Bound by Pleasure

Update Suspension Notice: My ear condition flared up again a while ago, and I've been unable to control my anxiety every day. I really want to write, but I just can't. I love A Huan, and I love Ming Zhi. The more I love them, the less I want to give them a half-hearted story. It's an issue with my own state of mind. Maybe it's because this book is unlike anything I've written before. I feel all their joys and sorrows, their highs and lows, and after finishing an update I'm often left emotionally drained. On top of that, my health has been an issue, and I've been anxious and unable to sleep for a while. I want to take a break and write something lighthearted to heal myself, I guess. I'll save up chapters for this book and post some every so often. I'm truly sorry, my dear readers. If you want a refund, leave a little paw print in the comments and I'll send you a red packet to pay you back. Bow!

Bright little princess x mad crown prince

#I meant to kill you, but accidentally fell in love with you#

He was born in the dark, sunless Cold Palace. Though he was a prince, he was lower than a bug.

One winter day, he sneaked out to gather firewood and saw a little girl who had grown up in the sunshine, cherished and adored: the most honored little princess in the entire Dayin Dynasty. Her smile, brighter than the sun, stabbed at his eyes, and darkness quietly took root in his heart. If only she were dead...

At last, the little girl, bright as the morning sun, ran after a cat and disappeared into the distance. He lured her to the pond, then reached out to push her in. Instead, the little girl took the hand he'd just used to catch lice. Her eyes turned red, on the verge of tears. "Brother, I can't find my kitty."

From then on, in his life as filthy as mud, she alone smiled at him and treated him well. Without caring that he was dirty, she followed behind him and called him brother.

*

To have her,

he killed all her trusted attendants;

he exiled her fiance;

he had every man who had ever spoken to her put to death;

he used every cruel means against her, stopping at nothing.

The emperor's once-beloved jewel became a cursed, ill-omened girl whom everyone feared. Alone and helpless, she had only him left to rely on.

Late at night, he held the little girl in his arms and murmured with a low laugh, "A Huan, from now on, you have only me. How wonderful..."

His heart was full of joy, but his A Huan never again showed the bright smile she used to wear.

To win a smile from her, he had grand palaces built and searched for rare treasures. But the girl sat dazed inside the splendid palace. All its treasures could not win even a glance from her.

Then one day, before she fluttered like a butterfly into the ravine, the look of relief on her face was as radiant as it had once been. The only glimmer of light he had glimpsed from deep within the darkness fell away forever.

*

Three years later, he traveled south on an imperial tour because of a portrait.

Amid the misty waterways of Jiangnan, he saw again the person who had been branded into his heart.

Beside a clear spring, the young woman smiled brightly, dazzling just as she had before. "Do I know you?"

His Adam's apple bobbed. Scarlet veins covered the whites of his clear eyes. "I'm your husband..."

Reading Guide:

1. They are not related by blood, and he knew from the start that she wasn't his biological sister. Their feelings grew beyond sibling affection only after they had ceased to be brother and sister.

2. The male lead really is a dog: crazy and groveling, a useless bastard who doesn't understand love!

3. A revival of old-school tastes, an old-fashioned sweet treat with shards of glass in it. There's angst and sweetness. Don't read if that's not your thing~

4. No personal attacks, please. If you have to curse someone, curse the male lead. Girls help girls (doge).

---------------- Forthcoming Book 1 ----------------

---- The Buddhist ----

A wooden beauty who flirts without realizing it x an obsessive Buddhist monk

As dark clouds gathered overhead, the noble-born Buddhist monk slowly draped a kasaya over his shoulders. Looking at the beauty before him, he finally understood the greatest bliss of the mortal world.

With a half-smile, he hooked a finger beneath the golden chain at her chest, bent close to her ear, and murmured like he was chanting a sutra:

"Next time you leave without a word, I'll send you to hell."

"Don't be afraid. I'll go with you."

#Shall I put on my kasaya and take your head?

#I can become a Buddha, and I can fall into depravity for you

---------------- Forthcoming Book 2 ----------------

---- The Tiger Sniffs the Plum Blossom ----

A frail, gentle young lady from a distinguished family x a spoiled second-generation heir

White walls and gray tiles, with a light rain drifting beyond the eaves.

Beneath the eaves, a taciturn little girl twisted her fingers together, her eyes red from being bullied.

"She's such a stutterer!"

"A general's daughter who doesn't know how to use a blade, spear, or staff and only knows how to read? She's an embarrassment to the daughters of generals!"

"Hey, stutterer, are you sure your family actually gave birth to you?"

A chestnut horse came galloping over, kicking up layers of water. The boy on its back glanced at the girl and whistled to tease her. "Little Stutterer, getting bullied again?"

At his words, the little girl's tears rolled down her cheeks.

The boy kept grinning and held out a hand. "Don't cry. I'll take you out to have some fun!"

The little girl looked at the water all over the ground and her brand-new shoes, shook her head, then turned away and ignored him.

The boy muttered, "What a nuisance," then called out, "If they get dirty, I'll buy you new ones. Come on, let's go have fun!"

As the little girl was pulled onto the horse, the boy laughed in her ear and asked, "Remember the people who bullied you?"

She nodded. The next moment, the horse charged off, and she clung to his waist in fright.

That very day, the boy took her from house to house, identifying each one. With a long halberd, he smashed the homes of everyone who had bullied her to smithereens.

"This is my little stutterer. Who do you think you are, calling her that?"

---------------- Friends' Recommendations ----------------

Pampered in the Princess's Embrace by Zhi Shao: Princess x poor top scholar (forthcoming!)

A Beauty in My Arms by Shu Qincheng: a sweet young lady x a scheming young lord who seems gentle but is secretly ruthless

Theme: No matter what, always keep something beautiful in your heart.