Hoping He'll Turn Back Before It's Too Late

Shen Shiqing studied hard for years and finally made it into the top three as a man. She had long been prepared: if she could clear her family’s name, she didn’t mind giving up romance and living as a man for the rest of her life.

The court was riddled with competing factions, and the situation could change in an instant. Shen Shiqing’s identity was sensitive, so she was always walking on thin ice. One careless misstep could cost her her head.

Every time she attended court, Shen Shiqing paid close attention. Her colleagues teased her for standing stiffly like a child being punished, but she had no way to explain herself.

-

Shen Shiqing felt she was close to developing superhuman hearing. She could identify anyone just from the sound of their footsteps.

“Lord Shen, the Prince requests your presence at his residence.”

Shen Shiqing didn’t know why this powerful figure, who held sway over the entire court, would take an interest in an insignificant person like her. Every time they met, she was as tense as a drawn bowstring, afraid that one wrong word would get her killed.

-

Shen Shiqing always remembered her family’s instructions: clearing their name was important, but staying alive mattered more. And one last thing: never get entangled in a romantic affair.

She merely smiled at that. She had dressed as a man for years, but she wasn’t really one, so why would she deliberately pursue women?

But a doomed romance would come looking for her, just as she wished, and it wouldn’t be with a woman.

*

Shen Shiqing clutched her belt, so flustered she could barely speak. “Your Highness, you’re drunk. I-I’m a man...”

“Are you?”

Pre-order: Jade in the Bosom

Jiang Wan went to great lengths to enter the Duke’s residence. She was perfectly happy to be a maid, as long as she could have a peaceful life.

Only after she was sent to Lu Yanning’s side did she realize that, in the face of money and power, someone like her could only be pushed around.

The first time Lu Yanning saw Jiang Wan, she was being bullied. In a panic, she stumbled into his arms.

He looked down and saw her pitiful, lovely face. From then on, he was hopelessly smitten, with no room in his heart for anyone else.

-

“Jiang Wan, what is it you really want?”

“You should be asking yourself that. What more do you want from me?”

Jiang Wan belonged to Lu Yanning, but Lu Yanning felt it was far from enough. He wanted her heart to belong to him too.

He used every means at his disposal, asking only that Jiang Wan love him sincerely, but that was simply too much to ask of her.

Theme: Hard work can make your dreams come true.