The Men I Picked Up

“A beautiful, kind young woman finds an unconscious man, nurses him with care, and pledges herself to him. But later, the man's powerful family comes looking for him and offers the woman money to force her to leave...”

Young Qi Zhaojun raises her hand to interrupt. “Wait! How much money do they offer?”

The little maid reading the story hesitates, then guesses, “It must be a few thousand taels, right?”

A few thousand taels for one man, and tens of thousands for ten!

Qi Zhaojun makes up her mind: From now on, she'll pick up every man she finds by the roadside, clean him up, fatten him up, and wait for his family to pay to take him back!

As an adult, Qi Zhaojun grows ever more skilled at picking up men, cleaning them up, raising them, and selling them off. She can even juggle three or four men of distinguished backgrounds at once, becoming a true master of time management.

Qi Zhaojun also learns to be choosy. Handsome men with lean builds and fine clothes can stay a few extra days to keep her entertained. Plain, dull men should be cleaned up and sent away quickly, so she can pick up new ones.

Thanks to this business, Qi Zhaojun becomes wealthy beyond measure at a young age, the richest person in Jiangnan.

Until one day, her father hands her an exceptionally handsome unconscious man and gives her a solemn instruction.

“This is the son of your father's close friend. Since you have a knack for this sort of thing, raise him back to health and escort him to the capital.”

Her father shows her the advance payment: thirty thousand taels of silver!

Qi Zhaojun immediately decides: The capital? Why not? She's going!

As for the men in the capital whose money and affections she has taken?

Qi Zhaojun touches her index fingers together. “It was all money they earned through honest work.”

On Qi Zhaojun's first day in the capital, the heir to Prince Qi's title blocks her door, eyes red as he demands to know who the pretty boy behind her is.

The Guardian General of Zhenyuan hears the news and storms over with his soldiers. First he drives away the heir to Prince Qi's title, then corners Qi Zhaojun against the wall and asks, hurt, “Wasn't I here first?”

The newly appointed top candidate, who has been lying in wait for ages, seizes the chance to grab her hand and run, crying as he goes, “Didn't you say you don't like idiots?”

Passing through the battlefield of jealous suitors, Qi Zhaojun blinks innocently and smiles sweetly.

“Don't fight!”

“Every one of you is one of my wings!”

The sweet, naive son of her father's old friend, whom her father sent her, blinks his beautiful eyes and leans close.

“Let me listen and see if your heart is racing, Sister.”

While Qi Zhaojun stares at his face, he gently rests his ear against her chest. Tilting his head, he looks puzzled.

“Huh? There are so many people in there!”

I heard you can write a one-to-many romance now. Hehehehe.

Blurb written on 2024.2.4 (revised: 2024.10.21)

Theme: Rely on yourself rather than others