The Sickly Darling Is Reborn

[Next up: Innocent Beauty [Quick Transmigration]. See below for the blurb.] I think the chance to be reborn should go to someone who needs it more. I was the legitimate son of the Zhou family of Xiyuan. Even if I acted like a spoiled wastrel, idling my days away and making no effort to improve, the Zhou family could still pile all kinds of rare treasures on me until my cultivation advanced. But I insisted on making an enemy of Zhou Weiyi. I snatched his magic treasures and opportunities, ruined his romantic prospects and fate, stabbed him, and drove him out of the Zhou family. Then I took my place atop an empty dais. Later, I killed him for revenge, and one moment of poor judgment sent me down the demonic path. My friends and family turned against me, and I had nowhere left to go. Only the day before I died did I learn that he wasn't the son of my father's mistress. He was the son of my father's benefactor. The demons had deceived me. He hadn't killed my mother, and my revenge had been a joke. He had treated me with genuine kindness. He had never owed me anything. I was vicious and stupid, but I still had some shame. With little time left and my reputation in ruins, I decided to at least leave him with an untarnished name. So, in front of all the cultivators, I took my own life and confessed to my crimes. But I never understood why, as I died, Zhou Weiyi forced his way through the formation and stumbled over to hold me, trying to save my life. When he watched my soul return to heaven and earth, he even shed tears. He didn't seem very happy. Even his friend Song Xingran, who was always at odds with me and never missed a chance to mock me harshly, wore the expression of a man whose wife had just died. Sigh. Anyway, I didn't want to be reborn, but I was reborn all the same. Though I avoided a few wrong turns and had a clear head this time, years of fear of Zhou Weiyi still haunted me, and I felt vaguely guilty. We weren't meant to be on the same path, so I dodged him at every turn. But Zhou Weiyi seemed more forgiving and patient than in my previous life. He'd even become clingy, checking on me every day and sending several messages whenever I went out. Song Xingran was just as sharp-tongued as ever, but he kept staring at me in a daze and blushing for no reason. I find him annoying. To ruin Zhou Weiyi's romantic prospects, my mother claimed I was in love with the only son of the Rong family. The very next day, that young master came to see me and calmly asked whether it was true. I was mortified. * I seem to have avoided a few wrong turns. ...And then taken a few more. [Content warnings: beloved-by-all shou / split personality gong / the shou is sickly and in poor health] Weibo: Zhaoxuejian (for posting) (The cover character design isn't exclusive. Permission to use it online has been granted =w= Thanks to the designer: Chijian. Artist: Shili.) * Here's a preview of my next book =w= [Innocent Beauty [Quick Transmigration]] by Zhaoxuejian [Suspect] Dengzhou, a beautiful young man from the commoners' district, marries a wealthy duke more than a decade older than him. On their wedding day, the noble duke dies under mysterious circumstances. As his new spouse and sole legal heir to his enormous fortune, Dengzhou is also the prime suspect in the murder. The chief justice of the tribunal is renowned for his ruthlessness, yet after investigating the case, he keeps making excuses for Dengzhou. The eldest prince is furious that his power has taken a major hit. He denounces everyone for being blinded by beauty. The duke's death has left him with a massive headache, and whoever the culprit is, he will make them pay a price far worse than death. But during the interrogation, the young prince sees Dengzhou's tearful face and can't help being drawn to him. He immediately believes that Dengzhou is an innocent victim. [Climbing the Social Ladder] The eldest young master is sent to a remote backwater as punishment, but returns with a beautiful country boy in tow. He insists on marrying him, threatening to die if he can't, and doesn't care at all about his former fiancé. Everyone says the young master has never really seen the world and is too pure-hearted, making him easy prey for a calculating social climber. But when they actually see Dengzhou, they can't bring themselves to say anything too harsh... The truth doesn't seem to be quite what they imagined. A beautiful pearl nurtured by a place of breathtaking natural beauty is forcibly snatched away by the young master. His proud former fiancé comes to vent his anger, but when he sees Dengzhou asleep on a swing bed, he can't look away. [Unaware] Deng Ruzhou, the “guild leader's wife” of the biggest guild in The Pivot, is a notorious mooch who happily accepts any rare in-game item, making no effort to hide his shamelessness. After a year of this, the guild leader finally comes to his senses with help from his friends and family. When he learns that Deng Ruzhou is a man, he decisively cuts ties. He doesn't try to reclaim the gifts he gave, but guild members still take up his cause, using the game's megaphone to warn everyone about the notorious mooch Deng Ruzhou. Dengzhou starts a livestream and destroys all the gifts. His voice is soft. “I'm sorry. I didn't know... I didn't know it was wrong to accept them.” The guild members keep questioning him, while the spectators watch for drama. But when Dengzhou lowers his eyes and a single tear rolls down his cheek, they fall completely silent. In the stillness, only regret and heartache remain. [Revenge] The protagonist who transmigrates into a book is a thoroughly nasty, underhanded person, the sort of protagonist currently popular in anti-hero urban superpower novels. He's selfish, snobbish, and cold-blooded. He has no sincere feelings for anyone, only uses for them. After transmigrating into the book, Dengzhou is the first obstacle he sets out to take revenge on: a just as vulgar and money-hungry former fiancé. But when he finds Dengzhou and prepares to begin his revenge, the young man looks at him with wide, bewildered eyes, frightened, as though he's forgotten who he is. The protagonist is furious and decides to send him to heaven first, then cast him into hell, making him feel the deepest despair. A year later, after finishing a fifteen-yuan boxed meal, the protagonist wears a cheap knockoff shirt and demands to know why his subordinates still haven't brought over the Alba white truffles Dengzhou likes. His husband has been refusing to eat properly again lately. * Dengzhou knows he's the most innocent of all. He's born to be loved. A beautiful shou who pretends to be an innocent, sweet green tea / a gong who's an expert at spotting green tea but falls for that act every time Theme: It's never too late to change.