In Republican-Era China, My Childhood Friend and Butler Spoiled Me

(Check out my upcoming story, A Thief's Habit, opening on November 4.)

Ye Zhen was born into a prominent family and grew up in luxury, wanting for nothing. Then, when he was seventeen, his father squandered the entire family fortune and used him as collateral for four thousand silver dollars.

His family was ruined, and he was about to be devoured whole when Li Lulan, the servant boy Ye Zhen had bought as a child, risked his life to help him escape Rongcheng.

It was a chaotic era in the Republic of China, with warlords ruling Sichuan.

The two arrived in Yuzhou penniless, having even pawned the leather shoes off their feet.

“Zhenzhen, don't be afraid. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life.”

Li Lulan kept his word. To support the one he loved, he planned every step carefully, took advantage of every opportunity, founded a shipping company, and became a famous shipping magnate on the Chuanjiang River.

Ye Zhen applied to university. To save on tuition, he gave up business for medicine, never imagining that a twist of fate would later see him conscripted...

As a child, Ye Zhen was a young master, and Li Lulan tended to his every need. As an adult, he was Li Lulan's wife, cherished in the palm of his hand. He could count the hard days of his life on one hand.

Seventh Master Pei said Ye Zhen had been spoiled more than a pampered young lady, spending money like water. Afraid Ye Zhen would squander the fortune Li Lulan had worked so hard to build, he advised Li Lulan to rein him in.

Li Lulan smiled. “I earned it all for him in the first place. So what if he spends it all?”

[Mini Scene]

At night, Doctor Ye nestled in the arms of her tycoon husband for a private chat.

“Li Lulan, hurry up and get me a different car. Even my boss doesn't drive a Lincoln. What will people think if I show up at work in one?”

“Then should I get you a Packard or a Cadillac?”

“Don't waste money!”

Ye Zhen wrapped his arms around Li Lulan's neck and rubbed his cheek against his.

“Oh, just get me a little Mercedes sports car or something.”

[Extremely possessive, old-fashioned, fatherly top x sunny, beautiful, flirtatious bottom]

Reading Guide:

1. Set in an alternate Republic of China. A sweet childhood-friends-to-lovers story with a happy ending.

2. The leads are completely devoted to each other, in body and soul.

3. Neither lead is perfect.

4. The author's title and blurb are both terrible. Babies, just read the story itself.

Theme: Cherish peace, freedom, and love.