He's Always All Talk, but His Actions Say Otherwise

A seemingly carefree, reliable-when-it-counts heroine × an arrogant, calculating hero who says one thing and does another, with a hopeless romantic heart

After being reborn, Pei Nian is bound to a villainess System.

[Mission: Make trouble for the male lead of the original book and put him through trials so he can survive until the end.]

She looks at Ning Chenqing, temporarily blinded after being framed, standing ramrod straight as he coldly “stares” in her direction.

Pei Nian instinctively reaches out to help, but he roughly bats her hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” The young man’s voice is hoarse, his handsome face cold and forbidding.

Pei Nian: Fine, fine. I’m supposed to trip up the male lead, right? :-)

In just three seconds, Pei Nian accepts the setup.

So she follows the System’s orders and makes things harder for him whenever he goes ghost hunting.

When a cat-demon has them surrounded, Ning Chenqing snaps, “Why does something always go wrong whenever I’m with you? I’m so unlucky.”

Pei Nian waves a hand and shoots back, “How is that my fault? If you’re so capable, get out of here on your own.”

She abandons him in danger, only to see the young man cleanly slice the demon in two.

At Chang'an’s ghost market, Ning Chenqing says irritably, “If you can’t help, stop getting in the way.”

Pei Nian: I’m delighted to trip you up.

She deliberately points him in the wrong direction, hoping to knock him down a peg.

But Ning Chenqing’s sword never falters. His sleeves flutter as he decapitates a ghost, and its body rolls right to her feet.

Pei Nian: No, no, this isn’t how the story is supposed to go :-(

Pei Nian is actually starting to regret following the System’s orders.

The useless System only tells her to trip him up, never guarantees her safety. Every time, she has to find her own way out.

The odds of dying are sky-high, while the odds of succeeding are practically zero.

Ning Chenqing is so strong. If he eventually discovers she’s been sabotaging him, won’t she be done for?

*

Pei Nian decides to pack up and run.

She has always believed that the two of them simply can’t stand each other and owe each other nothing. If it weren’t for the mission, she wouldn’t want anything to do with him.

Then, one night after she successfully fakes her death, a pair of long-fingered hands suddenly locks around her waist. His scorching breath brushes her ear.

“I finally caught you.”

Ning Chenqing grips her trembling chin, and only then does Pei Nian realize she’s in danger.

On the verge of tears, she says, “I never meant to cause you trouble. Please be the bigger person and let me go?” (Trembling in fear.)

She expects him to accept her explanation, but Ning Chenqing’s face darkens at once. “There’s plenty of trouble around. Why would I need you?”

The moment he feels her shiver, his warm lips brush her earlobe. Ning Chenqing says bitterly, “You’re not allowed to leave me.”

Pei Nian stares at his rapidly rising affection score, stunned.

“So, cause me a little more trouble, as long as you don’t leave me again...” He lowers his head and holds her tightly from behind.

Just then, a scorching tear falls without warning into the hollow of her neck.

*

Ning Chenqing never imagined he could care so much about the girl who was always following him.

That girl who was constantly causing trouble and secretly sabotaging him was at odds with him in so many ways.

Yet, for some reason, instead of finding her annoying, he found himself caring about her.

Before he could make sense of his feelings, Pei Nian vanished without a trace in an accident.

Only then did Ning Chenqing realize that those indescribable feelings had already taken root and quietly blossomed through countless days and nights fighting side by side.

1. One-on-one romance, happy ending, both leads are each other’s first and only. This is a world of my own making! An alternate history, a low-magic world under imperial rule. Romance to career: 6:4. Slow burn, youthful, niche, ordinary, light and conversational writing! Only one couple! A gentle little sweet romance.

2. The male lead regains his sight fairly quickly. He’s sharp-tongued and arrogant, but a hopeless romantic in the late stages. He’s a good boy who never swears. Arrogant heroes are niche these days.

3. Not a strong female lead. The heroine is quick-witted and grows over time. Bickering frenemies, a lively back-and-forth, and young love.

4. In a nutshell: A reborn heroine is forced to trip up and toughen up an arrogant hero, but keeps getting face-slapped because he’s too strong. They develop feelings amid their conflicts, and in the end the hero turns the tables and pursues her.

Blurb: 2024.9.10 (Writing period: 2025.6.29–2026.)

Theme: Perseverance can wear through stone. I am who I am, from beginning to end.