Surviving in the Jianghu

When she opened her eyes, she had become a minor villain who died early in the book. The System crashed as soon as it came online, leaving her with a disastrous start. Jiang Yun had no other choice but to pack up and run.

On the road, she picked up a young man and learned he came from a prestigious family. Jiang Yun immediately decided to cling to his coattails and stay alive.

As long as she avoided the male lead from the original story, who hated her to the bone, she could live in peace.

The young man was gentle and considerate, protecting her in every way. Jiang Yun was a little tempted, but kept a clear head: in a chaotic age, staying alive mattered most.

Until poison arrows came flying on a rainy night. She instinctively shielded him, and just as the young man bent down to suck the poisoned blood from her wound, the dead System suddenly blared to life:

[Warning! Enemy Xie Zi'an identified. Hatred level: 100%!]

The man she'd been clinging to was none other than the male lead she'd been trying to avoid.

Jiang Yun tried to flee under cover of night, but he caught up with her. A black chain locked around her ankle. The young man smiled gently, his voice obsessive: "It's dangerous out there. Stay by my side like a good girl."

Meanwhile, the System issued a mission: [Host, please assist the male lead, Xie Zi'an, in maintaining peace in the martial world.]

Jiang Yun fell silent.

So after all that effort to keep her head down, she'd ended up hiding in the male lead's arms, and now she had to help him save the martial world?

[Reading Guide]

1. A lazy, snarky heroine x a sweet-talking, white-cut-black male lead. Both leads' first relationship, happy ending.

2. The romance develops slowly at first.

Coming soon: Can I Buy You Dinner? An avoidant woman x a straightforward man

---Blurb---

Qi Mingyue never thought she would see Zhou Jia Qiao again.

The first time their cars collided, she apologized, took care of everything, then walked away, deliberately not even looking at his face.

She was used to keeping her distance from anything intense. She didn't dare get close, rely on anyone, or expect anything from anyone.

But in his twenty-seven years, Zhou Jia Qiao had never been so thoroughly ignored.

He thought she was playing hard to get, until he saw the faint distance in her eyes. She wasn't pretending. She was genuinely doing everything she could to avoid him.

When they met again, she pretended not to recognize him.

Watching her instinctively take a step back, he suddenly felt his heart tighten. "This girl's interesting. And I think I'm interested in her, too!"

He arranged chance encounters; she deliberately took another route.

He asked her to dinner; she turned him down without hesitation.

He blocked her path. "Qi Mingyue, are you that afraid of me?"

She lowered her eyes, unable to look at him. "We're not right for each other."

He chuckled and stepped closer. "We'll never know unless we try."

One night, after a gathering, he cornered her in the stairwell, his breath burning hot. "What are you so afraid of? Afraid I'll eat you?"

Her heart raced, and her face turned pale. "Let go of me."

He wouldn't. His voice was low and wounded. "I've never been this patient with anyone before. Qi Mingyue, can you stop pushing me away?"

She bit her lip and couldn't say a word.

One night, drunk, he called her, his voice hoarse. "I really don't understand you. You clearly have feelings for me, so why won't you admit it? Did you... never intend to let me into your world?"

She held her phone and didn't sleep all night.

He showed up again the next day, smiling as if nothing had happened, as though he hadn't lost control the night before. But Qi Mingyue knew the stubbornness in his eyes hadn't faded at all.

Looking at him, she finally had to admit it: it wasn't that she didn't love him. She was afraid.

She was afraid that she would give him her whole heart, only to be abandoned in the end.

Theme: The martial world isn't just about fighting