Li Nian transmigrated into a period novel and became the female lead's foil.
Oh, right. The female lead was her cousin, and her entire family served as a foil to the female lead's family.
Her mother and the female lead's mother were sisters. The female lead's mother was gentle and soft-spoken, while her own mother had mastered the art of roaring like a lioness.
The female lead had been the classic "other people's child" since she was little: smart, perceptive, obedient, and diligent. Her parents, relatives, and friends all adored her. She always ranked first on exams and came home with a "Good Student" certificate every time.
Li Nian, on the other hand, had never liked studying. She was mischievous and naughty, a pro at climbing trees, scaling walls, and skipping school. She was also stubborn enough to drive people up the wall, and she lost interest in everything after three minutes. All that mattered to her was having fun.
Whenever they visited her maternal grandmother's home for New Year, everyone showered the female lead with praise. When it was Li Nian's turn, they repeatedly held her up as a bad example, warning the younger cousins to learn from the female lead and never turn out like her.
Li Nian didn't understand why they couldn't learn from her. She wasn't a bad person. She was a law-abiding citizen, more or less honest and kind, and she'd even helped an old lady cross the street. Why couldn't they learn from her?!
So what if she couldn't get full marks on exams? Her grades were a little poor, and her teachers were always summoning her parents for a chat, but she really wasn't cut out for studying. What was she supposed to do?
Li Nian sighed. Fine, if everyone liked good students, she might not have the talent to become a top scholar, but she could steal one, no, marry one and bring him home. As husband and wife, they were one and the same. If he was impressive, then so was she!
The female lead said, "That's cheating! It doesn't count!!"
Li Nian spread her hands. "How can it not count?"
She looked around and settled on Xu Shuyan, the top student who left everyone else in the dust at every joint school exam. He always beat her academically gifted cousin, the female lead, and was unquestionably number one.
She'd made up her mind. He was the one.
*
Xu Shuyan was calm and restrained, strict with himself, courteous, and a stickler for the rules. He'd lived that way for eighteen years. The only time he'd ever acted on impulse was when he readily accepted her confession.
In other people's eyes, he'd momentarily lost his head, been blinded, and fallen under someone's spell. No one knew that he'd longed for this and was perfectly happy to go along with it.
His only regret was that he let her have him too easily. The little liar had promised to like him forever, but after getting him, she lost her enthusiasm before the novelty had even worn off.
Know this: a promise must be kept, and actions must have consequences.
He would spend the rest of his life teaching her that lesson.
A gentle ensemble story about everyday life, with sweet romantic moments.
Theme: Everyone has something that makes them shine
