The Sickly Beauty Is Always Pouting

Fu Sili picked up a little beauty by chance. The beauty was cold and quiet, with a delicate, frail body that looked ready to topple in the wind. Yet those eyes of his were full of hatred.

Whenever he had nothing to do, Fu Sili loved to tease him into smiling. He bought him candied hawthorns and flowers, treated his wounds, and saved tasty food for him. When the wind rose, Fu Sili took off his cloak and draped it around him. As he tied the knot, he saw the boy turn his head away, secretly blushing. Fu Sili found it amusing. "Why are you embarrassed?"

Xie Chen curled his fingers and stubbornly denied it. "I'm not."

Eventually, Fu Sili realized something was wrong. He prepared fine food and wine, along with a gift he had made by hand. At New Year's, he invited the boy to release lanterns with him. When the moment seemed right, Fu Sili was just about to confess his feelings.

"I like you." Xie Chen's entire ear had turned red, and he did not even dare look at him.

Fu Sili: "..."

How could you steal my chance? I've been planning this for so long...

*

Xie Chen had concealed his identity as a young general of the Northern Kingdom and lain low for a long time. At last, with Fu Sili's help, he established connections with all sorts of people. Then, for the sake of revenge, he left without a word and returned to his homeland. That year, Fu Sili's father died of illness. When Fu Sili learned the truth about Xie Chen's departure, his nature changed. He became ruthless and terrifying.

*

Two years later, Fu Sili conquered the kingdom and became the regent, taking control of the government. His first act was to lead an army against the Northern Kingdom in search of the young general who had left without a word. He won battle after battle, until the Northern Kingdom sent envoys to sue for peace and delivered a group of condemned slaves as part of the settlement.

Fu Sili finally found him in a cage. He gripped his neck viciously and looked down at him. "Isn't this the young general of the Northern Kingdom? It's been a long time. How did you end up a prisoner?"

Xie Chen was barely breathing, letting him choke him.

Fu Sili could never stand seeing him hurt. His heart ached, but he still kept his words harsh. "You were using me from beginning to end. Did you ever love me?"

"Can't you even lie to me?!"

Barely able to breathe, Xie Chen said, "I love you."

Fu Sili smiled and let go of him, then rescued him from the cage. He immediately issued an edict: "Choose a date for the young general of the Northern Kingdom, Xie Chen, to marry into our country."

Reader's guide:

1. Fu Sili, heir of the Southern Kingdom, a fiery, possessive, devoted dog of a man, x Xie Chen, young general of the Northern Kingdom, a cold, sharp-tongued fox who means what he says.

2. Slow burn, one-on-one romance, both leads have had no previous partners.

3. Entirely fictional setting, not historically researched.

Upcoming historical romance: "Flirting with the Minister"

Lian Sang met a ghost during the Ghost Festival.

He wore a loose cloak that covered his entire figure. Only his slender, pale chin and a hint of his thin lips could be seen. He stood in the white mist as eerie winds rose around him. He did no harm. He simply protected Lian Sang along the way, driving off the people who bullied her. But ever since she saw him, Lian Sang seemed to have lost her soul.

"You're trapped in his memories. You can't get out."

"You scattered his three hun."

The tear-shaped mole beneath Lian Sang's eye grew ever more vivid. Her mother watched her dazed state grow increasingly severe and begged a master to perform a ritual.

But Lian Sang said, "Send me back to see him."

"He is your destined match. You must find his three po."

Lian Sang returned to Dali a thousand years in the past. She had once been Dali's most exalted princess. He was nothing more than an amusement, sold to the music academy and made to fight in the arena for other people to bet on. After the princess brought him back, he protected her until the day he died, serving as her shadow guard. But Lian Sang was soon sent back to Yunshui Bridge, and his soul remained lost.

On her third return to Dali, the princess finally saw his soul.

It turned out that she had been sent to Dayou as a princess bride and was killed by her husband on their wedding night. He then pointed his sword at Dali. Alone, he led an army and fought desperately to defend the city. In the end, he held the princess's body and wept until he could no longer make a sound. His soul had attached itself to her coffin.

At the third turning, Lian Sang wept uncontrollably. "A Zheng, I've come to see you."

Theme: Break through adversity and stay true to yourself. Happiness comes through your own hard work.