The Rural Wife Returns to the City in the 1980s

Coming soon: Awaiting the Summer Solstice [Sweet Romance and Winning Her Back]. Add it to your favorites!

Blurb:

Nan Li, a fashion designer, transmigrates into a male-oriented period novel and becomes the male lead’s original wife, whom he married when he went to the countryside.

In the book, the male lead takes her back to the city so he can use her as a foil for his first love, the female lead, and have a respectable excuse to divorce her.

The more fashionable the female lead is, the more provincial Nan Li looks. The smarter the female lead is, the more foolish Nan Li seems. And the more... In the end, Nan Li turns evil and meets a tragic fate, while the female lead marries the male lead in a blaze of glory and becomes the chairman’s wife, envied by all.

Nan Li, who has always been the center of attention: Huh, a foil? This should be interesting.

After returning to the city, she’s supposed to kneel and serve tea to her mother-in-law every day, working herself to the bone as the Jiang family’s unpaid maid:

Sorry, but I’m delicate and precious, and... sick!

She’s supposed to make the female lead shine at every turn, contributing endlessly to her beauty, elegance, and intelligence:

Um, I’m sorry I accidentally stole your spotlight!

She’s supposed to end up with nowhere to turn, crying and begging the male lead not to divorce her:

Hey, clinging to me like this won’t work. I told you, we can remarry if you bring me the stars from the sky.

In her previous life, the female lead, Ye Mengling, married the wrong man and lived a miserable life. Reborn, she went to great lengths to marry the male lead. But... wait!

Why has the company that was supposed to belong to the male lead ended up in the hands of the big villain?

Why has the original wife, who should have ended up in prison, not only become the villain’s darling but also a world-renowned designer?

And look at the male lead, who was supposed to rise to success but is now down on his luck and always dreaming of getting back together with his original wife... This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!

It’s! Not! Right!

Flirtatious little troublemaker x Handsome, roguish alpha

Coming soon: Awaiting the Summer Solstice

Cool, seductive little wildcat x Refined, wicked CEO

Rekindled romance / Winning back his wife at any cost

The early-spring night was still cold, especially by the river.

Xia Zhi walked away from the people who had drunk themselves unconscious and headed to the spot closest to the water, lighting a sparkler.

The misty river looked like a bottomless black hole. Only the tiny flame in her hand kept her from being swallowed up.

As the sparkler was about to burn out, Jiang Luye arrived.

His voice was calm. “Xia Zhi, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

The camping lamp behind him outlined his tall, slender frame and striking features with perfect clarity.

Especially those soulful eyes, tinged with alcohol. They were more captivating than the black hole.

Hah, Xia Zhi. Why did he always call her by her full name? Even when he was at his most obsessed with her...

She walked over, wrapped her arms around his waist, lifted her face, pale from the cold, and rose onto her toes, bringing her bright red lips close to his chin.

“Want to try it in the car?”

The faint warmth of her breath against his lips and her brazen seduction instantly darkened his gaze.

She knew what he was obsessed with. This was her last attempt.

But after a long moment, he still pushed her hand away.

“I understand.” Xia Zhi gave him a dazzling smile, bright as fireworks. “I wish you both happiness.”

*

Everyone in Haicheng’s elite circles thought Jiang Luye, CEO of Jiang Hai Group, would be tamed by a little wildcat. After all, he had once been so captivated by her that he stayed at her home for three days and nights without coming out.

But when Jiang Luye showed up at a society gala with his first love, Miss Ji, people decided they were the perfect couple after all.

Jiang Luye himself thought Xia Zhi was nothing more than scenery along the road.

And yet...

Driver: “I found an earring in the back seat. It looks like Miss Xia’s. Should I return it to her?”

Jiang Luye: “...”

Housekeeper: “You and Miss Xia used to paint in the studio all the time, and you said not to clean it. Can I go in and tidy up now?”

Jiang Luye: “...”

Butler: “Young Master, Miss Ji says she’ll visit this afternoon. In the room where Miss Xia used to stay, those... ahem, should I...”

Jiang Luye’s throat bobbed, and his voice turned hoarse. “Don’t touch anything. Not even a single strand of hair!”

When Xia Zhi returned after a long absence with an art exhibition, accompanied by a rising gaming entrepreneur who was receiving a flurry of attention from investors, people saw Jiang Luye... turn green with jealousy.

Looking through the window of your soul, I heard my name echo from that boundless, surging sea. - From Ji Xian's The City on Fire

*** Lots of flirting early on, angst for the male lead in the middle, and plenty of sweetness later.

Theme: Have cultural confidence