[Building up the preorder list before starting the novel]
Fussy, pampered, and convinced of her own charms: a beautiful airhead
VS A wolf in dog's clothing, with no scruples about what he gets up to: a poor scholar who is anything but poor
After her grandfather is convicted of a crime, the Shen family falls from power, and everyone shuns them. In an instant, Luyun tumbles from her life as a pampered young lady surrounded by luxury.
Their home is sealed, their wealth confiscated, and Luyun has nowhere to go.
Fortunately, a scholar in blue lends her a hand. He claims to have been her grandfather's student and says he owes him a debt of gratitude. He offers to find her a place to stay.
The scholar lives frugally, wearing coarse clothes and eating simple meals of vegetables and rice.
Though it's a far cry from her former life of fine food and luxury, Luyun is understanding. She never complains and does what she can to help.
The scholar is gentle and quiet. He always looks after her without a word, appears just when needed, and even earns a little extra from writing to help cover their daily expenses.
She considers it, then turns around once more, only to meet the man's gaze, which he hasn't managed to look away.
Luyun understands. Taking in his tall, handsome figure, she thinks that although the scholar is poor, he's considerate and devoted. Perhaps she could accept him...
*
Zhou Bing'an watches coldly for several days. The pampered Shen family's eldest daughter, who can't do a lick of housework or tell one grain from another, has suddenly fallen on hard times. She doesn't wail and weep, but she's even more spoiled and useless than he imagined.
She does a slapdash job of sweeping and wiping tables.
She drops the bucket when fetching water and nearly sets the house on fire when lighting the stove.
As he cleans up her messes, Zhou Bing'an reaches the end of his patience. He approached the Shen family to investigate an old case. Now the chief minister is in prison, and his only granddaughter doesn't have a single thought in her head. He has done more than enough and doesn't intend to keep helping her.
But whenever she gets into trouble, she puts on a pitiful face and looks at him with teary eyes, as if she has something she wants to say but can't.
Zhou Bing'an keeps his face stern... Fine. He'll do one last good deed.
*
Things start to go wrong when Luyun accidentally catches Zhou Bing'an painting.
She knows he's an exceptional painter and calligrapher, admired by all.
But she never imagined the mild-mannered scholar would paint such indecent things. Blushing furiously, she scolds him for being shameless and lewd.
Later, Luyun discovers that his identity is fake and that he has ulterior motives.
Clutching a letter from someone from her past, she tries to leave, only to be caught red-handed by the man lying in wait.
"Shen Luyun, do you really think I'm your servant, to be summoned and dismissed whenever you please?" The man's hot breath curls around her neck. His dry lips brush softly against her skin. He seems like a different person, his gaze dangerous. "You can't just decide to leave and expect it to be that easy."
[Reading Notes]
1. Lighthearted sweet romance, one-on-one, happy ending.
2. The setting is fictional. The official system takes inspiration from the Ming dynasty, but serves the plot, so please don't overanalyze it~
-
Message: See the real world and meet your true self
