Painted into the Picture

Next up: My Lady Only Wants a Divorce, a sweet story about love after marriage

[Calculating, scheming Crown Prince x sweet, innocent genius painter] Six-year age gap, 1v1, both virgins

Duan Xiyue had been a prodigy at calligraphy and painting from childhood. After making a name for herself, she became the most sought-after painter in Daliang.

She fell for a man who was always traveling the jianghu, risking his life for others.

So she saved up all the money she'd earned from painting, then eagerly brought it to him, hoping he would take fewer dangerous jobs from then on.

But the man only smiled. "I'm very expensive. Are you sure you want to support me?"

Duan Xiyue nodded. She couldn't imagine just how expensive he could be.

It wasn't until she accidentally uncovered his identity one day that she realized not only could she not afford to support him, but... he had secretly been supporting her all along.

*

When Li Xuan first met Duan Xiyue, she was a tiny, doll-like child, fearless enough to teach him how to climb trees.

He never expected that nearly ten years later, she wouldn't even remember him and would be engaged to someone else.

One day, he spotted an interesting illustrated storybook at a painting shop. At a glance, he recognized the artist.

His Crown Princess wanted to become famous...

If that's what she wanted, how could he not help make it happen?

Reading Guide:

★ Devoted, possessive, scheming Crown Prince x sweet, adorable genius painter

★ Nearly six-year age gap, a sweet and doting romance, 1v1, both virgins

★ Includes a side couple

★ Entirely fictional setting, with many original liberties. Official ranks and other details are a mash-up of different dynasties, so please don't overthink them. A deep bow of thanks!

Upcoming novel: My Lady Only Wants a Divorce

Only after Qin Shu married into the Mu family did she learn that Mu Shaotang was a notorious madman in Dongling City.

And she was merely the ideal candidate chosen by the Mu family to suppress the murderous aura within him.

On their wedding day, Mu Shaotang didn't set foot in the bridal chamber, leaving her to spend the night alone.

When she returned to her parents' home, Mu Shaotang went berserk in front of the entire Mu family just because he didn't want to accompany her.

Qin Shu thought she would spend her whole life enduring these indignities in the Mu household, until a man who kept climbing through her window to visit her barged into her quiet life.

As time passed, Qin Shu grew more and more afraid of him.

He was far too bold! He dared to care about her, dared to touch her hair, dared to... Qin Shu's thoughts grew confused. When he came over to take her hand, she slashed his palm with her hairpin.

She never imagined that the scar she had made herself would one day be on her husband's palm.

*

At first, Mu Shaotang thought Qin Shu had been planted beside him as a spy.

Helpless to do anything about the wife forced on him, he pretended to be one of his own guards to investigate her.

But once he started pretending, he couldn't stop.

He couldn't forget the beauty beneath the bridal veil that night, and from then on, he became addicted to climbing through her window.

He'd planned to find the right moment to reveal his identity, but before he could say a word, the beauty had already noticed something was off.

Exposed, Mu Shaotang carried her back to their room at a run and humbled himself to soothe her. But she silently wept, her hands trembling like leaves, and handed him a divorce agreement she'd prepared long ago.

Mu Shaotang (pretending to be fierce): No one in Dongling City wants to marry me anyway. And now you want to divorce me and leave me a discarded husband?

Reading Guide:

★ A mad, obsessive third young master x a beautiful, kindhearted girl in need of care

★ An ancient-style romance about love after marriage, a sweet story in the guise of a household-intrigue drama, 1v1, both virgins

Upcoming novel: Zhaoluan

As the legitimate daughter of the Zhou family and empress of the realm, Zhou Luan had always been disciplined and proper.

In public, she and the emperor were a devoted couple, dignified and steady. In private, even while confined to the cold palace, she never let herself complain.

Just as she thought she would grow old and die alone in the palace, turmoil swept through the court, and the emperor vanished without a trace.

With only her young son beside her and no one to rely on, Zhou Luan trusted no one. In a state of utter disarray, she sought out Prince Xiao Chulan, who had long since withdrawn from court affairs.

She truly trusted him and asked him for help.

But with her own eyes, she watched him cast off his disguise as a noble gentleman and speak to her like a demon:

"Sister-in-law says I'm being presumptuous? Then today, I'll be presumptuous for once!"

*

Xiao Chulan knew that Zhou Luan saw him only as a lifeline.

In her heart, there was room only for the young emperor and his elder brother, who had abandoned a mess for others to clean up.

For those two, she could loathe him and still endure the humiliation of treating him with respect.

At the young emperor's birthday banquet, the court officials joked that he should take a wife. Xiao Chulan answered casually as he let his gaze fall on Zhou Luan, who merely sat there in silent agreement.

That night, he broke into the Empress Dowager's chambers, prepared for her to scold him. Instead, he found her drunk and heartbroken.

"If the Empress Dowager wants to be rid of me, then you should be happy right now."

Beneath the candlelight, her eyes were soft and bright. Her usual stubbornness was gone, but she still didn't look away.

Xiao Chulan's heart stirred. He reached out to wipe the dryness from the corner of her eye and said helplessly, "Just say you forbid it, and no one will ever bring it up again."

After a long silence, the tear she'd held back for so long finally fell. He heard her whisper, "I forbid it..."

Reading Guide:

★ A seemingly composed, reserved empress, lonely inside and starved for affection x a seemingly elegant, refined regent, debauched at heart

★ A false tale of forced pursuit and possession, but truly a mutual secret crush, 1v1, both virgins

★ The heroine's marriage to the former emperor was one of convenience. The young emperor isn't her biological son, but her adopted son.

★ The emperor isn't dead. He'll appear later in the story.

Theme: Keep going, and the road ahead will open wide.