Drunken on Bone

An elegant beauty who teaches young ladies versus a rakish young nobleman

Li Qingyu wanted to escape the control of her stepmother. Fortunately, a close friend of her late mother took pity on her and recommended her for a position as a tutor to the young ladies of the Lu family in the capital. Li Qingyu also hoped to use this opportunity to find a place in the capital where she could make a life for herself. But the Old Madam Lu took a liking to her at first sight and wanted her to become the wife of Lu Jinye, the second son of the eldest branch.

When Lu Jinye heard, he scoffed. Did some freeloader really think she could marry into the Lu family? He carried on as he pleased, drinking and carousing with his pack of wastrel friends.

One night, he returned home dead drunk and caught sight of a green-robed "maid" standing tall beneath the corridor. Not only did she fail to bow, she gave him a look of icy disdain.

He squinted blearily at her. "Come over and help me, young master!"

The "maid" walked past him with measured steps and replied coldly, "Show some respect, young master."

In the hazy lantern light, her plain dress outlined her figure, and moonlight traced her proud silhouette. What maid? She was a beauty who seemed to make lotuses bloom with every step.

Li Qingyu kept her distance from Second Young Master Lu, but his roguish, flirtatious behavior repeatedly disturbed her peace and thoroughly annoyed her.

When her stepmother sent someone with the marriage contract arranged by her family, her relatives pressured her to bow her head in front of everyone. The room fell silent, but she neither knelt nor cried. She simply lifted her eyes, her back straight as bamboo, and coldly faced the harshness of the world.

Just as everyone thought she would eventually give in, Lu Jinye staggered forward, drunk, but with eyes as sharp as blades. He snatched the marriage contract and tore it apart, sending scraps of paper flying.

"If she marries," he said, his voice cold as iron, his gaze fixed intently on her, "it won't be up to you to decide."

The whole room erupted in an uproar.

She stood between light and shadow, her fingertips trembling as a thousand waves rose in her heart. The rakish man she had once avoided at all costs had protected her with the most resolute determination.

The world didn't know that he got drunk night after night to hide his true intentions. He befriended a crowd of wastrels only to investigate the truth behind his dear friend's wrongful death.

The world mocked Lu Jinye for sinking into depravity, but only Li Qingyu could see that, in this murky world, he still held onto a glimmer of light in his heart.

And she was no fragile willow swaying in the wind. She refused a forced marriage, founded a school, and faced ridicule and mockery with a proud spirit that could be shattered but never broken.

He had once mocked her as old-fashioned and dull. Yet he would climb the wall into her boudoir in the dead of night, pressing his burning palm against Li Qingyu's trembling calf. His voice hoarse, he murmured, "Qingyu... Do your books of sages teach you what we should do tonight?"

Reading guide:

1. Set in a fictional world. Don't overanalyze the historical details.

2. One-on-one romance, both protagonists have had no previous partners, happy ending.

3. The romance is a slow burn.

4. If this is your cup of tea, please keep supporting me. If it's not, close the page and see you in the next story.

5. Because of the heroine's identity, the story touches on some basic literary knowledge. I researched it and added my own understanding, so interpretations may vary.

Theme: Set your sights on becoming a good person, and make a mark through your deeds.