The Sickly Beauty's Mad Dog

[Angsty melodrama! Read the warnings first, dear readers! Drop it if it’s not for you!]

A scheme gone awry leads Mu Xunlan to spend one reckless night with the eldest son of his adoptive older brother.

But he never thought he’d have anything more to do with Wen Zhao, so he simply got dressed and turned cold: “I was drunk. Don’t take it seriously.”

Who could have known Wen Zhao was a vicious dog, biting down and refusing to let go?

He lounged lazily against the bed, narrowing his exceptionally beautiful, peach-blossom eyes. “Darling, weren’t you enjoying yourself just now? I think we should talk about this seriously.”

Mu Xunlan’s fingers paused. He said coldly, “I’m not interested in you.”

Wen Zhao clicked his tongue. “Then just think of me as a mad dog you’ve taken in.”

Mu Xunlan didn’t believe him for a second. He figured Wen Zhao, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, had hit his head. He dragged and kicked him all the way out.

But from that day on, Wen Zhao stuck to him, cheerfully doing whatever he was asked, and accepting every hit and scolding.

When it rained, Wen Zhao brought him an umbrella.

Mu Xunlan: “No need. I drove.”

They advertised for a cook, and Wen Zhao showed up for the job.

Mu Xunlan: “Don’t poison me.”

Even when danger came, it was still Wen Zhao who took a knife for him.

Mu Xunlan: “...Does it hurt?”

Wen Zhao: “Waaah, it hurts so much. Wife, give me a kiss!”

Mu Xunlan: “.” Take back my sympathy.

.

In this game of greed and ambition, Wen Zhao set his sights on that sickly beauty.

He was a complete madman, but he was willing to sheath his claws for Mu Xunlan.

Friend: “But I heard Mu Xunlan is cold and barely says a word all day.”

Wen Zhao: “Nope. He told me to get lost just yesterday.”

Friend: “He’s a sickly weakling who’s always going to the hospital.”

Wen Zhao: “Not true. He’s only gone to the hospital nine times this month. At this rate, with his constitution, we’ll be celebrating our golden wedding anniversary one day.”

Friend: “...”

Respect. Best wishes. Now lock it down forever.

- Little Extra -

A cocky-looking man showed up at the first-grade classroom door. He held a tiny child by the hand, a cigarette he hadn’t lit between his teeth, and looked like he owned the place. “Kid, study hard.”

Mu Sinian hugged his teddy bear and ignored him.

The teacher crouched down to coax him. “Mumu, you should be polite.”

Mu Sinian’s little mouth turned down. “Goodbye.”

Wen Zhao pinched his cheek mischievously. “You heard her. She told you to be polite. Hurry up and call me Dad.”

“You’re not my dad.” Mu Sinian gave a little huff. “You’re obviously my big brother.”

“Your dad is my wife. What’s wrong with asking you to call me Dad?”

The young teacher stared in shock. “?!”

(Mu Sinian is a child Mu Xunlan adopted from an orphanage.)

# My heart lies barren, but you are the third kind of beauty in this world.

# One is eager to slap, the other to take it.

Mean, mad-dog gong × sickly beauty shou

1. Pseudo-uncle and nephew, nine-year age gap, angsty pursuit of his wife, love and hate intertwined.

2. Both are pure, 1v1, happy ending, pure in body and soul! No white moonlight!

3. The gong, the shou, and even their ancestors going back eighteen generations are unrelated by blood. There is no legal or moral relationship between them.

4. The shou’s son was adopted from an orphanage. They are not related by blood in any way.

5. The protagonists are not perfect in personality or behavior. They can act impulsively, and they can be softhearted.

6. The gong is crazy, vicious, and domineering early on! Later, he gets on his knees to win his wife back! The shou is a gorgeous beauty. His illness leaves him frail and not very able to resist the gong early on, but the gong gets every slap he deserves!!!

7. This is Zhou’s first attempt at an angsty melodrama, and I’m letting my tastes run wild. But I had so much fun writing it that the plot and content went wild too. It’s completely self-indulgent! Drop it if it’s not for you, dear readers.

The blurb was screen-recorded from start to finish, and evidence has been saved on Weibo. Please behave yourselves.

8. Not every event in the blurb is guaranteed to appear in the main story.

Blurb for “Don’t Pick Up a Wife on the Border”, Rugged man × beauty

The border between Dawa and Mule stretches for thousands of miles.

Ao Xu picked up a gorgeous beauty at a little tavern by a boundary marker and brought him along for the ride.

This place was near the national border, a chaotic mix of people, and he hadn’t planned to get involved in anyone else’s business.

But the beauty’s skin was so pale it dazzled the eye. He wore a smoky teal shawl embroidered with serene flowers and birds. His dark brows were slightly furrowed, and his slender frame was as delicate as a willow drifting through the waterside towns of Jiangnan.

Ao Xu looked up at him, the tip of his tongue nudging a stray shred of tobacco.

Damn, what a looker.

.

Sheng Jingyi came to the border looking for someone.

After several twists and turns, he ended up staying at Boss Ao’s guesthouse.

Ao Xu waited on him hand and foot. Sheng Jingyi ate his food, wore his clothes, and even played with his dog.

Ao Xu figured he was keeping a wife.

The wild winds of the plateau howled. Ao Xu wasn’t much of a scholar, and when he tried to ask for a commitment, his face flushed red as he managed to stammer out, “Teacher Sheng, would it be okay if I kissed you?”

Sheng Jingyi got scared and ran off.

Ao Xu: .

.

That night, Teacher Sheng cried until his face was streaked with tears.

He lay face down on the bedding, clutching a pillow. His long, slender fingers were faintly pink, and his voice was hoarse and husky. “You said you’d only kiss me once!”

Ao Xu couldn’t help kissing his earlobe. “You still have the energy to complain?”

# On the desolate, bitter plateau, where nothing grows, you came with the spring breeze and disturbed my heart.

Theme: Love conquers all.