A cool, haughty beauty x a delicate, sickly pretty boy
[Full novel completed and ready to read]
Zhao Ning was a ghost consumed by a deep obsession. To return to life, she willingly submitted to the control of the Ghost Mother Litian, approaching mortal men and siphoning away their good fortune to help the Ghost Mother cultivate her wicked arts.
Once again, on the Shangsi Festival, she used matchmaking as an excuse to visit the human world and look for a target. Through the hazy spring rain, a man as warm as sunshine sat across from her.
His name was Lou Xuejin, and just like his name, he was a good person who could melt the cold and bring warmth. The very first time Zhao Ning met him, she knew her good fortune had arrived!
He was a little shy. Whenever he spoke to her, he was cautious, and the slightest thing made him blush. He wasn't very good at sweet talk, either. But he gave Zhao Ning his whole heart and was considerate in every way.
But a good man like him was destined to walk a different path from hers. After taking some of his good fortune, Zhao Ning disappeared. She didn't want to hurt him.
And so the dream ended.
As usual, she continued to deal with the men she hated, all to carry out the Ghost Mother's orders.
Until... Lou Xuejin came looking for her.
Looking into his sorrowful eyes, Zhao Ning felt she couldn't go on like this. For the first time, she wanted to run away.
During the time she had been gone, Lou Xuejin searched everywhere for her like a madman. In the end, with the help of the star official Zhou Weixi, he found her.
"She's a ghost, and she serves the wicked Ghost Mother. Are you sure you still want to love her? Get a grip!"
"I..."
Zhao Ning had willingly let herself sink deeper, but she never imagined that Lou Xuejin would come to the Ghost Mother's lair.
This time, she decided she would no longer obey Litian.
"Why?" Zhao Ning couldn't understand why Zhou Weixi had saved her, or why he had asked to speak with her alone.
Zhou Weixi said, "Xuejin really likes you. He's never liked anyone this much before. Could you be with him? Give it a try. Travel together, share meals, go to the theater. Even if it's all pretend, I'll cover any condition you ask for."
Zhao Ning hesitated. She knew Zhou Weixi was a star official of the Underworld Bureau, so he must have access to opportunities ordinary people couldn't reach.
"I want to return to life. I want years of life."
"All right! Twenty years of life, if you'll spend them with Xuejin and make him happy."
Zhao Ning hesitated again. She decided to take a gamble and make an outrageous demand. "I want forty years!"
"Deal!"
Reader's notes:
1. One couple from start to finish, both virgins, a wholehearted happy ending. They're devoted only to each other throughout, with a slow, steady healing romance.
2. Note from November 2024: The full novel is complete and ready to read. It probably won't be very long.
Theme: Loving without reservation.
