The Bad-Tempered Beauty

(Probably two or three stories. The gong characters are all the quiet, heads-down-and-get-the-job-done type. ovo) 1. [A slightly melodramatic short story] Chao Yue was his father’s eighth illegitimate child. He wasn’t brought home until he was seventeen, and that was the day he first met Yan Jue. At their first meeting, he knew he could use this man. The man could barely take his eyes off him. At eighteen, Chao Yue stood amid a crowd of admirers, a crystal crown on his head. He was as beautiful as a prince in a fairy tale. This prince deliberately smiled at Yan Jue and dipped a finger into some frosting, then put it in his mouth. He shamelessly flirted, shedding his false princely facade. He was the apple in the Garden of Eden, the serpent in the tree. He was so beautiful. Even knowing he was poisonous, people couldn’t help losing their minds over him. So on the eve of the power struggle, when Chao Yue appeared in Yan Jue’s room, Yan Jue willingly, even eagerly, took a bite of the apple. Still, he rasped a warning to Chao Yue. “Young Master, offering yourself to a tiger isn’t a wise choice.” Chao Yue was a venomous snake, but Yan Jue was no saint either. Chao Yue’s pale, straight legs slipped out from beneath his bathrobe, and he beckoned Yan Jue with a finger. When Yan Jue approached and knelt before him, Chao Yue planted his foot on Yan Jue’s face, showing no mercy and making no secret of his contempt. “A tiger? You? You’re nothing but a dog.” Yan Jue kissed Chao Yue’s ankle and murmured, “I am.” ** Chao Yue became Yan Jue’s new master. Yan Jue was a very good dog: savage, loyal, bloodthirsty. Chao Yue was pleased with him, though sometimes he found him absolutely infuriating. For instance, the dog’s appetite kept growing until Chao Yue could barely afford to feed him. And then there was the fact that he was just too quiet. Chao Yue slapped him, furious. “Are you mute? Can’t you talk?” Sweat beaded on Yan Jue’s nose. He took every blow and insult without saying a word. Chao Yue’s hand hurt from hitting him, but it didn’t even leave a mark on Yan Jue’s face. “Useless!” I’ll get rid of him one of these days! Chao Yue thought bitterly. Important warning: mpreg, mpreg, mpreg, mpreg, mpreg! Both have intersex traits. (I love this so much, ahhhhh, I really want him to have a baby. ovo) A gorgeous, wicked, bad-tempered, incredibly beautiful shou × a strong and capable subordinate gong (not a loyal-dog type, not a loyal-dog type, not a loyal-dog type) /Years of unrequited love finally paid off/Mpreg/The shou has a truly, truly terrible temper! There should be another couple later, but I can’t write a blurb for them, so I’ll just leave the first one here for now. OVO 2. A ghost story: ghost gong, pitiful shou. The shou had been lonely ever since he was little. He longed for someone to stay with him forever, but he couldn’t even make friends. All he could do was go to school alone, eat alone, and walk home alone. He talked to the wind, to cats, to leaves. The first time the wind blew through the leaves, he asked excitedly, “Are you talking to me?” The wind rustled the leaves again. And that was how the shou found himself a companion. Later, the wind took on a visible form. It pinned the shou against a wall and let out a fierce, eerie shriek. “Didn’t you say you weren’t afraid of me? Didn’t you say you wanted to see me? Why won’t you open your eyes and look at me?” The shou opened his eyes through his tears, and saw something no ordinary person could bear to witness. A green face, fangs bared: a demon revealed in its true form. The shou gave a soft sob and hugged it. “Don’t be angry. I’m only a little scared. I’ve never seen you before. Once I’ve seen you more often, I won’t be afraid.” It calmed down. The demonic face faded, revealing a pale, handsome face. Its features were stiff, and its lips lifted like a marionette’s as it gently kissed the shou’s wet lashes. “I was wrong to blame you. I love you.” The shou smiled too. “I love you so much.” 3. To be decided. Maybe there won’t be one after all. o.O Theme: What is longed for will eventually answer.