Mingli

Marriage first, love later.

Ming Li is the illegitimate daughter of a county magistrate. Her mother died when she was young, and life has always been hard. She has to make every penny count. One day, her father is about to be promoted and move to the capital, while a high official's son takes an interest in her legitimate older sister. Her father orders Ming Li to take her sister's place and marry Xie Qingyu.

Xie Qingyu is the most famous rich young master in Luozhou City.

He's a spoiled playboy, wild and unruly.

Afraid the high official's son would find out that his older daughter had once been engaged to someone else, Ming Li's father bundles her into a bridal sedan and sends her off to Xie Qingyu.

With the woman he loves marrying someone else, and a stranger he'd never even met forced on him, Xie Qingyu can't even be bothered to lift her veil. He just says, “There's no way I'm touching you.”

Xie Qingyu drinks himself into a stupor.

The morning after, his head throbbing, he opens his eyes to a room dimmed by bright sunlight. A slender figure stands before the window. On tiptoe, the young woman presses dried flowers onto the window with paper decorations. Even the shadows cast on the ground by the sunlight have taken the shape of flowers.

Xie Qingyu sits up and sees the bright red quilt slide off him.

Noticing that Xie Qingyu is awake, Ming Li quickly brings over a bowl of perfectly warm tremella soup from the food warmer. The broth is golden orange, the tremella soft from stewing, and sweet jujube with a few goji berries on top makes it look delicious.

She is diligent and considerate, at least.

But there's no way that will make him fall for her!

Xie Qingyu deliberately finds fault. “It's too sweet!”

Ming Li lowers her eyes and replies meekly, “I'll get you another bowl.”

No matter how much he nitpicks, Ming Li remains gentle and kind. Xie Qingyu complains to his friend Qin He, a teacher at the academy, and asks him what to do.

“She seems to be madly in love with me. She takes care of everything, from my clothes to my meals. She doesn't even get angry when I stay out all night, and she never asks where I've been.”

“How can I get her to give up on me?!”

Qin He gives him a huge eye roll!

Ming Li is actually terrified of Xie Qingyu.

She saw him once before: his hair bound beneath a golden crown, a club as thick as a man's arm in his hands. With a crack, he broke someone's leg, grinning wildly and wickedly. “How dare you covet my fiancée? You have a death wish!”

He broke someone's leg and spent a fortune just to make Ming Li's older sister smile.

Her father has already taken her older sister to the distant capital. Ming Li is alone, with no family to turn to. She doesn't know where else she could go besides the Xie family.

She still has to live in this unfamiliar place. His heart belongs to her older sister, and luckily Ming Li doesn't like him either. More than anything, she needs somewhere to stay.

The Xie family is wealthy and doesn't have many rules. Her mother-in-law is kind and never gives her trouble. Ming Li sees the benefits and takes even better care of Xie Qingyu. Since she works hard enough, surely he won't kick her out, right?

If she does needlework for another two years, she'll save enough to buy a house of her own and leave. Then she can buy a little maid to keep her company. If she's lucky, she might even find a gentle, well-mannered scholar. Qin He, the teacher at the private school two streets away, seems lovely.

If he'd be willing to marry her, too.

A hamster-like saver of a heroine x a spoiled, unruly playboy at first who grows up later. The hero never truly loved the older sister. It's the heroine he truly loves.

Blurb saved on October 3, 2023. Screenshot taken. Plagiarism will be pursued.

Theme: Live well, no matter what your circumstances are.