My Love, Come Into the Painting

My next book, Why Is the Shopkeeper in Such a Hurry Again? Slow-witted woman x proud, tsundere man. Follow for updates!

Please leave a rating once you've finished! ˙ᵕ˙ᰔ

This is a cute, silly, fluffy rom-com with no angst.

[Quirky ideas, timid in practice, clever painter heroine x gentle, doting husband with money to burn, a book merchant]

Tang Qingduo didn't know she was betrothed to the wealthy Zeng family until Zeng Zhengqing came to propose!

Thank heavens!

At last, she wouldn't have to paint romantic pictures just to make ends meet!

She immediately said yes, concealing her past and resolving to become a proper, dignified mistress of the Zeng household.

But her heart was set on money while her body shied away. She trembled like a leaf on her wedding night, and when her new husband leaned toward her, she kicked him and sent him tumbling.

Qingduo trembled even harder.

It's over! I haven't even enjoyed being a rich lady yet, and my husband's family is already going to send me packing!

Fortunately, her husband was considerate and gentle. He reassured her that there was no need to rush and they could take things slowly.

Qingduo was deeply moved, and secretly vowed to repay his kindness. For instance, as she watched her husband emerge from the bath, she stopped painting and stared blankly.

What's going on? Why is my husband's figure getting more and more alluring?

The book merchant Zeng Zhengqing assumed his wife was naive, shy, and innocent. Every time they got close, she blushed, so he couldn't help feeling tender toward her and kept his desire in check.

Seeing her fret over her inability to paint flowers and birds, he secretly bought a painting shop to cheer her up, paying top prices for obscure flower-and-bird paintings.

Until one day, he saw the city swooning over a painting of a handsome man fresh from a bath, and his pupils shrank.

Why did the vermilion mole on the man's back look exactly like his own?

Keeping her secret identity under wraps, Qingduo made a fortune. One day, she caught Zeng Zhengqing praising one of her paintings: "As expected of Little Lotus Flip! This piece is truly exquisite!"

Qingduo's heart tightened. Pretending she had no idea, she probed him: "You know Little Lotus Flip too?"

"Who doesn't? She's the painter all the girls in the city adore these days!" Zeng Zhengqing replied frankly.

She breathed a sigh of relief, secretly pleased, and, wanting to hear more praise, deliberately asked, "Is she really that good?"

"Of course. She's a painter at our shop, and she's made us a lot of money!"

"Besides," Zeng Zhengqing held the painting out to her, his eyes glinting with amusement as he tapped the spot with his fingertip. "The man in her painting and I have a connection. Look at this mole. It's exactly like mine."

Qingduo: !!!

She couldn't help taking a few steps back.

Help!

Can I still make a run for it?

As she was plotting her escape, she heard her husband casually say, "I'm going to commission over a hundred more paintings from her, and pay double for each one!"

Qingduo sucked in a breath, instantly regaining her composure.

What's there to panic about?

Even if I'm going to run, I'll do it after I've made some money!

There's still time for everything!

[Extra Scene]

After bathing that night, Zeng Zhengqing approached with his robe half open and asked, "Shall I add a lamp so you can paint?"

Qingduo bit her paintbrush and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes!"

But when his hot breath brushed her ear, Qingduo trembled and said, "Wait... weren't we going to paint?"

He answered beside the point: "If a painter doesn't know the flowers in the moonlight or the clouds shy of the rain, how can she paint anything vivid and lifelike?"

[Please Note]

1. Both leads are virgins; happy ending; fictional setting.

2. Marriage first, love later; sweet romance.

[Blurb for the next book, Why Is the Shopkeeper in Such a Hurry Again?]

[Earnest, slow-witted sweetheart x proud shopkeeper who gets flustered easily]

A lighthearted, healing, coming-of-age sweet romance from start to finish.

Xiang Yuheng was badly wounded and, fleeing his pursuers, broke into a dilapidated hut.

He didn't expect someone to already be inside.

He lit a fire stick and barked, "Who's there? Come out!"

There was a rustling, and a round-faced girl crawled out from the corner.

She looked timidly at him. "I'm sorry. I had nowhere else to go, so I hid here. I won't stay for free. I can work to pay you back."

The wound on his leg was severe, and he needed someone to care for him. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Fine. You can stay for now. I can't get around for the next few days, so you'll have to look after me."

The little girl sweetly introduced herself. "My name is Yan Zhaolu. What's yours?"

He'd just been in danger and couldn't reveal his real name. After a moment's thought, he casually came up with what he considered a rather poetic alias: "Xiang Wanzhou."

Yan Zhaolu thought it over and declared with complete confidence, "You need more water in your five elements."

Xiang Yuheng was taken aback. "How so?"

"Your name sounds like a bowl of congee, and congee has the most water in it!"

Before the two had spent much time together, the hut's real owner came looking for them and threw them both out without a word.

Yan Zhaolu rubbed her red eyes and glared angrily at the liar in front of her.

Xiang Yuheng was helpless. He soothed her, saying, "Don't cry. I won't let you end up on the streets."

The usually decisive man was unexpectedly bashful, the tips of his ears turning red. "My family... happens to need a steward. Would you be willing to..."

Yan Zhaolu's eyes lit up. Excitement and nervousness mingled in her voice. "I would! But I've never been a housekeeper. Are you really sure you trust me? I'll work hard, I promise I won't let you down!"

Xiang Yuheng stared at her for a long moment. "...Fool."

Yan Zhaolu was indignant. He was the one who wanted to hire me as a housekeeper, so why did he end up calling me a fool?

Hmph! He's the fool for hiring an inexperienced person as his housekeeper!

Theme: The world has no fixed form; what you see comes from the heart.