The Life They Denied Her

The person He Huanyue is most grateful to in this life is her older brother.

The person He Huanyue most wants to escape in this life is also her older brother.

He said, "That outfit isn't appropriate. Change it." So she did.

He said, "There's nothing wrong with your mental health. You're just sleep-deprived. You don't need to see a doctor." She agreed.

Her brother had once been so good to her. She ought to put up with these little things.

Until her sister-in-law, Shen Tingxi, took her hand and said:

"Huanyue, you don't need their approval to live a good life."

The next day, her sister-in-law invited her on a day trip.

She said she had something important to tell her.

Her sister-in-law entered that grove and never came back.

What should He Huanyue do when she accidentally discovers that her brother is a murderer?

Next novel: A Record of an Uncanny Mimic Creature's Quest for Love

A gloomy nonhuman who came to Earth to retire × an asexual office worker offered the nonhuman's loyalty

1.

Liu Yiyang picked up a cat on her way home from work. After it accidentally bit her, she discovered that the cat she'd been raising for two months had turned into her exact double.

Liu Yiyang: ???

Had the heavens sent her a version of herself from a parallel world to take over her job?

But the other "her" said, "I'm just an ordinary alien who came to Earth to retire."

Liu Yiyang: ...Oh, aliens can retire on Earth now. When can she retire?

Maybe the alien refused to replace her because her job was just too miserable, Liu Yiyang thought.

To get a legal human identity on Earth, the alien took the form of a man named Yang Shu and moved in with her.

Yang Shu could change shape. He could turn his body into roses, octopus tentacles, or any kind of organic matter.

Yang Shu sold parts of his body in different forms, and soon he was rich.

This made Liu Yiyang, a wage slave, even more jealous.

One day, Yang Shu held her and asked a question. "I can take any shape, but I have one question."

"What?" Liu Yiyang assumed Yang Shu was just trying to figure out what ingredients she would like him to turn into so he could cook them and feed her.

"How can I become your lover?" She hadn't expected Yang Shu to make such a humble plea.

2.

Yang Shu was a member of the Kalati species, which had no concepts of lovers, family, or friends as humans understood them.

They were loyal only to the ruler of their species, whom the Kalati affectionately called their protector.

Without a protector, their species could not exist.

Yang Shu had come to Earth in search of a peaceful life, but the call in his blood and genes meant that even on Earth, he had to find a new protector.

Yang Shu chose Liu Yiyang to be his protector.

In his mind, a protector was powerful and fearless.

But Liu Yiyang was different. She got upset when her company withheld her pay and broke down when her family pressured her to get married.

He wanted to do something for his protector.

"You're handsome and rich. If you care about her so much, why not just make Liu Yiyang your lover?" a human man suggested.

Lover...

If they had that status, he could solve all of Liu Yiyang's problems.

If he were lucky enough to become her husband, he could protect and cherish her forever.

"And you could make her listen to you, control her..." The human man's words were cut short when a tentacle emerged from behind Yang Shu and squeezed his throat.

Yang Shu spoke in a mechanical, emotionless voice. "She is my protector and my ruler."

Yang Shu casually tossed the man aside. He wanted to find Liu Yiyang now.

"How can I become your lover?" Yang Shu pleaded. "I'll do what you say. I've been turning into the things you like. I can delight you with roses, or wrap you tightly in a fox's tail... But could you become my lover?"

"You don't understand human emotions, do you?" Liu Yiyang asked, bewildered.

"I don't, but..."

Kneeling on the floor, Yang Shu pressed his face tightly against Liu Yiyang's calf. "I want to please you."

Premise: Escaping an unhealthy relationship is the first step toward saving yourself.