I've Been a Good-for-Nothing Playboy for Years

(Next up: "Bound to My Arch-Enemy by a Love Gu", a melodramatic xianxia romance.)

[An ambitious prince who plays the pig to eat the tiger vs. a lovesick general who falls for his own schemes] [Jiang Yi vs. Wu Qiutong]

Jiang Yi, the Jing'an Prince of the Commandery and Kyoto's number-one wastrel, did every absurd thing imaginable, until he finally suffered a humiliating defeat and was thrown out of his family home. His arch-enemy, General Hengwei, dragged him back to his residence, and a few days later he was sent off to his fief.

The common people banged gongs and drums and cheered, saying that with a tiger ahead and a wolf behind, Jiang Yi was surely doomed this time.

Who could have guessed that, after returning to his fief, Jiang Yi would use a few clever tricks to uproot the powerful clans that had lorded it over Yongzhou?

The people: ??? Weren't you a wastrel?

*

When the Xiongnu invaded, Wu Qiutong received orders to lead the troops beyond the pass. Everyone thought that a pretty boy like Jiang Yi couldn't handle anything. Instead, he brought out a rare war chariot and offered Wu Qiutong a strategy that completely subdued the foreign tribes.

The people: I don't know, okay? He does seem pretty rich, and pretty clever, too.

*

The Hezhong League rose up in revolt, the people's livelihoods fell into ruin, and the common folk cried out in misery. Yet the emperor fled south with his furnace of elixir pills, abandoning the people of the capital. The Grand Preceptor traveled thousands of miles north from Nanzhou, ready to face certain death for the sake of his principles.

Then the wastrel stepped forward, personally leading troops to crush the rebels. With an arrow that pierced the sun, he pinned the ruthless butcher to the dragon throne.

"If the emperor won't do it, I will. If the court won't kill him, I will."

*

When the powers of the north and south stood opposed, Chen Guangyi, governor of Nanzhou, sneered at Jiang Yi and advised the fool hiding behind Wu Qiutong to stop struggling and surrender.

Chen Guangyi: "We've already turned Wu Qiutong to our side. Do you really think he'll help you?"

Jiang Yi leaned back against the person behind him and smiled, lifting the man's chin. "You mean him? Governor Chen, why don't you surrender instead?"

Talented Person A: I suddenly don't understand. Weren't they arch-enemies?

Noble B: I think so too...

Commoner C: Same here...

[Reading Guide]

1. Expected to be around 500,000 words. The career plot moves quickly, so please be understanding if some parts don't make perfect sense.

2. The story centers on the shou, with an ensemble cast. The main couple's romance has no angst, but that may not be true for the other characters.

3. Fake gay vs. genuinely gay, with a faux-enemies trope. The gong is a straight man who flirts with a gay guy and then talks himself into falling for him. At first, the straight shou is passive and just goes along with the flirting. Later, they secretly fall for each other and engage in an intense push and pull.

4. What bad intentions could a kid have? He just wants you to bookmark and comment, qwq.

5. Also known as "After Pretending to Be Gay, I Messed with My Arch-Enemy", "I Haven't Been a Wastrel in Years", "Straight Guy Flirts with a Gay Man, Heaven Strikes Him Down", "A Wastrel, But Very Rich", and "A Wastrel, Just Pretending!"

Theme: Work hard, turn the tide, and reach the heights you aspire to