The Young Merchant

Li Ling had spent half his life struggling, rising from a street trader and a peddler to building a publicly listed company. At thirty, he was even officially named an outstanding young entrepreneur. He had a little red wine at his celebratory banquet, and when he woke up, he had become a beautiful, fair-skinned ger in ancient times, blessed with looks but cursed with a nasty disposition.

His late parents' hundred mu of farmland and tofu workshop had been seized by his awful relatives. He himself had even tried to seduce the village's newly certified scholar, earning a terrible reputation.

Li Ling pressed his fingers to his brow. This guy was an idiot.

But his former self had also left behind a little sister, about a year old, for him to raise.

The adorable, affectionate toddler delighted the heart of a thirty-year-old man. Determined to make sure she was well fed and never mistreated, he immediately decided to work hard on his business and improve their lives. He also couldn't let those awful relatives have it too easy, and would take back what belonged to him while he was at it.

Then one day, another man confessed his love to him.

The gong's perspective:

Shen Youyu suffered a qi deviation while practicing martial arts. To keep from losing his sanity, he had no choice but to return to his rural hometown and cultivate his mind for two years. At last, he could more or less control himself, but then he accidentally rescued a ger from the water. The ger behaved in a manner he found improper and was not at all his type.

The second time he saw the ger being harassed by thugs, he couldn't stop himself from stepping in again. Then this ger, whom he didn't even like, cooked him a meal to thank him. Maybe... this ger wasn't completely useless after all. He'd even cooked for him. Did that mean he was in love with him?

The third time...

"Li Ling, I love you," Shen Youyu said earnestly.

Li Ling: "Brother, the whole 'repay you with my body' routine is so outdated. I'll give you anything you want, just not my body."

A devoted business-minded shou raising a toddler x an emotionally pure gong who imagines they're already in love

Content warnings:

1. An old-school, melodramatic farming and business story full of awful relatives.

2. The gong isn't a jerk. When he first rescued the shou, he had no feelings for him and left. He just imagines they're in love.

3. If this isn't for you, just leave. Don't put yourself through it.

4. I'll add any other potentially upsetting elements I think of while writing.

Theme: Hard work and entrepreneurship make life better.