Waiting for the Divorce

Xie Lingjun transmigrates into a badly written romance novel that was never properly finished.

Why was it abandoned? The heroine is a fallen noblewoman obsessed with love, while the hero is a treacherous official obsessed with climbing the ladder of power.

The whole novel is full of the heroine weeping and asking, "How can you not love me?" while the hero thinks, "Stop getting in my way. I need to climb higher." They have absolutely no chemistry.

In the end, not only were the readers fed up, but the author couldn't take it anymore either, so she arranged for the two of them to divorce. Afterward, the author broke down crying and gave up.

When Xie Lingjun arrives, the hero and heroine have just gotten married. On their wedding night, the hero seizes an opportunity to go after a rival, while the heroine cries until dawn...

Honestly... it makes her so happy.

What could be better than a husband who has money but never comes home?

A husband with money and power who never comes home, and will eventually divorce you, leaving you with a huge settlement.

Xie Lingjun could practically wake up laughing from her dreams. From that day on, her goal is to let nothing stop her husband from pursuing his career. She'll become his most loyal knight, defend his rise to the very top of the power ladder, and then divorce him.

She's just waiting for the divorce settlement to make her financially independent. So why is that day taking so long to come...

Ling Jue has known since childhood that what he loves most is power. His plan is crystal clear: succeed in the imperial examinations, rise through the ranks, and become a marquis and a chief minister.

He's already achieved his first major milestone, and he's reached the age to marry. To keep an overbearing in-law family from interfering and to cultivate a good public image, Ling Jue carefully chooses a wife: a fallen noble family (it sounds respectable), a gentle disposition (easy to manage), and little attachment to her family (few entanglements).

On their wedding day, his new wife weeps and gets in the way of his career plans. Ling Jue reluctantly hints at his ambitions, hoping they can reach an understanding: no romance, only careers.

Fortunately, his wife believes her husband is the center of her world. From then on, she makes his goals her own and eagerly puts the ideas from their wedding night into practice.

If he could go back in time, Ling Jue would slap himself awake on his wedding night.

***Here's a preview of another story I'm planning. If you're interested, feel free to bookmark it. Much love, and thanks!

In a nutshell: Money is what I want, and so is love. This is a story about having to have both.

Li Jianqing transmigrates into the ancient equivalent of a latchkey kid. Her parents sell pork in the city, while she and her two siblings grow up in the countryside with their grandparents.

Because their grandparents favor one branch of the family and have their own selfish motives, Li Jianqing and her siblings have all been raised a little crooked. They believe that their eldest uncle's family, who study for the examinations, are refined and respectable, while their parents, who sell pork all day and stink of meat, are vulgar and detestable, no matter how much money they make. They also believe they're naturally dumber than their cousins.

Excuse me, since when was Second Senior Brother vulgar? And how could a copper coin be detestable?

Li Jianqing rolls her eyes and shakes off all that misplaced sentimentality and insecurity. Then she puts her years of skill to work: clay-pot rice with cured meats, Dongpo pork, charcoal-grilled pig trotters... Nothing makes her happier than making money. If something does, it just means she hasn't made enough yet.

Even as Li Jianqing's business grows, she's still not quite satisfied. Just then, the impoverished scholar next door sincerely invites her to start a business with him in the capital.

"If I pass the provincial examination, we'll make our way together in the capital. I'll become an official, and you can open a shop. If I fail, we won't have any connections, and it'll be hard to get by in the capital. We'll go back to our hometown and live together."

"Deal." Li Jianqing thinks for three seconds, then agrees without hesitation.

Years later, the poor scholar has made his name, and the butcher's daughter is living in wealth and splendor.

One day, they happen to see a play from years ago. Onstage, a scholar and a young lady part reluctantly, promising that he'll come ask for her hand once he passes the examinations. Alas, fate has other plans, and the audience is moved.

"Husband, why didn't you say you'd come back and marry me after you'd made your name?"

"My wife is beautiful and capable. What if someone took advantage of my absence and stole you away while I was in the capital sitting for the examinations? I'm not the sort to stand by and let a chance slip away."

"And why was I willing to go to the capital with you, husband?"

"My husband is handsome and talented. What if some wealthy family in the capital tried to snap him up after he passed the examinations? Would I be the sort to stand by and let a chance slip away?"

Theme: A shared goal is the foundation of marriage