A Golden Girl's Romantic Game

Sweet, somewhat naive heiress x tsundere crown prince | Bickering couple | Pretend relationship turns real

Jiang Ning, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Works, was carefree and unambitious in her youth, surrounded by fine food and gifts, with a marriage arranged by imperial decree.

After losing her mother, her stepmother moved into the household with her daughter. From then on, Jiang Ning hated being called Second Miss Jiang.

With her wedding approaching, she caught her fiancé cheating with her stepsister. She wanted to call off the engagement, but his family was powerful, and the imperial decree could not be disobeyed.

Jiang Ning had a bright idea. She paid a handsome fake lover to disgust her fiancé into ending the engagement himself.

That man was a frivolous wastrel, all looks and no substance, but easy to use and easy to get rid of.

She coached him through the rules of being a lover, and he caught on quickly.

Jiang Ning contentedly brought him home, where he caused absolute chaos.

Her fiancé rushed over and froze in place. “Cousin?”

The young man raised their clasped hands with a confident grin. “Cousin, let me make an announcement.”

“That imperial decree arranging the marriage? I have revoked it.”

The entire household knelt in a sea of people, crying out, “Long live the Crown Prince!”

Jiang Ning's legs went weak. Oh no, oh no. I called him a good-for-nothing before. Will he take revenge on me?

But then an arm firmly circled her waist, and a whisper brushed her ear. “The play isn't over yet. Ningning, are you trying to leave early?”

*

Xie Qi'an, crown prince of the Sheng Dynasty, skips lessons, slacks off at court, and loves nothing more than watching a good show.

One more day of skipping class, and a willful young woman stopped him.

She wanted him to pretend to be her lover so she could break off her engagement, and her fiancé was the cousin he never got along with.

He was determined to take part in this entertaining little drama.

She personally taught him how to play the devoted lover: call her Ningning, hold her hand, memorize all her favorite foods, and gaze at her tenderly.

He followed every instruction more diligently than the Grand Tutor.

But as they practiced, she was the first to blush.

He laughed to himself. What kind of teacher wasn't committed to her work? Good thing he was a quick learner.

Later, the Crown Prince went to the Ning residence every day, and memorials accusing him of “failing to live up to the dignity of the heir apparent” piled up in the Eastern Palace.

At the spring banquet, the empress publicly challenged her. “How does Second Miss Jiang dare to dream of becoming mistress of the Eastern Palace?”

The crowd looked on with mockery and delight.

As everyone held their breath, he suddenly rose, his icy gaze fixed on the imperial seat.

“She is not Second Miss Jiang. She's my Ningning, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family.”

“I insist on calling her my eldest miss, and I'll do so for the rest of my life.”

After the banquet ended and the guests had left, she tugged at his sleeve, her voice muffled. “Who asked you to stand up for me?”

He lowered his head, gently pried her fingers loose one by one, and laced them into his palm.

“Then will Ningning insult them back next time?”

“...I don't know how to insult people.”

“Then I'll teach you.”

Note: One-to-one, both leads' first time, happy ending. A comedic romance between two lovable fools who flirt with each other, evenly matched.

The heroine has no feelings for her fiancé. Their marriage was arranged by their families when they were infants. The hero gets jealous over nothing.

The next modern romance opens on October 28. Visit my author page and please add it to your collection: Private Chef

Gentle, radiant beauty x handsome, roguish sweetheart

Film major's campus belle x music producer

Studying abroad / moving in together and becoming official / simmering tension / falling hard / one-to-one, both leads' first time

-

After her family unexpectedly went bankrupt, Su Jinyan's family stopped funding her studies abroad. With no other choice, she took a part-time job as a private chef, cooking in people's homes.

She unexpectedly got involved with Zhou Yubai, the most mysterious rich kid in New York's international student circle. His life revolved around alcohol, nightclubs, heavy metal, and a devil-may-care smile.

She'd been a well-behaved girl who followed the rules for twenty years and had no intention of getting involved with a notorious playboy like him. But he pressed her at every turn, offering an astronomical salary and making just one demand: she would live in and cook all three meals for him.

The flush of his hangover hadn't faded. A trail of chilly smoke curled between his fingers. “On call, day and night.”

After a moment's silence, she stood up to leave. “Sorry, I don't like other people's smoke in my kitchen.”

He chuckled, the haze dissolving in his smile.

Later, the smoke cleared from that townhouse. She served him one exquisite dish after another right on time, keeping Young Master Zhou's picky stomach and sharp tongue in check.

Until one day, she accidentally left a pink note from a male senior who'd asked her out in a bag of groceries. When she doubled back to look for it, there was a black card on the kitchen island.

As she stood there, confused, a pair of long arms wrapped around her waist, his breath hovering close. “If you need money, just ask me.”

She paused, and the bold thought deep inside her escaped for just a moment. “What if I want more than money?”

His breath caught. His sharp lips landed on the back of her neck, slowly tracing the slender, pale skin above her collar.

“Yanyan, I've never wanted just a meal.”

-

When Zhou Yubai first met Su Jinyan, he didn't like her much.

What kind of cook wore a CHANEL suit and had a face that could bewitch a man?

He immediately decided she was pulling some fake-rich-girl act. He didn't call her out, just tossed out a cold remark and went back to his room to sleep.

The next time they met was at a nightclub.

She wore a perfectly neat, all-white Chanel-style outfit, like a perfect symmetrical snowflake falling into a man's arms.

The sharp scent of tequila hit his tongue. Zhou Yubai narrowed his eyes, thinking of the crystal-clear, tea-colored soup she'd made that afternoon.

In that case, he might as well spend a little money and have some fun.

But she was just like her soup: simmering gently, never once boiling over.

Listening to that irritating “bubble, bubble,” Zhou Yubai's gaze toward the kitchen grew more intense. Did she not even know how to seduce someone?

One day, his friends were teasing him in their group chat again. “Leo, your ‘private chef’ is going to end up in your bed sooner or later.”

His phone buzzed on the floor. The person who'd just dozed off in his arms frowned, and the blanket draped loosely over her shoulder slipped down, revealing suggestive red marks.

Zhou Yubai glanced at her, switched his phone to silent, and typed furiously. He typed and deleted until only one word remained: “Screw off!”

A moment later, another message appeared in the silent group.

“I climbed into her bed.”

#Well-behaved Shanghai girl who was kept in line x illegitimate son from Beijing's elite circle who was cast out

Theme: Choosing each other and helping each other grow