Can This Beggar Stop Pretending Already?

Also known as The Pair of Jue

A transmigrated wildflower, outwardly gentle but inwardly resilient, clear-headed, and independent heroine x an ailing jade of the court, an icy, lovesick, abstinent, and obsessive hero

Two strong leads caught in an emotional tug-of-war. Historical transmigration romance + mystery + exploration of cultural relics

Zheng Ying, a researcher at an archaeological institute, transmigrates to another world as an orphan because of a jade pendant.

With everything going wrong from the start, she assumes the name "Zheng Xiaochi" to protect herself, disguises herself as a boy, and joins two other beggars on the streets. They depend on one another to survive.

The cool and aloof censor Shangguan Ling, known as "the Ice of the Frost Terrace," is frail, stubborn, and indifferent to others. He has endured for years, all for the sake of bringing down his enemy.

He hires her to stage a fake accident and uses her as a spy. She sees through his manipulation but plays along. One wants to survive, the other wants revenge, and they work together while each pursues their own agenda.

Mottled bronze inscriptions reveal a secret about the jade pendant that has been sealed away for a thousand years: the paired pendants were made by Xuan Shu Yuanjun, the Lord of Kunlun. Jue gathers the spirit, while Tai brings the dead back to life. They follow winter's dormancy, waiting for spring to awaken.

The mystery of the paired pendants, secret struggles at court, and entangled old cases: as suspicion and sincerity pull them back and forth, she and he make an alliance.

Amid layers of lies and fog, they seek the truth and work together to break through the impasse.

TIPS:

1. Set in a fictional world. Happy ending.

2. One-on-one romance. Each has eyes only for the other.

3. Falling in love may be impossible to resist, but romance is only part of the story. The main and supporting characters all have their own growth arcs. They save each other, grow as individuals, and then stay together in love.

4. The hero is extremely possessive. The more he suppresses it, the more unhinged he becomes.

Coming soon: My Young Mistress, You Should Look at Me

When they were young, Jiang Shumei was boating on a river when the turbulent waters swept her off her feet and into the cold. A boy in threadbare clothes pulled her ashore.

Back then, she was a pampered young lady from an official family, while he was merely a distant branch of the Yongning Duke's household, looked down upon by everyone.

Their fleeting encounter vanished into the river's current, and they did not see each other again for years.

Fate turned against her, and disaster came without warning. Her parents passed away, leaving Jiang Shumei with no support, adrift and alone.

Her uncle was intent on currying favor with the nobility. Taking matters into his own hands, he arranged a marriage contract and sent her to become the concubine of Pei Kuang, the sixty-year-old Duke of Yongning.

The vermilion gates of the mansion stood open. The feast was still in full swing when a jade cup fell to the ground and shattered, and Pei Kuang suddenly breathed his last.

The festive music came to an abrupt halt. Mournful sounds swept through the air, casting a heavy pall over the entire ducal residence.

Pei Jinghan, once a boy forced to live under another's roof and treated with contempt, inherited the title of Duke of Yongning as the designated heir.

The entire estate fell into his hands. From that moment on, he would determine whether the rest of her life brought fortune or disaster.

People praised the new duke, saying he was gentle and refined, well-mannered, and self-restrained.

Only Jiang Shumei saw through the gentle facade to the years-old obsession and greed lurking beneath it, never once extinguished.

For years, Pei Jinghan had patiently plotted. From the very beginning, this deep and secluded ducal residence had been a cage he built for her.

Her wedding robes were as red as fire, his mourning garments as white as snow. Within the vermilion walls, she had nowhere left to run.

"I was the one who saved you on that cold river all those years ago. You have nowhere else to go in this life. You can only belong to me."

"Don't talk to me about benevolence or morality. Empty conventions are worthless. I want only you."

Theme: Life is resilient; wherever the heart finds peace is home.