I Became the Empire's Chief Secretary by Raising Pigs

[Complete, with extras collected in the author's series, including 12 already published stories]

Blurb:

Li Jin: The only thing worse than being an overworked office drone is dying in a car accident, opening your eyes, and finding yourself back in school, taking exams, and about to graduate straight into office-drone life again.

In his senior year, after failing the military selection, Li Jin, a government-sponsored defense student, unexpectedly gets an internship at the Summer Palace, the heart of the Empire's political power.

And so begins his legendary rise to become the Empire's Chief Secretary!

Chief Secretary Li (world-weary): It all started that day...

That day, he passed the royal breeding grounds and saw a new batch of pet pigs.

So he brought over some homemade treats to feed them.

A black-and-white piglet with a curly tuft charged around, chased away all its playmates, and claimed his lap... and his snacks.

On the third day, he was transferred to the Chief Secretary's office.

The Chief Secretary looked at him with a complicated expression. "Raising pigs is hard work."

Li Jin: ... (I was just petting a pig on my break. Why are you mocking him?)

Petting the black-and-white piglet wasn't hard work, but his boss was an absolute demon.

His favorite things to say:

"Everything must be flawless."

"Anything else?"

"You've got three minutes."

"No wonder you've been single for two hundred years!"

Until the day Li Jin saw the legendary "Demon Emperor" lounging in his chair, idly twirling one of the treats meant for the black-and-white piglet in his mouth.

#Should I warn my demonic boss that he just ate pig food?#

Top: Emotionally a little kid, weapon fanatic, irresistibly adorable in his true form (with a family tradition of being henpecked)

Bottom: Veteran office drone, formidable fighter, powerless against anything cute (pretending to be the domestic one)

Coming soon: Living Together in a Haunted House with a High School Boy

Blurb:

Song He inherits an old house and transfers into his first year of high school in a small town.

The caretaker bluntly tells him the house is "haunted." With nowhere else to go, Song He grits his teeth and moves in.

Lu Chuan and his younger brother Lu Yu move out of their uncle's house and scrape by with odd jobs, sleeping under a bridge. When they accidentally step into Song He's home, the strange noises in the courtyard abruptly stop. It turns out Lu Chuan was born with the ability to ward off evil spirits.

After another encounter with a ghost, Song He is so scared he flees in the middle of the night and rushes to the river to find the brothers. Then an idea strikes him. "Want to rent a room at my place? Five hundred a month!" Seeing Lu Chuan's bewildered expression, he hurriedly revises his offer. "One hundred! One hundred is enough!"

Lu Chuan furrows his brow but still doesn't answer. Song He throws caution to the wind and sweetens the deal. "Room and board included! I'll tutor your brother for free!"

"Deal."

But once they start living together, everything is turned upside down!

Song He's offer of room and board turns into him being the one who gets fed. He lazes in bed until the last possible moment, while Lu Chuan, the one he'd begged to move in, puts on an apron to fry eggs and heat milk. Then he has to ask Lu Yu to go wake Song He up, looking thoroughly exasperated.

The free tutoring happens at night. Song He casually heads to the bathroom and "happens" to invite Lu Yu along. With his hands in his pockets, Lu Yu exchanges a glance with his brother, who's leaning against the door, then reluctantly stands guard outside.

"Lu Yu, you're still there, right?"

"I am." He rolls his eyes.

Sure enough, nothing in life comes for free.

Note: This is mainly about the friendly cohabitation of three high school boys, with everyday life at the forefront and a mildly spooky setting.

Cheerful, lively bottom X steady, nurturing older brother | sharp-tongued but soft-hearted younger brother

Premise: Love and trust can help people endure hardship and grow stronger.