Whose Little Turtle Grants Every Wish?

[I'm very sorry, but I've ultimately decided to make this story free to read and continue updating it. The process of removing the paywall is already underway. In addition to the Jinjiang Coins refunded by the system, please leave a comment if you paid for a subscription. I'll send you a red packet as compensation.]

(Things have been really difficult for me lately... I'm not in the best shape physically or mentally. I've tried for a long time to get back on track, but in the end, I still can't tell this story in full. I feel regret, helplessness, and pain, and all I can do is tell you how truly, truly sorry I am.

Thank you for waiting so long and for being so understanding. I've let you down. I bow my head in apology, orz.

I hope that someday in the future, I'll have the chance to finish this story properly. Until then, I hope our paths cross again.

Lastly, I wish you all happiness every day and a wonderful life outside the story. Sending love~)

=

Xu Gui is a little turtle, crudely carved into the bottom of a wishing pool.

After taking human form in the modern world, the little turtle felt his empty belly, his spiritual power all but gone. He silently put up a sign beside the wishing pool:

Believe in science. Your wishes will come true!

One day, a college student happened to pass by. He glanced at the sign with a scoff and casually muttered, "If you're so powerful, get me a partner!"

Xu Gui diligently spent the whole night tying red strings of fate for the man, using coins as offerings

until the college student woke up, clutching his aching waist and staring in a daze at the six-foot-two, dark-skinned athlete in his bed.

It worked, all right...

But I'm a guy too, man!

Xu Gui: ...?

You... you never said what gender you wanted! QAQ

Later

The person who wished for a partner found happiness in bed; the person who wished to get rich became satisfied; those who wished to lose weight or have children got what they wanted too. Even the Matchmaker God, the Judge of the Underworld, and all the other deities, great and small, were moved to tears:

Xu Gui must be a true god hiding among mortals!

Xu Gui: ...QAQ

I'm just a turtle from a wishing pool!

Later still

Droughts brought rain, floods stopped ravaging the land, and all across China, the weather was favorable and the people lived in peace and prosperity.

Xu Gui's spiritual power soared, and he ascended to become a dragon. Holding a gleaming gold coin in his arms, he looked at the client who'd brought him his first job and asked, reluctant to let go, "I can't fulfill your request..."

"Should I... give you your coin back?"

The client, Pei Wuxie, looked helplessly at Xu Gui's hand clutching the coin and refusing to let go. In silence, he tied the red string around Xu Gui's wrist.

"No need," Pei Wuxie said. "Isn't it fulfilled now?"

Xu Gui: ...?

"Weren't you here to ask for a match?"

Pei Wuxie: .

"I'll accept whoever fate assigns me."

Xu Gui: ???

- One-on-one, happy ending, both leads have only ever been with each other

- Xu Gui (Uke) x Pei Wuxie (Seme)

- The initial inspiration came from the internet

- Fictional setting with original worldbuilding. It's all made up, and the plot takes priority over logic and setting details, so don't overthink it.

- Not recommended for readers with extreme character preferences. You don't need to tell me if you drop the story. Please don't argue, and enjoy reading.

★ Coming soon 1: Married First to My Fiancé's Uncle. Blurb:

Ye Zhicong was well-behaved and sensible from a young age, with excellent grades. He was the child other people's parents and teachers always praised.

He grew up and went to school by the book, studied hard, and took his exams. After graduating, he planned to marry, have children, care for his wife and kids, and learn to be a good husband and father, all according to plan.

He thought he would live an unremarkable life.

But he never expected a marriage contract to shatter the peace he'd always imagined.

As the only eligible young man in the Ye family, Ye Zhicong was to marry into the Lu family, a household famed throughout Jing City. His betrothed was the notorious playboy of high society, the Lu family's young master, Lu Shiyuan.

Yes, his betrothed was a man.

Ye Zhicong was a man too.

Ye Zhicong lowered his eyes, thought it over, and quietly revised his life plan.

Marry a wife (crossed out), become a wife. Have children (crossed out), get a dog.

Then learn to be a respectable... husband and dog owner.

His pen paused, and Ye Zhicong added another line:

Or I could get a cat too, and become a respectable litter-box cleaner^-^

Unexpectedly, Lu Shiyuan turned on him in public, tore up the marriage contract, and mocked him for being shameless, for dreaming of climbing the social ladder and attaching himself to a wealthy family.

Overnight, Ye Zhicong became a laughingstock throughout Jiang City.

Everyone waited to see the Ye family humiliated.

They waited and waited, but no scandal came.

Instead, news broke that the Lu family would honor the marriage contract after all.

This time, the person marrying into the family was the true head of the Lu family, its second son, Lu Fang, a man whose name was known throughout Jiang City, though few had ever seen him.

Lu Shiyuan's biological uncle.

Ye Zhicong didn't mind.

If he was going to be a respectable husband, it didn't matter who his partner was^-^

-

Rumor had it that Lu Fang had severed himself from all emotion and desire, as cold as a snow-covered pine.

No one could imagine him as a husband after marriage.

He'd never imagined it himself.

Until one day, Ye Zhicong entered his world.

He was gentle and well-behaved. His curved brows were always accompanied by a smile, and he was easygoing with everyone, kind to the very end.

But Lu Fang knew the truth behind that boundless gentleness: absolute indifference.

From then on, someone occupied Lu Fang's heart.

From that day forward, all of Jiang City knew that the man who held the city's economic lifeline had one absolute no-go zone.

Don't touch Ye Zhicong

or Ye Zhicong's cat.

-

I will plant a seed in a barren desert,

in the name of love.

It will sprout, bloom, and bear fruit in my image.

★ Coming soon 2: Into the Dragon Bed. Blurb:

The border was breached, and the nation was in decline.

Xie Yuncheng, dead for many years, was no more than a tattered wisp of a soul. He floated above Bailiang Terrace, watching Lu Jue, a prince, and his eight hundred personal guards fight for thirty-one days atop the city gates. They fought tirelessly, but in the end, not one survived.

Xie Yuncheng smiled faintly, pressing a hand to his brow. He had nothing but a cup of muddy wine with which to question the heavens.

He wanted to ask: had the entire Xie clan's brutal deaths truly bought the prosperous age the Lu family wanted?

The hills are strewn with the bones of loyal soldiers. May the nation never again bear the Lu name.

Everyone sighed, saying, "This is the fate of the nation. The tide of history is simply, "

...turning?

Xie Yuncheng opened his eyes again. Lu Jue, dressed in red, his black hair tied high and his features bright and handsome, was running toward him. By instinct, Xie Yuncheng reached out and pulled the man's lean waist into his arms.

Mm. Warm, soft, and nice to hold.

...Wait?

With shining puppy eyes and a voice choked with happy tears, Lu Jue said:

"Brother Cheng, today is my investiture ceremony. You have to come!"

Xie Yuncheng fell silent for two seconds. Still unable to believe it, he casually pinched Lu Jue's waist.

He only made Lu Jue fall into his arms.

Looking at Lu Jue's ears, which had turned bright red, Xie Yuncheng suddenly understood:

The twelfth year of Tianqi.

Heaven had not doomed the Xie family.

That year, the whole Xie clan had yet to fall victim to treacherous ministers. The Xie residence was still the pillar of the state, revered by the entire court. His eldest sister, his mother, his father, and his loyal brothers were all alive.

Xie Yuncheng glanced at Lu Jue.

If he was going to overthrow the Lu family's hold on the throne...

Perhaps he could make use of this harmless, good-natured young prince.

But if he wanted anyone to believe that the Xie family, which had always stayed out of factional struggles, would suddenly switch sides and help Lu Jue seize the throne, there was one troublesome matter to handle first:

He'd have to deal with the sordid feelings the young Prince Lu could barely hide.

The year Xie Yuncheng died on the battlefield, his spirit had witnessed it all.

This young prince Lu, usually carefree and only good for bickering and throwing tantrums with him, never doing anything serious, had trembled as he wiped the blood from Xie Yuncheng's face. Then, devoutly, he had placed a light kiss on his lips.

Oh, what a headache.

Xie Yuncheng closed his folding fan, sidestepped Lu Jue, and gently pushed him away. His foxlike eyes curved as he lowered his gaze with a faint smile.

"Your Highness, throwing yourself into my arms like that is rather improper."

Lu Jue's eyes were red, and the flush spread from his ears all the way down his neck. He clenched his jaw and said nothing, but in his heart he made a solemn vow:

Once I kill my father and seize the throne, I'll protect the Xie clan's loyal family and give them generations of glory!

I'll tie you to the dragon bed and keep you there day and night!

Please, love me.

★ Check out my completed novels, and feel free to grab them from my profile:

The Captain Will Catch You for Flirting Too Much [Esports]: Flirtatious, playful uke x aloof, chaste seme

After the Sweet Little Omega Lured Me Away [Esports]: Naturally seductive catlike uke x openly flirtatious seme

Blurb dated: 2023.06.22

Premise: Do good deeds, and don't worry about what comes next.