After Maxing Out the Angsty Tropes, My Target Started Throwing Himself at Me

A lightning strike went astray during his tribulation, sending the Celestial Venerable Tian Shu, Mu Yanheng, down to the mortal realm to undergo a trial. Qing Rong was forced to take responsibility and become the tool that helped him through it.

System: "The Celestial Venerable's trial is a collection of all the most famously melodramatic tropes in mortal-world romance novels rolled into one. Your task is to make him fall in love with you and max out his affection rating."

Qing Rong asked curiously, "Just how melodramatic are we talking?"

"You're his disciple, and your relationship violates moral and ethical boundaries."

"That's nothing special."

"His true identity is the leader of the Demon Sect, destined to unleash a bloodbath, while you're the light of the righteous path."

"I can accept that."

"He's also your imperial uncle. You'll be forced to become his empress, and he's not actually a member of the imperial family, because your father killed his entire family."

"..."

Qing Rong sincerely felt that if he could still fall in love after all that, then the Celestial Venerable truly was the greatest hopeless romantic in history.

Whether she was simply skilled at this or Mu Yanheng wasn't too bright, she didn't have to do anything at all. Mu Yanheng really did fall madly in love with her and, despite the pileup of taboo complications, sincerely asked for her hand in marriage.

But on their wedding day, she discovered an affection bar over her own head, stuck at ninety-nine percent.

At the same time, she heard his thoughts.

"She's finally fallen in love with me. My ten years of planning weren't for nothing."

Ever since Mu Yanheng could remember, he had only one purpose: revenge.

When he was five, his entire family was killed. He then entered a sect and devoted himself to arduous cultivation. At sixteen, he went to seek revenge, only to find that his enemy's entire family had been wiped out, leaving behind just a seven-year-old daughter.

With his hopes of revenge dashed, he conceived a wicked scheme and began plotting the cruelest revenge plan in the world.

He would make his enemy's daughter painfully dependent on him.

So he deliberately arranged for her to become his disciple, raised her into the beloved darling of the immortal sect, doted on and protected her, and staged one rescue, encounter, and flirtation after another. He wanted her condemned for defying the natural order, reviled by everyone, and condemned to spend the rest of her life in the agony of unrequited love.

He planned everything. On their wedding day, he would call it off and cast her into the deepest abyss.

But just before he could speak, the young woman in his arms smiled softly.

"Master, have you had enough of playing the deeply devoted lover? Though I have a feeling you really do like me."

A dark, unstable man pretending to be an aloof beauty x a scheming, flirtatious little black lotus

One-on-one romance, they each scheme against the other, but the heroine takes the lead.

A story about a madman who tries to manipulate someone, only to be manipulated in return.

A heads-up in case it matters: During the trial, the male lead is nine years older than the heroine. There will be no romance until she is physically an adult; at first, their relationship is purely that of master and disciple.

Theme: Stay sunny and cheerful even when you run into difficulties.