After the White Moonlight Took the Initiative to Follow the Plot

Xi Li stayed up all night reading a novel. She hadn't even finished it when, through one careless mistake, she suddenly died.

When she opened her eyes, she had become the widely known white moonlight of the heir to the Duke of Rong's household in the capital.

According to the white moonlight rule, unless something unexpected happened, she was sure to be the vicious supporting female character, helping the male and female leads' love flourish before meeting a cannon-fodder ending.

Xi Li had happened to arrive on the day she was traveling south of the Yangtze with her cousin. Confident she knew the tropes of substitute romance novels, she thought: Great, Jiangnan is perfect for retiring.

With green hills in the distance and winding rivers, why fight the heroine over a man? It made far more sense to be a good supporting character and keep the plot moving.

Until...

"Miss, there's someone beside Young Master Cui who looks just like you."

Before long, Xi Li found herself at the showdown between the leads and the white moonlight in a substitute romance. She knew the drill.

Heartbroken, she cried, "Brother Jing, who is she?"

The male lead swept away. Mm, another day of pushing the plot forward.

When Xi Li ran into the leads again and met the male lead's sinister gaze, she knew the drill.

In a pitiful voice, she said, "Brother Jing, I have my reasons!"

Sure enough, the male lead swept away again, looking furious. Mm, he must despise her now.

Just as Xi Li decided the time was right and leisurely began choosing a husband she liked...

"Miss, Young Master Cui has come to propose marriage."

Xi Li: ???

Hadn't she been pushing the plot forward all along? Did she push it in the wrong direction?

Bonus scene

After an accident, Cui Jing saw Xi Li rushing over with shining eyes to watch the commotion and suddenly understood.

He asked, unwilling to give up: "Was it you?" His voice was firm, but in his heart he hoped she would deny it at once.

Xi Li was baffled, then immediately caught on. He actually thought she'd done it?

Thinking of how strangely the male lead had been acting lately, it was time to turn things up a notch.

So she gritted her teeth. "Yes, that's right. It was me!"

"Brother Jing, I just didn't want to lose you..."

Cui Jing laughed freely. "Then let's get married."

He'd only been playing along. Did she really think she could get away from him?

Xi Li: ...

Jokes are jokes, but don't treat marriage like a game. This is no time to have a breakdown.

An alternate-universe setting with plenty of original worldbuilding.

Coming soon: My Ex-Husband's Superior Wants to Take His Place. Please add it to your library!

Although Wen Yunci was the daughter of a minor official, her fiance was an exceptional man. The two had been engaged since childhood. Everyone praised her as gentle, virtuous, dignified, and self-possessed, and thought that she and the talented Cao Yu made a perfect match.

Indeed, her fiance was considerate and attentive, caring for her in every way. Knowing she couldn't bear to leave her parents, he waited years after their engagement before marrying her.

With a husband like that, what more could she ask for?

But on their wedding day, heavily armed soldiers surrounded the Cao residence. Through a crack in the bridal sedan, Wen Yunci saw a man with an imposing, unshakable bearing standing calmly before the gates of the Cao residence. His gaze pierced through the crowd like a blade, striking toward her. Wen Yunci's heart lurched. For some reason, he seemed strangely familiar.

When the truth was ripped open in all its bloody horror, the handsome man suddenly seemed repulsive, and the man who was now her husband was buried deep in her heart forever.

~

Cao Yu knew his fiancee was stunning. It took him ten days to decide to hand her over.

The capital was full of powerful, talented people. If he couldn't flatter and curry favor, he was doomed. Yet his superior was a principled gentleman, measured and restrained, indifferent to bribes and flattery.

At last, one day, he discovered his superior's weakness.

The curtains stirred in the room. He stared fixedly at the delicate hand someone had forcibly pulled back, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth.

It was fine. As long as he got through this, he and Yunci would surely live in perfect harmony.

But he never imagined that one day the person who had always treated him gently would plunge a dagger into his chest without hesitation.

~

Though Liang Jichu was young, he had already risen to great power. Many people tried to ingratiate themselves with him, but he was used to ignoring them. He never expected another man's wife to captivate him.

He had assumed they understood each other without needing to speak about that secret, but it turned out she had been manipulated too, kept in the dark all along.

He had feelings for her already. In that case, he might as well take her for himself.

But she was no longer gentle and tender with him in bed as she once had been. Now she either glared at him or hurt him.

But so what? She couldn't escape him.

Yet he never imagined that one day he would willingly kneel before her and beg for her affection.

He would even happily pave the way for her, respectfully addressing her as, "Lord Wen!"

Theme: May we all live the lives we want.