Tender Words to Comfort You

A little preview of an upcoming novel: My Rival in Love Is Actually Me. The blurb is below, dear readers, so please stop by and add it to your favorites!

A timid, sweet, delicate heroine vs. a cold, high-and-mighty beauty with a possessive streak

- A battlefield of rival suitors

- The heroine is a bit of a heartthrob

Xiaoshan was born slow-witted. She was no good at farm work, and needlework was even worse. She could embroider a pair of mandarin ducks into a pair of ducks of the wrong kind. For a while, she thought she would never get married.

Then, when she was fourteen, Xiaoshan rescued a man while washing clothes by the river. He was so beautiful, as radiant as the sun and moon, compassionate and lovely. She fell in love with him at first sight.

After that, Xiaoshan stayed by his side and tended to him like a dutiful little wife. Finally, one day, his wounds began to heal, and he slowly woke up.

Xiaoshan blinked her big, sparkling eyes and asked softly, "Would you be willing to share a harmonious life with me, for all eternity?"

The village aunties had taught her those words, saying she should always say them to the man she loved.

But the man only sneered, saying she was trying to repay her kindness by claiming him, and that she was delusional.

Xiaoshan wasn't! Xiaoshan would never!

She had no idea what to do. All she could do was hide in a corner, bite her finger, and cry.

She thought she would never love him again. She steeled herself, turned around, and ran off with the oil peddler from the foot of the mountain.

Xiaoshan thought she would never have anything to do with him again. She still thought so when she was locked away in a golden cage.

She couldn't believe that this man, so pure and noble, as bright as the sun and moon, could be so vicious and cruel inside.

He wouldn't let Xiaoshan leave the room, much less look at anyone else. His heart was cold as stone.

At that moment, a coup broke out in the palace, and the capital was thrown into chaos.

Xiaoshan was trembling with fear, yet the first person she thought of was the man who had given her both fear and love.

That night,

Yan Gui fought to keep a collapsing empire from falling, all for the sake of one woman.

_

One day, much later,

Xiaoshan nestled in Yan Gui's arms and asked with a silly smile, "When did you start falling for me?" She was rather pleased with herself.

From the very first glance.

He thought he had fallen in love with this beautiful, foolish little good-for-nothing from the moment he saw her.

Xiaoshan would never know how Yan Gui had knelt on nine thousand heavenly steps the night she was gravely ill, begging all the gods in the temple to show mercy.

To bring her back to his side.

A little extra:

Yan Gui and Xiaoshan had a pair of adorable twins.

The older one was a boy and the younger one a girl, but both were domineering and willful. Who could they have taken after?

One day, Xiaoshan tried to teach them to read, but she barely knew any characters herself. Afraid the two little ones would laugh at her, she took one in each hand and went straight to Yan Gui's study.

He set the two children down beneath the desk, held Xiaoshan in his arms, then wrote two lines and read them to her:

"My wife is still so young,

I soothe her with tender words."

He loved this young woman with all his heart, just as he had when he first saw her, smiling brightly, her eyes curved into crescents.

And so he formed a bond of love that could never be severed in this life.

My Rival in Love Is Actually Me. Blurb:

An innocent beauty who has mastered every trick for handling a demonic overlord vs. a possessive demon lord who doesn't even realize he's been wrapped around her finger

Zhuzhu was born with an unusual fragrance. When she let out her first cry, a plague swept through the entire village. She alone slept soundly in her swaddling clothes, with snakes and insects coiled around her.

So she was branded an ill omen. Just as the villagers were about to burn her alive, an old wandering monk happened to pass by. He said, "If this girl is burned, I fear the poisonous creatures will take revenge."

The villagers who had seized her were frightened. They hurriedly asked what they should do instead.

The monk sighed. "Why not let me take her into the Buddhist order and guide her? That would be a good deed."

By the time Zhuzhu turned sixteen, everyone in the temple feared her as a poisonous girl. She hid in the mountains, with no company except the old monk who brought her food every day.

Of course, that was only what everyone else thought.

Deep in the mountains, Zhuzhu came across a blind man. He was so beautiful, his face as radiant as the morning glow and the moon.

Zhuzhu hid him in the mountains and split her own meals in half to share with him.

People said that was called sharing hardships, and that people who shared hardships became husband and wife.

Then one day, her husband left without a word.

Zhuzhu bit her finger and cried until her face was streaked with tears.

From the male lead's perspective:

Ji Shiyu was born into the imperial family, with a status so exalted it was unmatched. Yet from childhood, he suffered from a feverish poison. When it flared up, his moods turned unpredictable and he became a bloodthirsty tyrant. Everyone feared and hated him, wishing they could hack him to pieces and cast him into the deepest hell.

He had little affection for his family throughout his life, except for one woman who had the nerve to come crashing into his life of her own accord.

That woman was all coquettish airs and tears, with an air of innocence that made him wonder who had spoiled her so.

Whenever she was wronged, she could only look at him with those big eyes and shed great fat tears. Ji Shiyu felt a pang of sympathy, and was terribly annoyed, yet for reasons he couldn't understand, the little bit of kindness in his heart kept him from killing her. Instead, he let her stay by his side.

Then one day, when his illness flared and he bit her, that timid woman was trembling all over with fear, yet still wrapped her arms around him and said, "Ji Shiyu, I'll protect you."

He laughed scornfully inside. Just as he reluctantly decided to give her a title, he overheard her whispering to someone else, "I came down the mountain to find my husband."

So she was already married.

Anyone who could deceive Ji Shiyu was already six feet under. Ji Shiyu went mad. Ji Shiyu became obsessed. Ji Shiyu decided to deal with this wicked woman, so cunning and afraid to admit she was playing with his feelings, by...

"Ji Shiyu." Zhuzhu timidly clung to the doorframe. "I want some little rice dumplings."

Ji Shiyu fixed her with a sinister stare. On each of the dark, heavy nights that followed, he gripped her neck, veins bulging at his temples with the force of it, and laughed aloud:

"Between me and that husband of yours who left without a word, which of us is the useless pretty face?"

A short scene:

Later, Zhuzhu began suffering from nightmares and woke up in terror every day.

Ji Shiyu tried everything he could think of, and finally went so far as to pray to the Buddha. Step by step, he knelt and bowed his way up nine thousand heavenly steps, until at last he stood before the gods.

A man who had never believed in gods bowed in earnest and said, "My only wish in this life is for her to forget the man who came before me and give her heart to me alone, Ji Shiyu."

"But I have taken countless lives in this life, and I deserve to fall into the deepest hell after death. I know fortune will never favor me. If I can only beg for one thing, then let her sleep peacefully every night, free from disaster and hardship."

Ji Shiyu

Reading guide:

1. The male and female leads are both faithful in body and heart, and this has a happy ending.

2. The male lead suffers from amnesia, but he recovers. The misunderstandings will be cleared up too, so don't worry.

3. This is a fictional setting. Historical accuracy enthusiasts, please stay away.

4. There is a bit of obsessive wall-stalking. If that's not your thing, run, and run fast.

5. If you're fine with all of the above, I hope you enjoy the story. Thank you, and a bow of gratitude.

Theme: Hard work in life brings its rewards.