Hidden in the High Tower

[My next novel is His Majesty Always Suspects I've Reloaded. Blurb below.]

A beautiful, cold-hearted woman who only wants to run away x a powerful warlord who grows increasingly twisted

Blurb:

Everyone said Shi Wan was lucky. Though she came from humble beginnings as a songstress, she got to stay by the side of Jiang Xu, the Prince of Jingbei.

The man was tall and handsome, with power in his hands. At first, she too thought his protection could be a place to stay.

She was gentle and attentive, always accommodating him, and for a time they lived together in harmony.

But as they spent more time together, Jiang Xu began wanting to take things further.

Shi Wan couldn't handle it and fled in the middle of the night.

She left in haste and with conviction, leaving behind only the bewilderment and obsession in the man's eyes.

*

When they met again, Jiang Xu approached her step by step in a guise she didn't recognize.

The anger of having been deceived burned away what little affection he had left. With a sinister expression, he ordered Shi Wan to return to his manor.

Then he used every brutal means at his disposal, taunting and humiliating her day after day.

When she was nearing death, she put on the new clothes he had ordered made for her and stood before him. Wearing the same gentle expression he remembered, she smiled brightly. "Everything that happened before was this servant's fault."

"From this moment on, whatever Your Highness wishes is what this servant wishes."

Hearing those words again, Jiang Xu only sneered. "A lowborn woman, all honeyed words and empty flattery." Certain he had seen through her, he gave a scornful laugh and asked mockingly, "What if what I wish for now is your death?"

He thought it was just another empty remark, never imagining that this time

it was her final farewell.

*

Later.

Jiang Xu would always remember the fire etched deepest in his memory.

That day, flames lit up the night, twisting upward in wisps as they devoured the beams. By the time he arrived, all he received was the news that Shi Wan's body had never been found.

No matter how frantically he dug through the rubble on his knees, his cracked, bleeding fingers could never again touch that familiar softness.

Rain poured down. Its heavy, staccato impacts sounded like knocking on a coffin, and in a daze, the rain blurred the two trails of tears on his cheeks.

For many nights afterward, he dreamed of that moment again and again.

His heart torn to pieces, consumed by regret.

Yet there was no escaping this nightmare for the rest of his life.

Reading guide:

1. A fictional setting loosely modeled on the late Tang dynasty, with some elements of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties. The land is in chaos.

2. A warlord and a beauty. The heroine will run away more than once.

3. Both are sexually inexperienced. One-on-one romance. Happy ending. An unconventional groveling arc. Happy reading!

[Original blurb screenshot dated 23.08.13, latest version dated 25.07.04]

My next novel is His Majesty Always Suspects I've Reloaded

Blurb:

Rong Ying transmigrates into a romance novel she once read, becoming a side character who dies from the start.

Although she is the legitimate son, her whole family dislikes her, and she's also an impostor pretending to be a man.

Fortunately, she can reload endlessly to avoid disaster.

But she has terrible luck from the start and is caught by the original novel's male lead, You Xing.

In the book, he is a notorious womanizer who turns over a new leaf after meeting the heroine. Seeing that she can't shake him, Rong Ying decides to endure the humiliation and keep her head down until the heroine appears.

She can't beat the strong, so she might as well cling to them. But who could have guessed that You Xing would become more and more attentive and domineering?

It seems even his personality is completely different from the book...

Rong Ying comforts herself: an emperor's promise should be enough to keep her alive.

Who could have guessed that rumors would later spread through the court that she was the emperor's "favorite courtier," even outranking the original novel's 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 first moment he saw Rong Ying, he wanted to kill her.

Seeing that she possessed supernatural powers, You Xing waved his hand and had her brought back to the palace.

Who could have guessed she would gradually prove not to be mean and foolish, but bright and captivating, and that she was actually a woman!

He prides himself on being heartless, but the repeated confrontations in which he exposes her identity make his resolve waver.

"Rong Qing, I think your features are rather delicate, almost like a woman's." After watching the attendants react in all sorts of ways five times, You Xing fell silent.

"Rong Qing, you did make a mistake, but it's not as if I really intend to blame you." After making this bold claim eight times, You Xing's mouth went dry and his heart raced.

"Rong Qing, I want to talk with you all night today. Why not stay in the Qianqing Palace?" After being rejected ten times, You Xing stared at her graceful figure, desire churning in his eyes.

After failing time and again, You Xing understood.

Words weren't enough. He had to put them into action.

Later.

After dozens of reloads, the bed was a mess.

You Xing moved with lightning speed, pinning the woman who had tried to run away at his side. His voice full of grievance, he said, "Rong Ying, you can reload as many times as you like. The outcome will be the same."

"You kissed me, so now you have to take responsibility for me."

Theme: Live for yourself