Playing Nice

One night, a secondhand-or-worse casting call for a girlfriend appeared in the group chat. Qiu Ling glanced over the densely packed list of requirements, then turned to her friend and chuckled. "What is this? You'd think the emperor was picking concubines."

Her friend reminded her, "Take another look."

At the very end of the next page of the long message, there was a salary figure.

Qiu Ling's eyes narrowed, and she immediately changed her tune. "In that case, I might just have to try out for the emperor's harem."

Her friend snorted. "Apart from that face, what part of you fits their requirements, Qiu Ling? They're looking for the sweet, innocent type. Take a look at yourself. Do you fit the bill?"

"I didn't before." Qiu Ling blinked, her eyes glimmering.

Life is like a play. She hadn't been that type before, but from now on...

She could be.

*

Thanks to lightly retouched photos and a personal profile that was at least eighty percent made up, Qiu Ling successfully got an invitation to meet the wealthy woman herself.

But she hadn't expected that, aside from being frail and a little sickly, the woman would be stunning from head to toe. She was a bona fide beauty.

During their conversation, the beautiful woman had a small question about Qiu Ling's profile. "I see that under your relationship history, Miss Qiu, it says..."

"None." Qiu Ling gave a shy smile, already getting into character.

That's right, none.

*Sickly wealthy woman who's sweet on the surface but dark underneath x shameless gold-digger who thinks she's a master of the game. They're both putting on an act.

*A lighthearted short story. The blurb plays on a trope, but in reality, they both take the lead.

Theme: Heaven never lets hard-working people down!