Spring Beneath the Pear Pillow

The first time Yuan Li saw Xie Jia'an, she thought: What a jerk.

The second time she saw him, she thought: What a handsome jerk, dressed like a gentleman but really a hypocrite.

Back when he had just placed third in the palace examination, she had foolishly stared at him a few times too many, and he'd rejected her to her face:

"Are you here to confess to me, too? Sorry, I'm not taking visitors today."

So later, when she caught the famously kindhearted Xie Jia'an killing someone, then saw him with a wound straight through his abdomen, gravely injured and unconscious...

Yuan Li's soft heart wouldn't let her leave. She not only tended his wound, but also breathed life into him mouth to mouth.

Xie Jia'an suddenly opened his crow-feather-dark eyes. They stared at each other, and he raised a bloodstained finger to indicate a price:

"I'm unwell and won't be entertaining clients. That's extra."

Yuan Li was stunned. How could anyone like him exist?

She received a pathetic little payment for saving his life. Xie Jia'an smiled like a flashy, dazzling peach blossom, but threatened her in a cold voice:

"If you betray me, I'll accuse you of murder."

Yuan Li: He was injured, and he still couldn't stop seducing people (crossed out) threatening a helpless young woman!

Yuan Li regretted it deeply. Not saving him, but failing to take a few more liberties while he was unconscious.

She'd caught a glimpse of his abs, and even with a dagger stuck in him, he looked good.

-

Yuan Li was a weak young woman who couldn't fight her way out of a paper bag. True to her principle of staying far away from honey-tongued, treacherous people like Xie Jia'an, she took the three thousand taels he paid her and avoided him from then on.

Who could have guessed that rumors would start spreading in the capital that the two of them had secretly pledged themselves to each other?

Yuan Li was so frightened that her vision went black!

Then she heard that a princess of the royal family was in love with Xie Jia'an and had asked to marry him, and that the two families were about to become related by marriage. Her heart sank back down in relief.

A wedding? Wonderful!

The Yuan and Xie families were old enemies, but Yuan Li was kindhearted. She sincerely hoped her nemesis would find happiness, so they would never have to cross paths again.

Later.

The third time Yuan Li saw Xie Jia'an was at the imperial palace, during the ceremony where the emperor bestowed rewards.

The emperor was in high spirits. "You and Miss Yuan did a fine job suppressing the bandits. I'll give Miss Yuan gold and jewels. As for you, Xie Jia'an, what would you like?"

Xie Jia'an replied, "This unworthy servant already has someone in his heart, so I'm afraid I don't have the good fortune to marry a princess. I would ask Your Majesty to arrange a marriage for me instead."

The emperor was curious. "Who is she?"

Xie Jia'an's handsome face was utterly sincere. "I fell in love with Miss Yuan at first sight, and my feelings deepened the next time I saw her. I've made up my mind: I will marry no one but her."

Xie Jia'an was the emperor's own cousin's son, a scion of nobility, handsome and refined. He had remained unmarried into his twenties, and every young lady in the capital had been reduced to tears by him.

At last, Heaven had opened its eyes. That menace had lived long enough!

Before Yuan Li could speak, the delighted emperor hurriedly cut her off and made the decision:

"Approved! You'll be married in three months. No, next month!"

Yuan Li: ?

-

The Yuan and Xie families had a long history of bad blood in the capital. Everyone knew they were sworn enemies. Whenever they ran into each other, they would spit at each other before going on their way.

At first, when she learned she was to marry into the family, Yuan Li felt the sky come crashing down. She wanted to stab that jerk Xie to death:

"Who wants to marry him?!"

Later, Yuan Li clutched the silver Xie Jia'an had given her, counting down the days until she could divorce him in bitter resignation:

"Marriage... Marriage is just a temporary measure. I can put up with it!"

And later still

Xie Jia'an gestured to the red mark on the side of his neck. Looking innocent and a little confused, he asked, "For a fake married couple to kiss and tumble into bed... Is that also part of the temporary arrangement?"

Yuan Li: "."

[Bonus Scene]

Yuan Li asked Xie Jia'an why he wanted to marry her.

He answered frankly, "You're easy to bully, so you're perfect as a human shield."

Yuan Li got a little angry, bristled, and stopped talking to him.

Later.

Once her anger had passed, Yuan Li asked him again, with a little anticipation: "What about now?"

Xie Jia'an thought it over, then looked at her fair, round face and said, "You're even more tempting to bully than before."

Yuan Li: ...

[Naive, timid pushover girl x outwardly reserved, apparently sweet, secretly scheming hero]

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Reader advisory and content warnings:

1. Sweet romance / bickering couple / one-on-one pairing / both leads' first relationship / happy ending

2. The heroine is a timid, well-behaved pushover. She's usually meek, but if pushed too far, she will bite back.

3. Naivety is the natural enemy of scheming. The hero falls first, but he's too reserved to say so and keeps his feelings to himself for a while.

4. The heroine is not a strong female lead. Fans of powerful heroines, please do not read.

Blurb inspiration archived on 2026/01/14

Final revision completed on 2026/08/08

Theme: A young woman and a young man.