The Great General Had His Eye on Me All Along

My new novel, Bending for Her, is a marriage-first, love-later story where a powerful man finally lowers his head. It's now underway. The full blurb is at the very bottom.

[This novel's blurb: A devoted, scheming general vs. a charming, lovely young lady]

By the emperor's haphazard matchmaking, Song Zhiyun found herself a distinguished husband.

Her husband's name was Huo Zheng, and he was just as formidable as his name suggested: a rock-solid general of Great Qi. His reputation for making children stop crying at night had never failed him, and he was known as the Iron-Faced Yama.

She thought married life would be full of hardship, but it turned out to be even more comfortable than living at home.

"My lady, this taro pastry is very sweet. Would you like to try some?"

"I married you properly. Of course I won't let you suffer."

"Tell me what you're unhappy with, my lady, and I'll change it."

This marriage, this husband, perhaps wasn't so bad after all?

*

Huo Zheng had been plotting to win Song Zhiyun for a long time.

Ten years ago, when he was frail and a target for others' bullying, she appeared just in time, parting the long night with a sliver of light.

Ten years later, he traded his military achievements for a marriage decree, but she had forgotten that whole chapter of their past.

No matter. They could simply start over.

He remembered every detail about her.

He fulfilled every request she made.

He saw through all her thoughts.

Stay calm and take the initiative, then draw her in.

Just as he expected, the fish took the bait.

[A little scene]

Song Zhiyun had been troubled lately.

Nearly half a year into their marriage, Huo Zheng still slept in a separate room and never mentioned moving back from his study.

Suspecting he had some private difficulty, she secretly asked people to search everywhere for renowned doctors.

Unfortunately, he caught her in the act.

The bed curtains fluttered and the red candles swayed. His deep, teasing laughter rang in her ears without end. "I've already thought of names for our children. If it's a boy, we'll call him Changce; if it's a girl, Qianxing. What do you think, my lady?"

1. This story shares a setting with my other novel, The Lady Can't Escape, but the styles are very different.

2. One couple, happy ending. The romance is guaranteed to be sweet!

Bending for Her

[Resilient beauty × unruly powerful official]

The thing Wei Linlang regretted most in her life was drinking that tainted wine at her cousin's birthday banquet, then becoming entangled with the powerful official Rong Ke.

Afterward, Rong Ke swaggered in and tossed down a stack of banknotes in front of everyone. "Compensation for your household."

Swallowing her humiliation, she stepped forward, each word spilling blood as she confronted him in front of the crowd. "Some things can't be settled with money."

As she wished, he allowed her into the marquis's residence, but only as a concubine.

Unwilling to accept this, she was constantly attentive to him, striving to become the marquis's wife.

He, in turn, went out of his way to humiliate her. Any clothes she touched had to be thrown away. He considered any floor she walked on unlucky. He even thought that calling her by name would lower his status.

After being rebuffed time and again, she lost heart and stopped making demands. She decided to spend her days quietly at the marquis's residence.

The estate was wealthy and powerful, after all. It wouldn't leave her wanting.

*

Rong Ke found Wei Linlang irritating, especially the faint fragrance that seemed to cling to her.

Their reckless night had been half the result of being ensnared by her underhanded methods, and half the result of him losing his senses over that faint fragrance.

He hated feeling out of control.

So he kept her at a distance in every way.

Until one day, his trusted aide cautiously repeated what she had said in the courtyard:

"I don't want to be the marquis's wife anymore."

The memorial, stamped with vermilion, was hurled across the room as soon as he heard her words.

In the end, he lost control.

That night, he pinned her beneath the warm bed curtains, his movements rough. "Didn't you say you wanted to be the marquis's wife?"

Later, his teasing voice rose and fell beneath the swaying green curtains. "Playing hard to get? You win."

Theme: Love one another.