This Secret Affair Is Well Hidden

Hey, cuties! This story will become a paid title on Thursday, August 13. The chapters that will switch to paid access are 31–90, so please don’t buy them twice if you’ve already read them. Thank you for all your support. Please keep supporting me in the future too! *Bows deeply*~~ My next story, Outmatched in Combat, but a Master of Tea Arts, is a green-tea gong x rough-and-tumble shou. Please add it to your collections! This is a sweet little romance between the top scorer and the runner-up. Very little angst! Very little court intrigue! I just want to write about how the two of them sneak around and date behind the backs of all the civil and military officials! Couple dynamic: arrogant, domineering runner-up gong who thinks the world revolves around him but knows his wife is impressive too x brilliant, beautiful top scorer shou, gentle on the outside but resilient within Here’s the proper blurb: Before making the imperial examination list, Shen Hang and Xie Jin were already known together as “Orchids and Fine Jade”: one was renowned for his talent in Jiangnan, the other famous throughout the capital. Yet the two men, so often mentioned in the same breath, seemed to be at odds. Friend 1 (admiring): “Shen Liangqing is as capable as Guan Zhong and as handsome as Pan An. He’s practically perfect!” Xie Jin (scoffing): “You women.” Corrupt Official 2 (testing the waters): “I hear Third Master Xie is brilliant and comes from a distinguished family... Liangqing, how are you two getting along?” Shen Hang (smiling): “He’s just a brute. This humble official isn’t close to him.” Friend 1 was indignant, Corrupt Official 2 was reassured, the Imperial Consort started trying to find the top scorer a match, and the emperor wanted to arrange a marriage for the runner-up... But the two men had already secretly become lovers. No one saw through their denials that said one thing and meant another, their evasive glances that almost gave something away, or their attempts to act calm as they kept their distance. Behind it all was a love ready to burst into the open. At court, before the imperial throne and among the assembled officials, they were evenly matched rivals who clashed at every turn. In deserted alleys, beneath springtime bed curtains, and deep in the woods, they were lovers who had long since fallen into a tangled romance. Theme: As long as your dreams continue to burn bright in your heart, you need not fear life’s ups and downs.