Hiring a Killer

Please add my upcoming novels to your reading list~ Blurbs at the very end.

Picking Up a Fool for a Husband: A husband-taming expert vs. a pure-love warrior

Sweet romance | Bickering couple | Marriage before love | Lighthearted daily life | 1v1 HE

After Becoming a Widow, My First Love Won't Leave Me Alone: A widowed wine seller vs. her devoted childhood friend

Bittersweet romance | Rekindled love | Everyday life | Healing | 1v1 HE

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Blurb:

Xu Ling, the ruler of Beiting, whose domain stretched for thousands of miles, made only one mistake in his life: taking Jiang Zhiwu in.

Jiang Zhiwu was the legitimate daughter of the Chancellor's household. But when she was fifteen, her parents died in prison, and she became the daughter of a disgraced official.

Everyone said the ruler of Beiting had destroyed the Jiang family.

With nowhere else to turn, Jiang Zhiwu tried to pay someone to kill her enemy, but somehow ended up offering herself instead.

The young man with an evil glint in his smile told her that the ruler of Beiting was worth a great deal, and she would have to trade another person's life for his.

Jiang Zhiwu shook her head. She was a frail young woman. How could she possibly kill anyone?

But the young man on the high platform looked at her intently and said, "I'll teach you."

In these turbulent times, even a well-bred young lady had to pick up a knife and carve out a path to survival for herself.

-

At first, Xu Ling took her in on a whim, like scooping up a hungry kitten and giving this orphan the means to survive in a chaotic world.

He never expected that even a mild-mannered kitten could grow sharp claws and fangs, then drive the knife he'd given her right back into him.

The cat had run away.

The blade he'd given her had become her best weapon for pushing him away.

Xu Ling realized he truly regretted it.

Reader's Guide:

An alternate Han-Tang setting; sc; HE

The male lead is not the female lead's enemy

The female lead is weak at first, but gradually grows stronger and more independent

Blurb archived on July 17, 2023

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Two upcoming novels

Picking Up a Fool for a Husband: A husband-taming expert vs. a pure-love warrior

Sweet romance | Bickering couple | Marriage before love | Lighthearted daily life | 1v1 HE

Shen Yu was an ordinary young village doctor. Her family was poor, but she was hardworking and clever, and she managed to make the best of their humble life.

Her only real worry was that she had no parents to help arrange a marriage for her, and at seventeen, she still had no prospects.

That was until she found a fool in the mountains.

The fool was blind and mute, though at least he could hear. He was obedient and good at working, so after much thought, Shen Yu decided to keep him.

She was only a village doctor, and didn't expect to cure him. Whenever she had leftover medicine, she would brew some for him.

Unexpectedly, the fool slowly began to recover. Sometimes, when he was clearheaded, he even protected her.

After that, whenever she had time, she taught him to read and write, study books, identify prescriptions, and prepare medicine. She thought it wouldn't be so bad to spend the rest of her life with him.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. She planned to marry herself off on her eighteenth birthday.

As Shen Yu held the fool's hand and guided him stroke by stroke in writing their marriage contract, she still didn't know he was a young general.

-

Qi Yuan enlisted at sixteen. In less than five years, his reputation as a handsome young general had spread throughout the capital. Countless powerful families wanted him as a son-in-law, but his heart had always belonged to his cousin, the princess, who was already promised to someone else.

On the day the princess married, Qi Yuan volunteered to guard the border and suppress a rebellion. But he was ambushed and seriously wounded. He fled to the mountains, where he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he was lying in a thatched cottage in the countryside.

The red bridal curtains were plain, the candles cheap, and only the bedding was reasonably soft.

He leapt out of bed and discovered that he was completely naked.

Behind him, a lazy, soft voice said, "You fool, you kept me up half the night. Why are you awake so early today?"

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After Becoming a Widow, My First Love Won't Leave Me Alone: A widowed wine seller vs. her devoted childhood friend

Bittersweet romance | Rekindled love | Everyday life | Healing | 1v1 HE

Jiang Mo believed that when people were in too much pain, they chose to forget certain things.

It was a way of protecting themselves.

Jiang Mo was very protective of herself. She could barely remember what had happened ten years ago.

So when she ran into Ji Cizhou again, she greeted him with a bright smile. "It's been so long, Young Master Ji."

Ji Cizhou stared at her in astonishment and didn't say a word for a long time.

She brushed back her hair and said easily, "What's wrong, Young Master Ji? Would you like to buy some wine?"

Only then did Ji Cizhou seem to snap out of it. His expression was dark. "Jiang Mo, is this how you're taking revenge on me?"

Jiang Mo was confused. "What are you talking about, Young Master Ji?" She blinked. "Don't worry. Since we grew up on the same street, I'll give you a discount on the wine."

Ji Cizhou's colleagues teased him, saying that although he looked so proper, he was privately acquainted with the prettiest widow in the capital.

They said, "Madam Mo, Cizhou's returned to the capital as the new head of the Market Supervision Office. Your wine stall will never be short on customers again!"

Jiang Mo replied cheerfully, "Really? Then today's wine is on me, Young Master Ji, and everyone else. Please look after me from now on!"

She filled a whole jar for each of them, especially Ji Cizhou's. His wine was filled right to the brim, and spilled over when she put the stopper in, soaking her skirt and leaving her smelling of wine.

The men at the neighboring stalls laughed that she was so happy she'd lost her head. Then they joked that her curvy figure suited her well, and that she had more charm than shame, smelling sweeter than any rouge or powder.

Jiang Mo laughed heartily and saw the officials off. Sitting alone behind her little wine stall, she really was happy that Ji Cizhou had become the head of the Market Supervision Office.

It had been ten years since they last saw each other, but at least as far back as she could remember, from the time she was born until she was sixteen, they'd always gotten along.

As for what happened after she turned sixteen, Jiang Mo couldn't remember. She only vaguely recalled that something unpleasant had happened, and then Ji Cizhou had been sent away to serve as an official.

What could possibly have happened that was bad enough to hold a grudge for ten years?

Jiang Mo lowered her head and smiled gently, giving it no further thought.

-

The next day, a group of Market Supervision Office constables came to her wine stall.

Jiang Mo greeted them with a smile, thinking Ji Cizhou had brought them by to drum up business. She was already eagerly trying to draw in customers.

But the one leading them raised his saber and smashed a jar of her best wine.

Jiang Mo was sure there had to be some kind of misunderstanding.

That evening, after closing up her stall, she took a jug of fine wine and headed down the old street she remembered.

When they were young, she and Ji Cizhou had chased each other around there.

As she looked at the familiar stone steps, Jiang Mo suddenly remembered that Ji Cizhou never drank.

She gave a rueful smile. If she was going to ask him for a favor, she couldn't start off by putting her foot in her mouth. She would have to go home and prepare a different gift first.

She turned around, her clothes and hair still scented with wine. When she looked up, Ji Cizhou was standing behind her.

Jiang Mo immediately beamed at him, speaking with the easy familiarity of an old neighbor. "You're off work? I was just passing by to deliver some wine to someone over there."

She instinctively made up a lie, though she didn't know why.

The old street was narrow, so she turned sideways to squeeze past Ji Cizhou.

But Ji Cizhou blocked her way and wouldn't let her leave.

They stood there at an impasse for a long time, until Jiang Mo's smile began to ache and the last rays of sunlight had faded.

In the pitch-dark street, Ji Cizhou asked softly, "Jiang Mo, why don't you hate me?"

Theme: Love makes us whole