Can a Claw Machine Pick Up a Husband Too?

[VIP notice: This story will become a paid release on May 21, 2026. Chapters 19 to 30 will be retroactively placed behind the paywall, so please don't buy them twice if you've already read them!]

[Coming soon: My Little Darling, Cherished by a Wealthy Daddy; The Feudal Daddy's Darling Sweetheart. Please add them to your reading list!]

Add this to your reading list and get fifty cents. Click and get a handsome man.

Jiang Zhi has been having the worst luck lately.

He's been hit with layoffs and rent demands alike.

Passing a toy store, he spots a claw machine: fifty cents a play, endless surprises, and a chance to win a million-dollar grand prize!

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a fifty-cent coin.

He doesn't notice the tiny line of text at the very bottom of the machine.

With a casual grab, he wins a dingy doll. Nothing happens, so he stuffs it in his pocket and heads home.

That night, he has a dream.

In it, the doll turns into a CEO and gives him money, a car, and a huge house!

He rolls over. There's something beside him. He opens his eyes and, good heavens, there's a person next to him!

His features look a little like the doll's.

Duan Sinan says he used to be the CEO of a publicly traded company, but he was in a car accident.

When he woke up, he couldn't speak or move. He was trapped inside a tiny claw machine.

People came and went, but nobody paid the machine any attention.

Until Jiang Zhi put in that fifty cents, grabbed him with the claw, stuffed him in his pocket, and took him home.

That night, Jiang Zhi held him and talked in his sleep.

With a bang, Duan Sinan turned back into a human.

At first, Jiang Zhi thought they'd just keep living like this.

They were poor, but having another person at home didn't seem so bad.

Until one day, Jiang Zhi woke up and found Duan Sinan gone.

He searched everywhere, then found the doll curled up in the corner of the bed, its eyes crooked, completely still.

He froze for a moment, then picked it up.

"Bang."

Duan Sinan was back in his arms, his ears bright red.

"...What is wrong with you?"

Duan Sinan looked at him, his expression mild and his voice muffled. "When I'm unhappy, I turn back into a doll."

Jiang Zhi: "What are you unhappy about?"

Duan Sinan didn't answer.

But Jiang Zhi suddenly understood.

When he was unhappy, it was because Jiang Zhi hadn't hugged him.

After that, Jiang Zhi learned what to do.

When Duan Sinan looked upset, he hugged him.

When Duan Sinan went quiet, he hugged him.

When Duan Sinan stared at him, he hugged him.

With a bang, Duan Sinan was still there.

Later, Duan Sinan turned into a doll less and less often.

Jiang Zhi asked, "Why don't you turn into a doll anymore?"

Duan Sinan looked at him and said, "Because I know you'll hug me."

Someone asks Jiang Zhi, "How did you and your husband meet?"

Jiang Zhi says, "I grabbed him out of a claw machine."

The person thinks he's joking.

Jiang Zhi doesn't explain. He just smiles.

On his way home, he passes the same claw machine, takes out fifty cents, and puts it in.

Duan Sinan's voice comes from inside the machine: "Going for another grab? Haven't you had enough?"

Jiang Zhi says, "Not enough."

I'll never have enough, not in a lifetime.

[Bonus scene]

Fifty cents won't buy you a bad deal, but it can buy you a husband who turns into a doll!!!

When he's unhappy, he turns into a doll and waits for me to hug him!!!

Then I learned my lesson! Every time he turns into one, I hug him! I never let go for the rest of my life!!

Reading guide:

1. Go grab a doll from the claw machine! You might just grab yourself a boyfriend!

2. One-on-one romance, happy ending.

3. The author always finishes their stories. Please add this to your reading list!

[Coming-soon blurb: My Little Darling, Cherished by a Wealthy Daddy]

The Su family goes bankrupt. In an attempt to climb the social ladder, Su Yan is sent to Gu Jinnian's room.

Su Yan is naturally cute and beautiful, and Gu Jinnian is overcome with desire. He keeps him in bed for three days and three nights.

By the time Gu Jinnian comes to his senses, the bed is empty.

To find Su Yan, Gu Jinnian calls in every favor he can, but Su Yan seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. He never appears again.

Two months later.

Su Yan faints in the little room he rents.

Doctor: Congratulations, you're two months pregnant. Where is your spouse? I'd like to speak with him.

Su Yan is shocked, remembering that night two months earlier.

Su Yan: Can you end the pregnancy?

Doctor: Your situation is unusual. If you need help, we can call the police and ask them to assist.

Su Yan never imagined that Gu Jinnian was an Enigma. Then he sees the news about Gu Jinnian's arranged marriage.

No, he still has to run. He mustn't be found.

Gu Jinnian searches like a madman, but he can't find Su Yan. He just can't find him.

[Bonus scene]

Su Yan: I refuse to be a canary you keep locked up.

Gu Jinnian: You took what was mine and ran off. Do you know how much money I spent?

Su Yan reaches into his pockets. Nothing, still no money. He looks at Gu Jinnian anxiously and says, "I can earn money and pay you back."

Gu Jinnian points at his belly.

Su Yan looks down and fiercely protects his lower abdomen. "Who said it's yours? It's obviously mine."

Gu Jinnian: Tsk. Who knew someone so sweet and soft could have such a temper?

Author's notes:

1. Sweet romance, pregnancy escape!! Childbirth!! One-on-one romance, happy ending. Gu Jinnian's pheromones smell like vodka; Su Yan's smell like white elm. Su Yan blushes when he drinks and gets all woozy.

2. No characters are based on real people. The author always finishes their stories, so don't worry, this will be completed!

3. Please add this to your reading list, please, please!

Theme: Bloom toward the sun, stand on your own two feet