After I Took the Place of the Gloomy Young Lord's Bride

Mu Wanning had always gone with the flow, living an unremarkable life through the first half of her years.

Then an accident changed everything: a stranger took her virtue.

Her stepmother and older sister then forced her to marry in her sister's place, to Lou Qingci,

the young master of the demon realm, who had been disfigured and left crippled after going berserk.

The good news: the young master was impotent, so he wouldn't discover her secret.

The bad news: people said he was ill-tempered, sinister, and difficult to get along with.

Mu Wanning decided that once she married him, she'd do her best to get along with the young master and keep their life peaceful.

But on her wedding day, morning sickness revealed her pregnancy, making it look as if she'd cuckolded him in front of everyone.

That night, she got into a fight and smashed a hole straight through the wall of their bridal chamber.

Later, to show her sincerity, she offered to apply medicine to Lou Qingci herself.

But when she saw the scarred face beneath his mask, she let out a terrified scream.

The young master's face grew darker, and the air grew colder.

Mu Wanning: ...I think I can still salvage this.

-

After forcing her half-sister to marry Lou Qingci in her place, Mu Wanqing was ready to sit back and watch her make a fool of herself.

She never imagined how heartbroken she'd be later, or how bitterly she'd regret her decision.

-

*Sinister, cold-hearted but utterly devoted young master × easygoing, lie-flat, adorable little fox

*Marriage by substitution | Love after marriage | Sweet romance and healing | Romance between demons

*Both leads are faithful in body and heart

-

Here's the next book I'm planning to write.

"Dancing on the Edge of the Plot"

Wu Pianpian woke up one day to find she'd transmigrated into a sweet romance xianxia novel she'd read.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the heroine of the romance, nor was she the rich, beautiful, shapely young lady who played the second female lead.

She was just a poor, stupid, low-level cannon-fodder character, a homewrecker who'd try to steal the male lead after his engagement to the heroine, and whose ending would be utterly miserable.

Her most famous line was: “The one who isn't loved is the real third party.”

And the scene she'd transmigrated into?

She'd spent a month bringing the male lead pastries and love letters without getting a response. Now she'd blocked his way after he returned from hunting, planning to confess her feelings in front of everyone and deliver that famous line.

Wu Pianpian looked at the male lead's cool expression, the heroine's assessing gaze, and the crowd of onlookers ready for gossip.

The male lead asked, “What do you want to say?”

I mustn't get involved with the main couple!

In a panic, Wu Pianpian blurted, “I want to say, I like Qin Jibai. I'm worried about him. Could you take me to see him?”

Qin Jibai was the male lead's friend.

A month ago, he'd been taken back to Jinling to recuperate.

Everyone present froze. Huh? She liked Qin Jibai?

The moment Wu Pianpian said it, she regretted it.

Qin Jibai came with every possible debuff.

He was naturally frail, coughed up blood, couldn't stand bright light, preferred dark places, had extremely sharp hearing, hated people speaking loudly, and suffered agonizing pain from old injuries whenever it rained.

He was someone who couldn't go out on sunny days and felt awful on rainy ones, too.

So although he seemed gentle and harmless, he was actually a lunatic: hot-tempered, with a body count even higher than the male lead's. Sometimes the male lead had to stop him.

He used to be gentle only with the male lead, but later the heroine joined that short list.

In the book, Qin Jibai was the one who killed Wu Pianpian in the end.

Wu Pianpian: Maybe I should pack up and run away after all. Staying far from the main cast is the only way to stay alive.

But an irresistible force wouldn't let her run away. It also made her pursue the male lead just as the original story dictated.

So Wu Pianpian became like someone with a split personality: she kept saying she liked Qin Jibai while constantly drawing closer to the male lead.

Qin Jibai had the delicate looks and build of a scholar: slender and handsome.

But reading had given him headaches since childhood, and he preferred martial arts.

His health made him irritable and impatient, and he often lost his temper.

That contrast made many people who got close to him end up disliking him and keeping their distance.

Besides, he had a close friend from a better family, with greater talent and a much brighter presence.

He'd never had much luck with women.

When a foolish, clueless girl barged into his life and said she liked him, he was only annoyed.

He hated spending time with girls more than anything.

But he couldn't be bothered to deal with her. She'd give up soon enough.

Yet day after day, she kept saying she liked him, swearing she wanted no one else for the rest of her life and wouldn't stop until she'd won him over.

But...

Why did she always confess when his best friend was there?

Why did every gift she gave him have to go through his best friend?

Why did her eyes always turn toward his best friend?

On a dark, rainy night,

Wu Pianpian hugged Qin Jibai as his old injuries flared up, hoping to comfort him and ease his pain.

Instead, he hugged her even tighter, as if he meant to crush her into his bones.

He bit down hard on her neck, his voice as fierce as ever, though beneath it was a hint of grievance.

“You're a liar. Who is it you really like?”

-

Theme: Life is full of surprises (and scares).