A Narrow Escape

Blurb: Xuanning has always known she isn't a good girl. For the dark obsession she's kept buried in her heart for more than a decade, she has schemed and hidden her true self, doing everything she can to get close to Bai Yi, even agreeing to be a substitute. Everyone thinks she's just an naive young girl, inexperienced with the world and blinded by love. Even Bai Yi believes it without a doubt. At a private club, a group of rich playboys joke, "A Yi, don't tell us you've actually fallen for her." Bai Yi glances at the light shimmering in his glass and replies as if unconcerned, "What do you mean, fallen for her? It's just a bit of fun." Everyone understands and is about to drop the subject when they notice that someone has opened the door in the corner. Xuanning stands helplessly beside the half-open door, one hand on the handle and the other at her side, clutching the hem of her white dress. Her expression is blank. The hand holding Bai Yi's glass tightens abruptly, and a crack appears in his indifferent expression. That tiny crack tells Xuanning she's one step closer to her goal. She struggles to suppress the urge to smile, maintaining her look of innocent hurt. She has fooled everyone. Only one person has seen through her true nature, and in a corner where no one can see, he quietly clenches his fists. Zhou Ziyu has disliked that woman from the start. He saw through the false, calculating, and cold-hearted nature beneath her obedient, innocent facade long ago. The Zhou and Bai families have been close for generations, and he and Bai Yi have been friends since childhood. Naturally, he wants the woman to leave Bai Yi of her own accord. Beside the hotel's emergency exit, he looks down at her with disdain and says coldly, "Stop pretending. You'd better leave before I expose you." The woman only looks at him innocently. Her soft, rosy lips move as she replies in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, I really don't understand what you're talking about." Zhou Ziyu scoffs. He doesn't know that this very woman will soon make him experience jealousy for the first time in his life. Note: The heroine's personality may not match everyone's expectations, so I'm giving you a heads-up. It should have a happy ending. And please check the tags! --- Next is Beneath the Finery --- Blurb: Yun Ying is a maid in a marquis's household, born alluring and graceful, bright and captivating. The young marquis, who is not yet married, takes a fancy to her. One drunken night, they lose control, and she becomes pregnant, making her unwelcome to the woman who is to become his principal wife. They say the future principal wife comes from a noble family and won't tolerate the slightest offense. To please her, the young marquis even plans to kill Yun Ying and keep the child. With nowhere else to turn, Yun Ying seeks help from the marquis's wife. But that very day, a distinguished guest is visiting incognito, and the marquis and his wife are seated in the main hall entertaining them. When the marquis's wife sees Yun Ying barge in, she is horrified, afraid the guest will be offended. She orders her servants to throw Yun Ying out. But the guest stops them. Holding a bone fan, the noble guest leans down slightly from above and lifts Yun Ying's chin, carefully examining her full, radiant face. The guest asks, "Have you already given birth?" Blushing, Yun Ying nods, not daring to lie. "My child has just turned one hundred days old." The guest asks again, "Did you nurse the child yourself?" Yun Ying nods once more. The guest smiles, their gaze falling on her full, smooth figure, and says softly, "If you want to live, come into the palace with me." Note: The heroine's first palace job is as a wet nurse. This is not a palace-intrigue story, and there is no permanent male lead. Each male lead only appears for one arc, about four or five in total, then gets discarded. Theme: Love means becoming better together