After the Wicked Little Fool Went to the Capital for the Imperial Exams

[Please support the official release. Thank you!] Qiu Qiu isn't very bright. Passing the provincial exam was already enough to make his ancestors' graves glow with good fortune. But he thinks highly of himself, so he swaggered off to the capital to take the exams. The result was only too predictable. In the wealthy, spiritually vibrant capital, nobody even wanted to read his essays or poems. A great scholar called his writing rigid, stilted, and affected, while his classmates said he looked down on the poor and fawned on the rich, all out of vanity. His learning and his character were both rotten to the core. Qiu Qiu was indignant and felt wronged. But in the capital, everything hinged on two kinds of connections: talent and personal ties. Qiu Qiu had to have at least one of them. With the metropolitan exam drawing near, Qiu Qiu was frantic. Then his eyes suddenly darted around and fixed on a man sitting quietly at a banquet, aloof and distant, noble and elegant. He was Xie Sui, grandson of the Minister of Rites and son of the Commandery Princess of Anping. A great scholar had taught Xie Sui as a child and praised him without reservation. His classmates admired him because he had been a prodigy, able to understand poetry and prose at just three years old. With talent and connections like his, if Qiu Qiu could put them to good use, what could stop him from bringing glory to his family and rising swiftly through the ranks? But how could he make use of him? Qiu Qiu began paying attention to Xie Sui. He really did seem like an upright gentleman: unmoved by money or power, except for... beauty. Qiu Qiu suddenly realized whose eyes had followed him at all those banquets in the past... He offered his body in exchange, using his looks as bait to approach Xie Sui and strike a deal with him. All he had to do was keep him company and sleep beside him, letting him touch him however he pleased. In return, Qiu Qiu would get brilliant essays or poems, and the doors to all kinds of banquets and lectures would be open to him. It wasn't long before Qiu Qiu's reputation began to soar. Everyone who survives in the capital is clever. Xie Sui and the others knew exactly how to thrive there, secretly stirring up the winds of change. Then, unexpectedly, a little fool came along. The little fool was easily impressed. Whoever offered him a favor, he'd eagerly run over and fawn on them. No matter what they asked, he'd swallow his pride and agree. So everyone wanted to tease him a little. But the more they teased him, the more they wanted him all to themselves. Xie Sui, born into a scholarly family, was brimming with talent and dazzlingly brilliant. The little fool tricked him out of his virginity, his first place at the poetry gathering, and his exam predictions... In the end, Xie Sui had to fulfill his demands and help him climb to the top. Otherwise... Xie Sui looked down at the fair little face pressed against his chest, sobbing, and sighed. “You heartless bastard! I'd be better off with my own big yellow dog than with you.” Qiu Qiu sniffled, his face damp, soft, and clingy, his voice as delicate as a kitten's. “Why am I so unlucky...” Xie Sui held him and gave in. “Tell me what you want.” Qiu Qiu was convinced he'd climbed the ranks through his own ability. His teacher praised him, his classmates admired him, and he believed his position was secure. So he calmly kicked Xie Sui aside, declared their deal over, and went looking for his next patron. But why was Xie Sui blocking his path, asking him to give their relationship a name? The protagonist is a pretty fool, spoiled and wicked. Both leads are each other's first and only. The protagonist takes the imperial exams without cheating. Content warnings: The receiver has kissed a supporting top once. The supporting top catches the receiver being intimate with the top. Control freaks, stay away. Coming soon: My Husband Died, So I Fought Tooth and Nail for the Family Fortune Wen Bao is Xi Qin's stepmother, the wife of his father, Xi Wenhe. He's a foolish, materialistic young man with nothing going for him besides his looks. And yet, Xi Wenhe, the head of the Xi family, married him. The head of the Xi family was calculating and deeply shrewd, while his wife was unbelievably foolish. Everyone thought Xi Wenhe had grown old and been bewitched by his young wife's body. Even Xi Qin thought so. Otherwise, why would Wen Bao hire a half-baked lawyer the day after his father's death, then brazenly and smugly sue him for the family fortune? While Xi Wenhe was alive, Wen Bao acted as if he adored him. After Xi Wenhe died, Wen Bao showed just how heartless and greedy he was. Dressed all in black as a widower, he raised his fair little face like a swan's and picked fights with Xi Qin, demanding every last bit of the family fortune. Xi Qin was already being hemmed in by the various factions of the Xi family. He had to deal with trouble outside the home as well as trouble within it. He was furious with the brazen Wen Bao. The Xi family was enormous, and this little nobody actually dared to dream of taking it all. How could a young, foolish stepmother possibly outwit him, the future head of the Xi family? Xi Qin dealt with Wen Bao effortlessly. He patted Wen Bao's fair cheek and sneered, “The Xi family is huge. Have you even thought about whether you can handle it?” Wen Bao snapped at him and bit his hand, furious. “I can handle it. I can handle anything.” “Really... anything?” * Xi Wenhe, Xi Qin's father, was dead. Or so it seemed. He had faked his death. Xi Qin and Xi Wenhe had planned the whole thing together. They had intended to flush out the mole hidden inside the family. They never expected the first person to show their true colors to be Xi Wenhe's sweet, obedient little wife, Wen Bao. The sweet, adorable beauty who used to agree to anything turned into someone completely different as soon as her husband died. She wanted money and houses, and teamed up with the Xi family's nasty relatives to hire a lawyer and cause a scene. Her mean, materialistic nature was on full display. Xi Qin was sick of it. He lowered his brows and mocked the man hidden in the shadows by the window. “Father, this is what you call good judgment? Your wonderful wife.” Xi Wenhe's eyes remained fixed on the small figure below, swaggering and throwing his weight around. He lowered his gaze, his expression inscrutable, and spoke in a cool voice that brooked no argument. “Do what you need to do, and mind your own business...” “As for him, I'll discipline him myself.” * For the first half of his life, Wen Bao relied on Xi Wenhe. Then, just as he was getting used to it, Xi Wenhe died. Wen Bao cried for a couple of days, then decided it was actually quite nice. Wouldn't everything in the Xi family belong to him now? All he had to do was defeat Xi Qin. But it was hard. Xi Qin was young and full of fire, and Wen Bao never came out ahead when he confronted him head-on. He couldn't get his hands on the inheritance, either. In the end, he accepted his fate. He'd relied on Xi Wenhe before, so now he could rely on Xi Qin. As long as he could live comfortably, that was all that mattered. What? You want to know which one he'd choose if Xi Wenhe and Xi Qin both showed up? Wen Bao smiled and waved his hand. How could that happen? Xi Wenhe, his husband, had been dead and buried for ages. Note: 1. After Xi Wenhe fakes his death, his marriage to Wen Bao is dissolved. Xi Qin and Wen Bao are not legally stepmother and stepson. 2. Xi Wenhe and Xi Qin are both tops. The pairing is one-on-one during each stage. Theme: Even a spoiled brat can be loved.