The Prince's Little Chef

Yun Shu, a modern chef, transmigrates into the body of a beautiful young cook in a prince's manor. One day, she accidentally saves a handsome, clever young man in a miserable plight. She likes his looks and brains, so she's happy to take him in. He helps her leave the manor, and together they open a little restaurant. As they spend every day together, they gradually fall in love. He takes her hand and says in a soft voice, "Shushu, let's get married." Yun Shu is more than happy to agree. But then she discovers that she's transmigrated into a book, and her fiance is the book's lovesick villain, destined to become a tyrannical emperor! Yun Shu, an independent woman who loves peace, trembles with fear. She can't afford to provoke a fictional character, so she packs her things and flees in the middle of the night. Three years later, there is a little restaurant in a bustling border town. Its beautiful owner is obsessed with money and notoriously stingy. One day, she is kidnapped! Yun Shu curses the kidnapper, dressed in black with a grim back: "You cursed bandit! I'm Yun Jian's wife. My husband will kill every last one of you..." The silent man looks up, his eyes dark and vicious. Yun Shu bursts into tears. That handsome face and cold, ruthless air... Good heavens, could this be the ex she dumped, now the current tyrant? Lu Xiao's voice is as cold as ice: "Yun Shu, who gave you the nerve to marry someone else?" Yun Shu: "...Am I about to die?" Though born a prince, Lu Xiao grew up hiding in the Cold Palace, with barely enough to eat and constantly beaten and scolded. When he was four, his master secretly taught him to read and fight. By fifteen, he had become a supreme martial artist, but he was only his master's pawn. He escaped the palace and cast himself adrift on the streets, where a young cook found him. The young cook was sweet and kind, clever yet innocent. She treated him wonderfully without expecting anything in return. She was the only warmth he'd ever known, and he wanted to cherish her for the rest of his life. Then she ran away. He went mad. He took the throne, secured the court, and brought stability to the realm with effortless skill and decisive ruthlessness. Only she, with her tear-filled eyes, could make his heart soften and ache. He couldn't hit her or scold her, yet his resentment refused to fade. All he could do was bind them together with a golden chain, so they would never be apart again, day or night. Lu Xiao: You heartlessly ran away from me for three years, but I couldn't bear to treat you coldly for even three days. [Synopsis updated February 24, 2022. This is a short story focused on romance.] Theme: A beautiful love is one where both people save each other.