The Homegrown Beauty's Guide to Fighting Back

[This novel will go premium on April 3. A 10,000-word chapter will be released that day, and the locked chapters will start at Chapter 21. Thank you, dear readers, for your support! Love you all!] The original title was The Canary’s Guide to Fighting Back. The advance notice for my next historical danmei novel is after this blurb. Feel free to add it to your collection if you’re interested~ Yuan Qingwen was an ordinary college student. Apart from his good looks and poverty, he had nothing. One day, the young master of a wealthy family, whom he’d never met before, came looking for him and offered to sign a dating contract. Yuan Qingwen had planned to refuse, but the young master was offering far too much! So Yuan Qingwen dutifully played the part of a sweet, obedient canary, prepared for a miserable life stripped of all dignity. But there was something off about the young master. Yuan Qingwen invited him to hold hands, and the young master flailed both arms wildly. He gave the young master a hug, and the young master shot into the air like a rocket. He got him drunk and stole a kiss, and the young master banged his head against the floor. The young master also quietly helped Yuan Qingwen set up a lab, bought a house for his family, got into fights because of him, and went out to work for him. The young master showered Yuan Qingwen with praise. “Idol, I’ll love you for the rest of my life!” Under such a powerful onslaught, Yuan Qingwen couldn’t help falling for him. He loves me so madly. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with returning his feelings. Yuan Qingwen let himself knowingly fall deeper. He fell in love with his sugar daddy and did everything he could to protect their relationship, hoping to stay with the young master forever. Until one day, Yuan Qingwen discovered that the young master really did see him only as an idol. The young master had never had feelings for him. Yuan Qingwen fell silent. Yuan Qingwen got angry. Yuan Qingwen went off the deep end. The deranged Yuan Qingwen decided to plot his moves one by one. Again and again, Yuan Qingwen silenced the young master with a kiss, sent him red envelopes, gave him his salary card, and wormed his way into the young master’s social circle. The canary is ready. Time to strike! ++++++++++++++++ A cool, gentle, emotionally steady top and academic ace [Yuan Qingwen]× a goofy, enthusiastic, rich young master and devoted fan who bottoms [Tao Xinshi] Reading guide: 1. Both are each other’s first love. Romance-focused, mainly from the top’s point of view, though the perspective switches sometimes. There is a side couple, whose story is connected to the leads and won’t be explored separately. 2. Every character has their own issues. The leads will grow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll become perfect by conventional standards. 3. The money system makes no sense, and all professional knowledge is made up. Readers, please do as the author does and turn off your brains so you can enjoy the story. 4. If you don’t like it, please don’t bash it, or the author will go crazy and cry in the wind. Don’t announce that you’re dropping the story. Comments, sugar-fueled squealing, and snark are welcome. Thanks! 5. Modern alternate universe, with a somewhat muddled technological setting. 6. A mutually doting, sweet bedtime story. I hope everyone has the sweetest dreams! 7. The whole story is already written. Updates are daily again, with over 3,000 words per chapter. It should be finished in about two months, so feel free to jump in! ++++++++++++++++ [My next story will be a historical danmei novel. Here’s the blurb. Add it to your collection if you’re interested.] [A stoic, restrained eunuch who is gentle and shy around the bottom, a sterilized wolfhound of a top]× [Extremely frail, breathtakingly beautiful, sly and flirtatious bottom] Top’s POV: Lin Nanxing stabbed himself at fourteen and spent the next six years as a eunuch. He climbed from a sedan-chair attendant to commander of the Capital Battalion, once recognized a powerful eunuch as his adoptive father, and narrowly escaped death countless times on the battlefield. When the old emperor died, he helped the young Third Prince take the throne. From then on, he became a powerful eunuch who held sway over the court. Everyone thought Lin Nanxing was the new emperor’s loyal dog. Yet on the night the new emperor ascended the throne, while the court mourned the late emperor, Lin Nanxing secretly smuggled the male consort out of the Cold Palace. A subordinate reported late that night, “Eunuch Lin, Young Master Mu has arrived at your residence.” The ruthless and cold-blooded Eunuch Lin suddenly softened his expression and murmured, “Young Master… you’re finally free.” Before entering the palace, Lin Nanxing had been Mu Jiu Ru’s page. They had been inseparable, relying on each other to survive. He castrated himself and became a powerful eunuch solely to save his young master and give him his freedom, so he could live without worry for the rest of his life. When Mu Jiu Ru became half-blind, he obtained spectacles for him. When Mu Jiu Ru grew gaunt and frail, he attended to him every step of the way. When Mu Jiu Ru was poisoned by an aphrodisiac, he… found someone clean for his young master. But his godlike, handsome young master said, “I don’t want anyone else…” “Nanxing, I only want you.” Duke Lin shows no respect for the imperial family and betrays his sovereign. In this life, he is faithful to Mu Jiu Ru alone. ++++++++++ Bottom’s POV: Mu Jiu Ru was frail from childhood and spent year after year bedridden. In the desolate little courtyard of the Mu residence, he and Nanxing, his only servant, weathered illness together and shared every hardship. An imperial decree made him one of the emperor’s consorts, but before long, he was banished to the Cold Palace. With too little food and clothing, alone and without support, he became gravely ill and came close to death several times. Then a ray of light shone in from beyond the palace walls. Nanxing called out from beyond the layers of walls, “Young Master, I’ve come for you! I’ll get you out, I promise!” Looking at an old friend, Mu Jiu Ru nearly wept. Overwhelmed with emotion, he scolded him, “You… foolish Nanxing.” Before entering the palace, he had given Nanxing twenty taels of silver to buy his freedom and register him as a free commoner. But the foolish page had chosen castration just so he could follow him into the palace. From then on, through the long six years in the Cold Palace, no matter how much humiliation and hunger he endured, Mu Jiu Ru was no longer afraid. In front of his former master, Lin Nanxing removed his clothes one by one, revealing his mutilated body. By candlelight, Mu Jiu Ru examined every inch of his skin and every scar. Mu Jiu Ru said, word by word, “You never bought your freedom. You’re still my servant.” Duke Lin bent down and lowered his head. “Yes. I will always belong to you, Young Master.” ++++++++++ [Title: The Eunuch’s Unwavering Devotion. If you’re interested, please go check it out! Mwah!] Theme: We can all grow into better versions of ourselves.