Reborn: A Guide to Winning Over My Childhood Friend

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside gong vs. gentle little white lotus shou

Younger man, one-on-one, happy ending

Li Qingmu was reborn on the day Chu Yue was to be executed.

But rescuing someone from the executioner’s blade involved far too many people, and one person alone could never pull it off.

Then he discovered that his older brother had been reborn, his father had been reborn, his subordinates had been reborn, and even his sworn enemy had been reborn…

In this broken world, he finally managed to save Chu Yue, beginning a life where his whole worldview revolved around Chu Yue.

Everyone else who had been reborn lived in constant fear, afraid this deadly man would come after them again. They spent every day on edge. But soon they discovered that their feared killer was completely henpecked.

The golden rule for surviving after being reborn: stick close to Chu Yue.

Years later, Chu Yue saw Li Qingmu instructing a trusted subordinate to handle a task, his eyes full of admiration. He squeezed his own arms and stomach, deciding he should take up martial arts too.

When Li Qingmu heard, he refused. “He’s my trusted aide, and you’re my darling. You can’t compare the two.”

Chu Yue: “I’m not cut out for martial arts. At most, I could get a little stronger, but that wouldn’t really help you.”

Li Qingmu put an arm around his waist and rested his head on his shoulder. Holding his hand, he guided it stroke by stroke as he taught him to write. “Who says Ah Chu isn’t cut out for martial arts? You’ve got a strong stance, a solid horse stance, and powerful legs. You’d be great at a fierce, hard-hitting leg style.”

Chu Yue thought about it in his arms. Really? How come he didn’t know that?

Li Qingmu whispered against his ear, “Every morning at dawn, my head hurts so much that all I can do is ‘talk a good game.’”

Chu Yue: “…” This guy really gets more shameless by the day!

PS: A very slight ensemble cast

A very slight amount of political intrigue

The first few chapters are told from the side couple’s point of view.

One side couple: an attacking bodyguard and a receiving marquis. They rarely meet, but when they do, they get right down to business.

The official ranks are loosely based on the Tang dynasty, with a few original elements. If you’re an expert, please don’t scrutinize the details. This is a fictional setting with no real-life models.

Coming soon: Spring Waters Flow East

An unstudious, hot-tempered, truly domineering genius gong and an ordinary, honest, gentle, virtuous, seemingly refined shou

A sweet, romance-focused story, one-on-one, happy ending

Ji Ziqin is implicated in his teacher’s troubles and becomes a companion to Li Ke, heir to the Prince of Jing’an. He assumes Li Ke is a spoiled playboy who likes to chase cats and dogs, only to discover that he’s a wolf in a dog’s skin.

Li Ke hates studying, and he hates this new companion even more. The moment the companion arrives at the prince’s estate, everyone takes a liking to him. Li Ke decides to teach him a lesson, but when he enters his courtyard and sees his delicate beauty, with eyes like autumn water and skin like white jade, he can’t forget those dewy eyes.

Knowing Ji Ziqin is worried about his teacher, he uses that as leverage to make Ji Ziqin spend night after night pleasing him. Many nights pass before Ji Ziqin realizes he has forgotten what he wanted in the first place. His body and heart are both exhausted.

One day, Ji Ziqin sees Li Ke surrounded by a group of richly dressed young nobles. He finally understands they belong to different worlds. When the time is right, powerful, respected nobles will introduce Li Ke to an eligible noblewoman. He has a brilliant future in court ahead of him, while Ji Ziqin is nothing but “the little plaything who follows the heir around,” as those young nobles put it…

“If you ever get tired of me, will you let me go?” Ji Ziqin no longer dares to hope to sit the imperial examinations or become an official. He’s too tired.

Li Ke, who had been planning to spend his life with him: “…”

Ji Ziqin lowered his head. “You don’t love me, and I… don’t love you either. You’ll still be a noble heir without a single stain on your reputation. If you let me go, I won’t say a word. If the Imperial College still wants me, I’ll stay on as a student. If it doesn’t, I’ll go back to the countryside and open a private school.”

Li Ke heard nothing except “I don’t love you either,” and instantly flew into a rage. “You don’t love me!? Then why do you call me your husband?! Why do you share a bed with me?! Why do you kiss me?! And you don’t love me, but you still…”

“Smack!” With servants nearby, Ji Ziqin couldn’t bear to hear him shouting. Afraid he’d blurt out all their private affairs, he angrily slapped him across the face.

…

Forced love turns into mutual pining; arrogant man vs. insecure man

Theme: You can’t judge by appearances. Check the filling before you call it a steamed bun.