Pearl Mist

"Sir, "

A Cen read aloud from the newspaper in her hands, an article titled "A Letter to Sartre."

"This century is mad, inhumane, and corrupt."

"Yet you have always been clearheaded, gentle, and utterly pure."

Pei Zhenshan leaned back in a Louis XIV armchair and ruffled her black hair.

He chuckled. "Were those words meant for me?"

A Cen pressed her lips together and said nothing.

The man's palm rested on her head, tender and lingering, then soon withdrew.

Pei Zhenshan lowered his eyes and took a gold pocket watch from his waistcoat pocket, rubbing the bloodstain on its face with his thumb.

His voice was clear and low. "I'm not as gentle as you think."

A Cen stared at him. This Asian man among white people had a handsome, coolly striking face and an unbreakable pride. He was always composed.

Everyone feared and hated him.

She only wanted to honor and respect him.

Until one violent night, Pei Zhenshan forced her to call his name again and again.

Their reflections appeared in the gilt mirror. There was no respect left, no reverence...

*An innocent, untamed, naturally charming young maid X a gentle, scheming manor owner

*Coming-of-age romance

*Set in France in the 1960s and 1970s. Content warnings are not listed scene by scene, so proceed with caution if you are sensitive to such material.

*The complete manuscript is finished and being polished

Theme: In the darkness, they are each other's only hope.