A Guide to Marriage Alliances for the Awakened

Blurb:

Because of a marriage contract bearing a spiritual imprint, the frail young master of the Bai family and the spoiled eldest son of the Feng family are forced to marry.

Everyone says it's like a flower planted in a pile of manure.

Because of his health, the young master lives in seclusion, but the Feng family insists on sending Feng Chou over.

When Bai You rests, Feng Chou tears down walls. When Bai You sleeps, he drills holes. When Bai You calls the police to report a noise disturbance, Feng Chou...

Right in front of the police, he says something shameless: "Sorry, darling. It's all my fault."

Bai You wants to twist his head off.

What kind of trash do you think you are, marrying me?

Being frail is just Bai You's disguise. His codename is Lucifer, and he's practically at the top of the power scale among the Awakened.

Competing with Hades, another top-tier fighter, for first place on the Association's points leaderboard has long been one of its juiciest pieces of gossip.

Everyone thinks Lucifer and Hades never meet without fighting, and are true enemies.

Only Bai You knows that even though his confession was rejected years ago, he still can't let go.

Lucifer is itching to uncover Hades' true identity.

But when he finally does, all he feels is disgust.

For the sake of a huge pile of points, Bai You accepts a recruitment mission and leads a team to carry out a rescue deep in the Gobi Desert on the other side of the planet.

He disguises himself as a hostage, infiltrates enemy territory, and coordinates with his team from within. Just as Lucifer has the mission completely under control, Hades suddenly shows up.

"Boss! Your nemesis is stealing your target!"

His subordinate's furious shouting crackles through the hidden earpiece.

The pure iron lock melts under flames thousands of degrees hot, and the door is kicked open.

Feng Chou stands in the doorway, holding a ball of purple flame in his hand.

His expression is impassive, his gaze sharp. He and Bai You lock eyes.

Bai You: Wait, what, dude?

Later...

"Wait, you're really a virgin?"

In the dark, Bai You looks at the man beside him, who's trying to silently endure the effects of the drug, and can't believe it.

"..."

Bai You swings a long leg over him and straddles Feng Chou, his voice full of excitement.

"Well, what do you know, I'm a virgin too! Since it's the first time for both of us, let me try being on top, okay? Don't be shy!"

Feng Chou finally loses patience and flips them over with a sudden thrust.

"That's enough! Who the hell is shy?!"

He pins Bai You's slim, strong wrists above his head and grits out the words.

But Bai You props himself up and blows into his ear.

"Guess what, Feng Chou? Your ears are bright red."

A sweet-faced, dark-hearted bottom disguised as a frail "white flower" (23) × a cold, sharp-tongued, dark-hearted top disguised as a good-for-nothing "old playboy" (33)

Both are virgins, devoted to each other, one-on-one. The top's playboy persona is entirely a disguise, and he'll only sleep with the bottom!

Next up: I Became His Canary

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It took Qu Zhiyan fourteen years to be exposed as the fake young master of a wealthy family, flee in disgrace, and struggle to survive.

So when a runaway truck hurtles toward him, he can't be bothered to dodge.

He breaks his legs and loses his sight, but Qu Zhiyan still doesn't die.

Taken from the hospital and locked away in a villa, he becomes a disabled canary.

He can't figure out why his unfamiliar patron would want a cripple, and he can't be bothered to think about it.

His patron is unhappy with his half-dead appearance, so he takes him to meet the family.

At the restaurant, Qu Zhiyan hears his birth mother's startled cry:

"Qu Jingshu, have you gone mad?"

When Qu Zhiyan realizes his patron is actually his nephew, hatred burns in his unfocused eyes, but Qu Jingshu just smiles.

After learning that Qu Zhiyan doesn't care about the Qu family and only hates him, Qu Jingshu smiles even more happily.

So every time he forces Qu Zhiyan beneath him, he tells him another carefully fabricated lie.

"My grandfather found out your mother cheated on him. I secretly arranged a paternity test for you."

"You kept getting rejected when you looked for work because I told my dad not to go easy on you."

"Think about how that car accident happened. I paid the driver a fortune."

Watching Qu Zhiyan's pained expression as he unconsciously goes along with it, Qu Jingshu is absolutely delighted.

"Qu Jingshu, I'm tired. Let's not meet again in our next life."

Standing at the edge of the roof, Qu Zhiyan watches Qu Jingshu hurry toward him, his voice weary and indifferent.

"All right."

Qu Jingshu replies calmly, then lunges straight at him.

Together, they leap off the roof.

"Leave me behind? Qu Zhiyan, dream on."

As they fall, Qu Jingshu's voice brushes against his ear.

Qu Zhiyan still leaves him behind and walks away.

Later, they meet again at a banquet.

One is glamorous, the other gaunt and haggard.

Their positions have completely reversed.

"What did you come back for?"

Qu Jingshu tries to sound nonchalant, but the hand holding his wine glass trembles uncontrollably.

"To collect a debt."

Qu Zhiyan replies calmly. Wearing the expression Qu Jingshu once used, he meets his astonished gaze and deliberately clinks their glasses together.

Fake uncle and nephew, fake captivity, fake coercion.

A capital-H Happy Ending! No changing tops!

A formerly arrogant and overbearing uncle-bottom, now utterly heartbroken and disillusioned × a nephew-top who grew up abroad, obsessed with his uncle, and completely unhinged.

The top is six years younger than the bottom.

Fake uncle and nephew, fake captivity, fake coercion.

A capital-H Happy Ending! No changing tops!

A formerly arrogant and overbearing uncle-bottom, now utterly heartbroken and disillusioned × a nephew-top who grew up abroad, obsessed with his uncle, and completely unhinged.

The top is six years younger than the bottom.

Important:

1. Please don't conflate the novel with real life.

2. Both leads have issues. Their relationship is a process of healing each other.

3. This is an old-school, angsty, coercive romance. Don't read if that's not your thing, so you can avoid being upset.

Theme: Justice is never absent.