A Song for the Unstrung Bow

The blurb for the ongoing novel Heartbeat Whispers is at the end. Please add it to your favorites!

Liu Zheng is a renowned musician in the capital, but no one knows that the long fingers that pluck the pipa strings also wield a blade to kill.

To repay a debt of gratitude, she walks alone along the path of life and death. Once her term is over, she'll be free again.

Her mission to repay that debt goes smoothly, until she accidentally gets involved with a mysterious young gentleman...

At their first meeting, he holds a knife to her and says, "Miss, save me."

Later, he takes an arrow meant for her. His eyes turn red as he gazes at her and asks, "Are you going to leave me behind, Miss?"

Liu Zheng gives him a cold look. What a nuisance.

Liu Zheng thinks they owe each other nothing, but every time she goes on a mission, that gentleman somehow crosses her path and smiles gently at her. "Long time no see."

Liu Zheng has no patience for small talk and draws her blade without hesitation. He neither dodges nor defends himself, as if certain she won't strike.

Just as he expected, she really can't bring herself to do it.

But one day, the dagger does plunge into his chest. Looking at his wound, Liu Zheng says, word by word, that they owe each other nothing.

The man takes her hand and forces the dagger deeper into himself, smiling gently. "So, can you still tell the difference?"

Liu Zheng: ...I miscalculated. You can't reason with a madman.

Liu Zheng always thinks he's approaching her with ulterior motives, so she guards her heart fiercely. Until one day, everyone betrays her.

The benefactor to whom she pledged her loyalty betrays her, spending ten years forging a sharp blade before driving it into her chest.

The unfathomable Imperial Preceptor plots against her, carefully setting a deadly trap and waiting for her to fall into it.

The family she'd been searching for finally appears, only to reveal that they'd abandoned her from the very beginning.

When everyone wants her dead, only one person stands in front of her.

That night, the moonlight is cold. Liu Zheng kneels in the biting wind and watches him cross the final jade step and hurry toward her. His black court robe, embroidered with golden dragon motifs, enters her field of vision. In the shifting light and shadow, she sees his stern, unfamiliar expression.

She thinks: So this is what he looks like in front of other people.

Her enemies are too strong. Liu Zheng can't beat them, and thinks she's about to die.

Only after the dust settles and she opens her eyes again does someone give her the peaceful life she wanted.

Then one day, an old acquaintance arrives at her door, windblown from a long journey, and closes in on her step by step.

"Miss Liu Zheng, I won't accept being seduced and then abandoned."

*The romance won't put the heroine through heartbreak. The hero has already devoted himself to her as much as humanly possible. A light, healing story!

*The hero has little page time early on, and the romance is a slow burn. Overall, the romance starts off sparse and becomes more prominent later.

---- Ongoing Novel: Heartbeat Whispers ----

A hearing-impaired girl x a top-tier star

He pursues her | Her secret crush comes true | Reunited after years apart

Wen Mi never imagined she'd see him again in this lifetime.

She was struggling to push her suitcase through the throngs of people at the airport when someone accidentally knocked her to the ground.

The moment her hearing aid fell out, the world went silent in her ears.

Wen Mi's face flushed with anxiety. She was about to bend down and pick it up when a hand reached it first, long-fingered and elegant as jade.

Wen Mi accepted the hearing aid he handed her and thanked him repeatedly, then heard a familiar, low voice say, "You're welcome."

At that moment, she put her hearing aid back in place, and her world came alive again. His voice reached her ears at the same time.

Wen Mi froze. His footsteps fell upon her heart, and she held herself back from turning around.

But after he left, she couldn't resist looking back.

His figure grew smaller and smaller, walking away from her world step by step.

-

On the way home, a friend happened to mention the famous singer Song Huaiyan.

In his fifth year after debuting, his heavenly voice and looks to rival any idol made him an undisputed top-tier star.

Yet he never gave interviews. Only once, when a reporter asked what he wished for after winning an award, did he fall silent for a few seconds before looking up at the camera.

"If I could, I'd like to meet my lyricist."

Everyone knew that during Song Huaiyan's first five years after debuting, when his career was lukewarm, one lyricist wrote his lyrics for five years. Every song she'd written for him later became a hit.

At this, her friend sighed. "I wonder who could have written such wonderful lyrics."

Wen Mi turned her head to look out at the scenery. After a long pause, she softly replied, "Yeah."

-

Jiang Shen had always known his assistant looked gentle and reserved, but worked with decisiveness and knew how to handle herself.

Until one day, he noticed her repeatedly glancing at an album on his desk, a gift from a friend. He couldn't help asking, "Are you a fan of Song Huaiyan, too?"

Wen Mi was silent for a moment, then shook her head and nodded. "I've liked him... for many years."

-

One day, Song Huaiyan posted his first personal Weibo post, officially announcing his retirement from show business.

Everyone was stunned. They couldn't believe someone who had always cared about nothing but his career would end it with his own hands.

Not long afterward, the last interview he gave before retiring was released. The reporter asked, "If you could meet your lyricist, what would you say to her?"

In the video, the man's usually stern features softened, and a faint, tender smile appeared in his eyes. He looked at his left hand, where a silver diamond ring was unmistakably visible on his ring finger.

He curved his lips slightly. "There's no need. She's already my wife."

*The heroine's perspective dominates early on, with more of the hero's perspective later. A slow-paced, short, sweet romance, one-on-one, happy ending.

---- Upcoming Novel 2: After Conquering a Restricted Romance Novel, I Have Lovers Everywhere ----

Shen Qingzhi thinks that when people get carried away, they shouldn't get too carried away. Go overboard, and heaven will punish you.

To come back to life, she bound herself to a conquest System and diligently pursued her targets halfway through the mission, only to be told the System had malfunctioned and she was going to die.

Her conquest was cut short, but she couldn't let all her efforts go to waste, so Qingzhi let loose.

Her nemesis was sharp-tongued and arrogant, with eyes too high above everyone else. He'd once warned her coldly, "Stay away from me. We could never be together."

Qingzhi gave him a thorough tongue-lashing, then beat a hasty retreat at the sight of his dark expression.

Before she died, she also slept with her cool, refined fiance once. He was ascetic and had never spared her a second glance, and had only gotten engaged to her to use her.

The only one Qingzhi sincerely hoped would be all right was her sweet, adorable little brother.

Shen Qingzhi died with no regrets. But when she returned to reality, the System cruelly informed her, "The bug has been fixed. The conquest mission will resume."

"...What?"

In the pouring rain, before Shen Qingzhi could react, a flashy luxury car raced through the downpour. The window lowered, revealing a familiar, devilishly handsome face. The man held a cigarette at an angle between his lips and cast her a sidelong glance with his alluring, upturned eyes. "Want a ride?"

Qingzhi climbed into the car, shivering. Beside her, the man exuded a chill as he said in a low voice, "Before you left last time, didn't you give me attitude and say we'd never see each other again? Didn't you say looking at this punchable face of mine made you want to throw up?"

"..."

The man stared at her darkly, as if wondering how to tear her apart and devour her.

To stay alive, Shen Qingzhi put on an Oscar-worthy performance as a stand-in, lowering her eyes and sobbing. "Maybe I'm not the person you're looking for?"

Her nemesis was moody and unpredictable, and life with a secret identity was exhausting. At least her sweet little brother was still considerate and warm, as though she had never disappeared without a word.

Shen Qingzhi was pleased, thinking there was still something lovable in this world. Then disaster struck: she was kidnapped.

When she woke again, she was in a soft bed. Scorching, searing sensations washed over her, and Shen Qingzhi heard heavy breathing beside her, both familiar and strange.

She couldn't believe her sweet, adorable little brother would deceive her.

Until one night, after dancing at a club until late, she returned to the villa and saw the light on in her little brother's bedroom. The man lay on his back in a reclining chair, holding a piece of clothing she'd lost not long ago. Eyes closed, he panted and murmured her name again and again.

"..." Her world collapsed.

Shen Qingzhi, her heart in turmoil, went to find her fiance, who had only recently returned to the country, hoping to move him to rescue her from this predicament.

The man arrived late, impeccably dressed and coolly handsome. After studying her for a moment, he said calmly, "Miss Shen took my chastity, and now you expect me to tolerate your infidelity?"

"...Then what do you want?"

The man loosened his tie and said evenly, "Break things off with them and marry me."

"...?"

Sorry, but our playgirl isn't settling down.

*The heroine is a player early on. Male-lead loyalists, enter at your own risk.

(The title and blurb are tentative. The author loves changing them, so add it to your favorites and you'll stay updated!)

Theme: Self-reliance and strength