Moonlit Tide

[The entire novel has been extensively revised. Only the official version on Jinjiang is supported.] The great clans of the Central Plains have kept household retainers for generations. The Xun clan bought children from all over and selected the finest talents from among them, choosing one in a thousand. They raised and trained them from childhood, and each served the clan head for life, becoming a blade capable of standing on their own. Ruan Chaoxi herself had no idea why the clan head had chosen her from among so many promising children and raised her personally. She was the only girl among those selected. While the other children rose with the chickens and sweated through their training in the martial arts yard, the clan head carefully applied medicine to her blistered palms. While the other children studied late into the night, memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics backward and forward, the clan head patiently taught her how to write, guiding her hand stroke by stroke. The children who failed to measure up were soon sent away. Year after year, Ruan Chaoxi remained in the Xun household. Looking at her astonishing beauty as it blossomed in the mirror, she thought that the clan head had spent so much money and effort raising her personally. It would probably take her whole life just to repay the debt. As she grew older, Ruan Chaoxi began having bizarre, surreal dreams. In them, the clan head, who cared for her so attentively and treated her so tenderly, mercilessly tormented and used her, revealing a cold, domineering side utterly unlike the man she knew. The dreams gave her a glimpse of another side of the clan head. The peaceful life she had thought she knew gradually began to feel like a constraint, and her home became a cage. Taking advantage of Clan Head Xun Xuanwei's injury, she fled without a second thought. [The Male Lead's Version] Xun Xuanwei: Reborn, I planned every step carefully. I raised her by my side from childhood, and just when I thought I could break the deadlock from my previous life and make up for the terrible mistake I'd made... Xun Xuanwei (drawing a deep breath): My wife ran away again. [Reading Guide] 1. The heroine's coming-of-age story, with a slow-burn start. The hero is ten years older than the heroine. 2. This is a self-indulgent story written for the author's own enjoyment. The heroine's melodramatic romance begins after she grows up. If it's not to your taste, don't force yourself. Close the tab and run... 3. The hero is reborn; the heroine has lost her memories of her previous life. 4. Inspired by the Northern and Southern Dynasties. This is a fictional setting, so no historical fact-checking. One-on-one romance, happy ending. - Historical romance coming soon in my collection: The Grand Heist - A gentleman burglar's trade requires no capital. An ordinary amateur makes a one-and-done deal. Ye Fuliu believes in a steady, long-term business. She seeks out old residences abandoned for years, scouts them repeatedly, then moves in openly, pretending to be the owner. One by one, she carries out fine antique furnishings, all in plain sight. In the house next door to the old residence lives a taciturn, sickly gentleman, his features bleak and melancholy. He spends all day sitting high up in a small tower, quietly watching the other side of the wall. They run into each other a little too often, so Ye Fuliu keeps her cool and acts like a friendly neighbor. She asks after his health, brings him food, and hires doctors for him. By the time she's done, the sick gentleman's health has genuinely improved, and the two have grown familiar with each other. It took two months to empty the house and three to sell the furnishings. In five months, she'd also formed quite a friendship with the sick gentleman next door. On the day she left, Ye Fuliu said goodbye with great reluctance. "I've been short on cash lately, so I had no choice but to sell the ancestral home. It was fate that brought us together, my lord. Until we meet again." The usually taciturn Gentleman Wei actually thanked her. "The old Wei residence here has fallen into disrepair, and its furnishings won't fetch a good price. I have several other vacant properties, with even more valuable furnishings. If you're short on cash, Lady Ye, you can pick another one and take your time moving everything out." Ye Fuliu: ? [Mastermind Con Artist x Jaded Big Bad] Theme: See through the illusions, distinguish truth from falsehood