister to care for. Her situation was dire, and she had to tread carefully.

Her beloved was no princely ideal, and marriage was out of the question. So she decided to focus on making money, hoping to save enough to stop living under someone else's roof.

Fortunately, the young Marquis Cui Yijian looked out for her and helped her manage her storybook business, leaving her with money to spare.

He also treated her and her cousin equally, finding each of them a suitable husband. Once their mourning period ended, they would both be free to marry and pursue a happy future.

Everything was going well, until the night of the Lantern Festival.

She was drugged with an aphrodisiac and lost consciousness. When she woke, she was in Cui Yijian's arms, his wanton caresses making her feel as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.

He was the official's chosen son-in-law, betrothed to Princess Yaohua, whose beauty was renowned throughout the land. He had a marriage everyone envied.

She did not understand why he insisted on keeping her by his side.

*

If everything had gone as usual, Cui Yijian would probably have become a couple in name only with Princess Yaohua, treating each other with respect, each getting what they wanted, and growing old together.

Later, if he fell in love with someone, he would keep her in an outer residence and provide her with fine clothes and food. He could give her everything except a title.

But the day he personally brought Jiang Chunzhi and her younger sister into the Marquis's estate, his whole life was thrown into disarray.

Jiang Chunzhi valued a legitimate title above all else and dismissed all his attempts to win her favor.

Men and women alike were lining up from the Bian River to the city gates, all eager to offer her the position of principal wife. He was the one person who could not give it to her.

Personally choosing a husband for her and giving her a generous dowry when she married would be a way to let her go and make her happy.

Until the night of the Lantern Festival, when she stumbled out of Yaohua's room, clothes in disarray and mind clouded, and fell straight into his arms.

He looked provocatively at Yaohua, furious nearby, and wantonly ground his lips against hers.

Let her go? Never.

*

At last, he had removed every rival who coveted her, using every means at his disposal. But one mistaken choice made him lose her completely, and from then on, he searched high and low without ever finding her.

Years later, he led a campaign in the southwest. On the day he returned in triumph, with crowds lining the streets, he spotted her in the throng at a glance.

Her black hair was styled in a married woman's bun. A man beside her adjusted her cloak, and she held a young child's hand, laughing and chatting happily.

Now it was his turn to ask her for a title.

Reading Tips:

1. The heroine is a heartthrob loved by all, and men and women alike compete for her. Yes, both male and female rivals compete for her.

2. The overall tone is bittersweet and sweet, with plenty of romantic tension. They will not get together quickly.

3. The writing is a slow burn early on. The main events come later, with a slight ensemble feel and a focus on aristocratic families.

Theme: My fate is mine to command; people can triumph over destiny.