Winning Over That Pretend-Cool Husband

The upcoming story, After Taking the Top Assassin’s Place and Getting Exposed, is in my author’s collection. It’s another sweet little romance, so please add it to your reading list!

[Flirtatious heroine vs. fake cold-hearted hero]

As soon as Qin Zhizhi transmigrated, she somehow ended up with a handsome husband for free, a scholar renowned throughout the village.

Unfortunately, her husband was aloof, didn’t like to talk or smile, and strictly followed the rules of propriety. He wouldn’t even look at Qin Zhizhi.

Qin Zhizhi thought: I really like my husband, but he’s a bit of a challenge.

Later, Qin Zhizhi realized that whenever her husband accidentally met her gaze, his ears would stay red for ages.

When she held his face and stroked his eyebrows, he would say, "Miss Qin, please calm down," while his face turned bright red.

Qin Zhizhi thought: So he’s only pretending to be cold. There’s a chance for me.

But just as Qin Zhizhi thought she had victory in hand after her determined pursuit, Xu Ziyang suddenly said, "Qin Zhizhi, let’s get a divorce."

Qin Zhizhi thought: Well, I’ve gone and messed this up.

*

Ever since Xu Ziyang was old enough to understand, his father had told him, "You must pass the imperial examinations." And so, he spent more than a decade walking that difficult, predetermined path.

No one had ever entered his life as vividly and forcefully as Qin Zhizhi.

He had thought Qin Zhizhi would eventually be just a passing presence, and that he would remain a taciturn scholar.

Until one day, outside the room, he heard Qin Zhizhi say to his younger sister, "Jiajia, I’m going to be your sister-in-law!"

She chuckled, as if it were a joke.

But Xu Ziyang’s heart pounded, and all he could picture was her resting her chin on her hand and smiling at him with crinkled eyes: Xu Ziyang, smile more. You look handsome when you smile.

*

Years later, someone asked them how they had fallen in love with each other.

Qin Zhizhi: "Well... love at first sight, I guess."

Xu Ziyang: "..."

The person looked at Xu Ziyang expectantly. Surely the romance of a cool and handsome scholar falling for a woman would be full of poetic charm. But Xu Ziyang’s face slowly changed color...

Top Scholar, why are you blushing?!!

1. I’m terrible at writing blurbs, so try reading a couple of chapters first.

2. The heroine really is a flirt. Her pursuit is carefully planned at every step, and the hero has another reason for suggesting a divorce.

3. They start out in a fake marriage, with a bit of a marriage-first, love-later setup, though it’s not quite the same.

Upcoming story, After Taking the Top Assassin’s Place and Getting Exposed

A ditzy beauty x a scheming chief councilor (a run-away-while-pregnant story)

The Chunqiu Pavilion had been plotting to assassinate Chief Councilor Su Yuchuan for a long time. They had trained a top assassin for the job and planned to disguise the assassin as a beauty and send them into the Su residence.

But on the day before the operation, the assassin ran away! With no time to spare, they had no choice but to find another assassin to send in.

They needed someone stunningly beautiful and highly skilled in martial arts.

There was no time to find anyone, so the Chunqiu Pavilion set its sights on Lin Xue.

She wasn’t much good at martial arts, but at least she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Lin Xue, who had just been taken in by the Chunqiu Pavilion: You mean... me?

After entering the Su residence, Lin Xue received her first assignment: Win Su Yuchuan’s heart first, or she won’t be able to get close enough to assassinate him.

Lin Xue pondered all night. The next day, she found Su Yuchuan’s personal guard and slipped him two silver coins. "What kind of woman does the master like?"

The guard: ...I earn more than that.

Fortunately, Lin Xue’s efforts paid off, and Su Yuchuan began spending every night with her.

Soon, she received her second assignment: assassinate Su Yuchuan.

One night, while they were caught up in the moment, she pulled a knife from under her pillow and stabbed at Su Yuchuan, but he caught her hand.

Lin Xue thought: I’m done for this time.

Instead, Su Yuchuan adjusted the blade, drawing it a little closer, then leaned down to kiss the woman beneath him.

"Silly Xue’er, that’s not how you hold a knife."

"I’ll teach you next time."

*

Su Yuchuan had known from the start that one of the beauties sent to his residence was an assassin, and a top one at that. From the moment they arrived, he had been keeping a close eye on them.

There were eight beauties, and every one of them was intimidated by his status and acted timidly. But one of them came charging right up to him.

Looking at Lin Xue, Su Yuchuan concluded: She’s an idiot. There’s no way she’s an assassin.

But the beauty loved him with all her heart, and he couldn’t help feeling tender toward her and paying her extra attention. He treated her with special consideration.

He never expected that, without even investigating, the beauty would give herself away, meeting with people from the Chunqiu Pavilion right under his nose, drugging him, then spending the whole night anxiously unable to sleep.

She really was a top assassin.

He watched Lin Xue stumble through her work as an assassin, busy and flustered, only for one of his orders to ruin everything she tried to do. He began to find it amusing, and felt a pang of sympathy for her.

At last, one night, she gripped a knife and tried to stab him.

Su Yuchuan thought that from then on they would be honest with each other. By choosing not to pursue Lin Xue’s identity, he would also be showing her how he felt.

But he never expected that after he was away from the residence for just a few busy days, his guard would hurry over to report, "Miss Lin has run away!"

Su Yuchuan angrily tossed down his wolf-hair brush.

Heartless woman!

Theme: Have the courage to pursue the one you love