Blurb 1:
A rumor has recently been making the rounds in Subai City: the son of a local tycoon is about to get engaged. His fiancee is a poor girl with neither a house nor land in the city center, and she can only make a living by renting out her ancestral home in the suburbs. They say the fiancee is beautiful and kindhearted, and that her courtyard is home to a whole pack of stray cats and dogs.
What a romantic fairy-tale opening! The gossip-loving people of Subai City waited and waited, just hoping to see the day the prince and Cinderella were torn apart.
But Cinderella's life went smoothly all the way, and she became Mrs. Xu in the open, with nothing to hide.
A busybody asked Xu Yichi: "May I ask if you and your wife are childhood sweethearts, deeply in love, who overcame your family's fierce opposition and finally came through every hardship to be together?"
Xu Yichi clarified: "My wife and I met a year ago, and both our families support our relationship. Please don't spread rumors."
The residents of the ancient house all chimed in: "Who said that? I don't approve of this marriage!"
A Huan: "Mr. Xu and I are made for each other, a match ordained by heaven. Who are you monsters to oppose us?"
The "little pets" adopted by the fiancee looked at their tiny paws and tails, then let out envious cries at the sight of all the public displays of affection.
"Woof!"
Blurb 2:
A Huan has an ancestral home far from the city, in a remote location, but business renting out the rooms is going pretty well.
Except the tenants are old and talkative, and they often fall behind on rent.
A little cat licked its paw and asked A Huan, "Auntie, don't you feel bad saying that?"
A Huan narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Call me big sister."
The little cat swished its tail and refused. "A seven-hundred-year-old single woman shouldn't talk to me."
That night, A Huan, leaning against Xu Yichi, asked in a cloyingly coquettish voice, "How about calling me Eldest Sister?"
Xu Yichi used a peachwood sword to fend off the enchantress trying to seduce him, then turned his face away. "Little demon, don't get yourself killed."
A Huan's response: Keep flirting. Go on, flirt until you soar!
#Everyone thinks this is a Cinderella fairy tale, but it's really a battle of wits between a Taoist priest and a demon, each trying to outmaneuver the other#
Reading Guide:
1. Modern alternate universe, in a setting where demons roam.
2. The heroine can be bewitching or sweet and innocent.
3. The heroine pursues the hero with a purpose. The hero falls for her in the end, and their romance is sweet, with no angst. On the surface they're contract lovers, but in reality they're simply in love.
I really like Ah Huan as a character. He is kind and cute.