Gathering Mulberries

[Next up: His Majesty Keeps Suspecting I Reloaded] Please add it to your reading list. Scroll down for the blurb. ○ Face-slapping, childhood sweethearts reunite after a breakup, a sweet historical romance Blurb: 1. In Suzhou, two households enjoyed great prestige, though their true circumstances were worlds apart. Sang Yu, daughter of the richest man in town, reeked of money and had no scholarly talent. Cheng Qi, heir to the Prince of Yun'an's household, was a gentleman of refinement and widely read. Though they lived on the same street, they seemed to belong to two different worlds. But... no one knew. These two people, so utterly different, had once entwined their fingers beneath the evening stars and the chirping of insects, promising to stay together forever. It was more like a secret, buried deep in the ground when one of them left. 2. Years later, Sang Yu returned to her hometown and saw her uncle and sister-in-law coveting her vast estate. To solve her urgent predicament, she decided to try a different approach. She would find a well-read man to marry into her family and help her protect her fortune. After much thought, by a twist of fate she set her sights on her childhood sweetheart. But unexpectedly, by the time Cheng Qi reached adulthood, his personality had changed completely. The boy who used to play with her was nowhere to be found. All that remained was the top scholar, telling her to stay away from him. So Sang Yu had no choice but to settle for other candidates. To her surprise, the very next day, the man she had her eye on took to his bed and refused to leave the house. Then the third, then the fourth... With no other choice, she went back to her childhood sweetheart and begged him to pretend to be with her, promising him a precious treasure in return. Later, in the study. Cheng Qi gazed at Sang Yu's bashful expression, his eyes dark and unreadable. For a long while, he said nothing. At last, he slowly took her trembling hand. Each word was deliberate and full of meaning. "It's a deal." "A precious treasure... in return." 3. Cheng Qi had never been able to let go of Sang Yu's sudden departure without a word. Later, perhaps heaven took pity on him, and at last the precious treasure returned to his side. But when they met again after so long, his heart was filled with fear. He feared making a wrong move, feared that his beautiful dream would shatter. So he merely gave a cool nod, his expression distant. To those watching, it seemed that the heir Cheng was a man of noble character who disdained associating with a merchant's daughter. But only Cheng Qi knew how much longing and madness filled his heart through countless restless nights. When it came to her, he had always been insatiable. His desire could never be satisfied. Reader's Guide: 1. Both leads are virgins, happy ending, one-on-one romance. The male lead is all bark and a soft heart, devoted to the heroine. Childhood sweethearts, mutually devoted. 2. Everything in the plot serves the couple's romance. Don't overthink it. 3. A sweet romance in an imaginary setting. 50% anti-piracy chapter ratio. Happy reading! Coming next: His Majesty Keeps Suspecting I Reloaded Blurb: Rong Ying transmigrates into a female-oriented novel she once read, becoming a side character who is killed off right from the start. Though born the legitimate son, she is disliked by her entire family and is also an impostor pretending to be a man. Fortunately, she can reload infinitely to avoid disaster. But she has terrible luck from the start, and gets caught red-handed by the original male lead, You Xing. In the book, he is quite the womanizer, only mending his ways after meeting the heroine. Seeing no way to shake him, Rong Ying decides to endure everything and lie low until the heroine appears. She can't fight someone stronger than herself, so she might as well cling to him. But who knew You Xing would become more and more considerate and domineering? It seems even his personality is completely different from the one in the book? Rong Ying comforts herself: the emperor has given his word, and that's all that matters as long as she stays alive. Who knew that rumors would later spread throughout the court that she was the emperor's "favorite minister," even outranking the original heroine? Rong Ying: ? She has to protect both her life and her virtue! Reload! She has to reload! * The new emperor, You Xing, is cold and suspicious by nature. From the very first moment he saw Rong Ying, he wanted her dead. Discovering that she possessed sorcery, You Xing waved a hand and had her brought back to the palace. Who knew she would gradually turn out to be not mean and foolish, but bright and captivating? And, in fact, a woman! He prided himself on being heartless, yet after repeatedly trying to expose her identity, his resolve began to waver. "Rong, I think your features are rather delicate, almost feminine." After watching the attendants' varied reactions to this scene five times, You Xing fell silent. "Rong, you did make a mistake, but I never said I was really going to punish you." After blurting that out eight times, You Xing's mouth went dry and his heart raced. "Rong, I want to talk with you all night. Why not stay over in the Qianqing Palace?" After being rejected ten times, You Xing gazed at her graceful figure, desire swirling in his eyes. After failing time and again, You Xing finally understood. Words weren't enough. He had to show her through his actions. Later. After dozens of reloads, the bed was in disarray. You Xing moved with lightning speed, pinning the woman trying to escape at his side. His voice full of reproach, he said, "Rong Ying, no matter how many times you reload, it will always end the same way." "You kissed me, so now you have to take responsibility for me." Theme: People are only young once.