Flowers in the Mirror

Fu Qingfang always thought she and her husband shared a deep love, lived in perfect harmony, and were a devoted couple. The only thing marring their marriage was that they had no children after eight years of marriage. Her husband knelt outside his mother's door for an entire day and night to avoid taking a concubine, and swore to Fu Qingfang that he wouldn't take one unless they still had no children by the time she was thirty. To repay her husband, Fu Qingfang took countless medicines, prayed to countless Buddhas, drank countless talisman-infused concoctions, and gave away fortunes. But her belly never showed any sign of life. Then one day, Fu Qingfang dreamed of a storybook that featured another "Fu Qingfang." In the story, her husband had secretly given her medicine to make her barren, all so he could bring the woman he loved into the family as his legal wife. All those promises and all that affection had been nothing but flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water, a complete and utter joke. She gave a cold laugh and tossed aside her virtuous, gentle-wife image. With her own hands, she set her husband and his true love on the path to becoming sworn enemies. This story is set in a fictional world. All customs, traditions, rules, and laws are made up by the author. Historical accuracy enthusiasts, please don't read it. I can't accommodate you. Upcoming story, "I Can't Believe I'm the Female Lead": On Su Xiaoxiao's eighteenth birthday, she invited her classmates to karaoke. But just as she walked out of the KTV, a brick fell from the sky and cracked her on the head. When she woke up, she'd gained a superpower. She could see large characters of different colors floating over people's heads. If she accidentally touched one, she could see the contents of the novel it belonged to. Gold-embossed characters meant protagonists, blue meant supporting characters, black meant villains, silver meant cannon fodder, and green meant ordinary passersby. Looking around, she saw that most people had green characters above their heads. Only a very, very small number had gold-embossed ones. And above her head, the eighteen-year-old Su Xiaoxiao, the gold-embossed characters were piled in layer upon layer, as heavy as a golden crown. The problem was, all the stories she was the female lead of involved cheating, stand-ins, one-night stands followed by running away while pregnant, red roses and white rice, and all kinds of torturous stories where the love interest claimed to love her while stealing her family's business. Su Xiaoxiao: I've got something to say, but I don't know if I should say it. Ongoing story, "System Terminator": Lin Qingyang's ordinary life ended on her first day in the countryside. The moment she climbed down from the ox cart, a voice rang out in her mind. It called itself the "System of Allure." "Host, Host! Just complete the missions I give you, and you can marry a rich, handsome man, win over powerful CEOs, and reach the pinnacle of life! (?ω?)" Lin Qingyang: ... Who knew this was only the beginning? One System after another would come looking for her. Decades later, Lin Qingyang, chief engineer of our country's "Fly Beyond the Solar System" plan, was invited to give a speech at her alma mater. Her first words were: "I'm grateful to all the things that came looking for me!" Theme: A woman should always love herself most.