The Green Tea Little Cousin in a Period Novel Gives Up

[Collecting favorites for the upcoming novel When Monsters Fall Head Over Heels. The blurb is in my author profile, so take a look if you're interested!]

[Sweet girl with a sharp tongue VS cool, aloof beauty who knows how to reel people in]

Xia Tao transmigrates into a period novel.

She becomes a minor villainess, a green tea schemer whose main job is to act innocent and kind in public and ruthless and calculating in private, while bullying and framing the heroine. Seducing the male lead and his companions is a side quest.

In the end, the reborn heroine ruthlessly face-slaps her and racks up points. Her true nature is exposed, everyone turns against her, and she suffers the consequences of her own actions, dying in agony after going mad. She becomes nothing but a foil to the heroine's happy ending.

Xia Tao, after finishing the whole novel: ?

She decides to lie flat. Whoever wants to play this unlucky foil can have the job.

But even the first step toward lying flat doesn't go smoothly. Her aunt blocks her, the heroine schemes against her, and Xia Tao is about to be forced onto the plot's rails. So she fixes her gaze on one person.

*

When Song Zhiwei first arrives at the educated youth settlement, his striking good looks and mysterious background cause quite a stir. People line up to pursue him, but he's cold and aloof, a loner who's difficult to approach. Still, there are always people who refuse to take the hint and think they can warm his heart.

With a distant look in his eyes, the man says unhurriedly, "Sorry, my girlfriend would get mad."

Everyone is stunned. Since when does he have a partner? And what sort of remarkable person managed to win this icy beauty over?

Not long afterward, during a confrontation in a torrential downpour, everyone accuses and berates Xia Tao. No one believes her. Then he walks through the rain and holds an umbrella over her head, anger flashing across his usually composed face. "You really think my girlfriend has no one to stand up for her, so anyone can bully her?"

_

When everyone learns that Song Zhiwei and Xia Tao are together, they find it unbelievable. Some insist it won't be long before Song Zhiwei sees Xia Tao for who she really is, and that the two of them won't last.

What they don't see is the man pinning the girl by her slender waist against a wall in the courtyard, kissing her fiercely until she goes limp in his arms. Only then does he ask hoarsely, "Are you still going to ask for a breakup?"

*

Xia Tao initially thinks Song Zhiwei is her fictional husband come to life, and she's got plenty of experience dealing with a fictional husband.

Sweet talk and spend big.

But this cold, aloof man is way too hard to win over. The harder he is to pursue, the more fired up she gets.

Only after they marry does she discover his true nature, and by then it's too late.

She glares indignantly at the man, who looks as pure and noble as moonlight: So much for being cold and hard to get! It was all a lie!

Content warning: This story is set in a fictional world. Please don't scrutinize it for historical accuracy!

A slice-of-life story with food. The heroine does what makes her happy. She's not a strong female lead; at heart, this is still a sweet little confection!

Theme: Working together to build a beautiful home.