After Marrying a Corpse

★ Taking requests for my next novel in the author’s column

★ Sweet romance / bickering couple / secret identities / the groveling chase / SC / happy ending

★ Sweet girl (?) x cool guy

Blurb

[Cunning girl who seems innocent but is secretly dark x proud, pure-hearted boy who refuses to admit his feelings]

Shi Henyu married herself into a coffin.

But that very night, the coffin lid began to shake. The corpse beside her vanished without a trace, and the boy standing before her looked utterly disgusted, yet still hauled her out.

She cried until the sky and earth seemed to darken, clinging to his clothes and refusing to let go. In the end, the boy couldn’t leave.

Shi Henyu silently made a note to herself: He’s soft-hearted but won’t respond to force. Easy to handle.

*

But as time went by, Shi Henyu began to feel that there was something strange about Xie Weiyun.

Xie Weiyun was always doing kind things for her without realizing it.

Even stranger, late at night he would sit with his back to her, writing and drawing, and hide it whenever she tried to look.

Then one day, the notebook fell from Xie Weiyun’s outer robe. A gust of wind flipped it open at Shi Henyu’s feet.

She picked it up and turned through the pages one by one.

So that was what he’d been sneakily writing every night: these shameless little musings! And he’d even described her as such a fierce woman!

More importantly, she learned that his earlier acts of standing up for the wronged were just a disguise for his faked resurrection. He’d been driven by guilt, all so he could roam the martial world in peace.

Shi Henyu quietly slipped the notebook back.

Keep acting. Let’s see who gives in first.

*

After that, Shi Henyu began testing him in little ways. She would casually bring up her dead husband, saying how wonderful it would be if he were alive.

The more guilty and evasive he became, the more innocently she would bring him up and press for details.

For instance, while they were on the road, she would suddenly stop and bow to a desolate grave by the roadside, murmuring, “My husband, I swear that Young Master You and I are only traveling companions. There is nothing improper between us.”

Xie Weiyun hauled her upright. “Who are you bowing to? That isn’t your husband!”

Shi Henyu blinked. “But my husband appeared in my dream and told me to bow here and explain our relationship.”

Then she asked, “What, did he appear in your dream too? Or are you him?”

Xie Weiyun denied it again and again.

That night, Xie Weiyun sat with his back to her once more, writing and drawing.

Shi Henyu sneaked a look at the notebook. The newest page had the same words written over and over: “Does she know? She doesn’t know?”

Shi Henyu couldn’t help lowering her head with a smile.

Of course she knew. She knew everything.

But watching him fret and guess was far more fun than exposing him outright.

*

Later, Shi Henyu ran away, leaving behind a letter: “Since my husband refuses to acknowledge me, I’ll go find a young gentleman who will.”

Xie Weiyun clutched the letter, his face dark with anger.

He searched half the martial world before finally catching up with her.

The young woman was resting her chin in her hand, chatting and laughing with a handsome gentleman across from her.

Xie Weiyun grabbed her and pulled her to her feet, his voice cold. “How dare you cuckold me?”

Shi Henyu smiled silently and slowly raised her eyes. “Oh? Didn’t you spend the whole journey lying to me that you had nothing to do with my dead husband?”

Xie Weiyun’s mind went completely blank.

*

"You Qing’s Idle Notes"

“Day One.

She talks too much, cries easily, and is a nuisance.”

“Day Fifty.

She got mad at me again. Her cheeks puffed up like a rabbit’s.”

“Day One Hundred.

She asked why I’m so good to her.

Obviously, I picked her up, so of course she belongs to me to spoil.”

“Day Who Knows How Many.

I dreamed she was wearing her wedding dress again, and I was the groom.

I thought, if she says she loves me,

I’ll follow all the proper rites and marry her again, openly and honorably.”

[Reader’s Guide]

1. Set in an alternate world, with plenty of author-created lore.

2. A lighthearted historical sweet romance, focused on everyday life. Slow burn. No explicit content.

3. No rivalry between women. Conflicts between female characters stem from clashing interests and human nature, never competition over a man.

4. One-on-one romance. Both leads are virgins. Happy ending.

5. The heroine is resilient and grows over time. The hero’s words say one thing, but his actions say another.

6. After his secret identity is revealed later in the story, he’ll have to chase after his wife and beg for forgiveness.

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Next novel: "The Black-Hearted Lotus Is Too Frail to Look After Himself"

[Beautiful, spoiled rich girl x seemingly gentle but secretly scheming fox of a man]

When Lu Fengzhu first saw Yan Sui, he performed a stunning dance, then collapsed to the floor coughing softly. The sight broke the hearts of the noblewomen throughout the building, who competed to shower him with gold.

His looks were so refined that anyone would feel sorry for him. After he left the stage, he was cornered against a wall.

Lu Fengzhu sat in a private room on the second floor, lazily waving her fan as she cast a casual glance his way.

She saw a trace of mockery flash through the tears in the sickly beauty’s eyes.

Lu Fengzhu found him interesting.

She threw down a thousand gold pieces to get him out of trouble, but couldn’t even be bothered to ask his name.

Yan Sui looked up at her, the corners of his eyes red. In a timid voice, he said, “Thank you for taking pity on me, Miss.”

Lu Fengzhu disliked flattery and obsequiousness, but she loved taking the lead in games of seduction.

So she began frequenting that brothel, watching him smile gently yet distantly at every client, watching him stir up trouble with that innocent face while keeping himself completely clean of it all.

What a beautiful liar.

Lu Fengzhu decided to expose him.

That night, she gripped his chin and smiled sweetly. “Young Master, isn’t it tiring, pretending to be pitiful?”

Yan Sui froze, then abandoned his usual weakness and clasped her hand tightly.

“Miss Lu,” he murmured. “People who know too many secrets usually don’t live long.”

Lu Fengzhu let him pull her closer, her red lips nearly brushing his ear.

“So how are you going to make me keep quiet? Kill me, or...” Her eyes lifted at the corners, alluring even without a smile. “Seduce me?”

He was silent for a long while, then suddenly laughed.

“As you wish.”

*

One rainy night, Yan Sui arrived drenched and knocked on her door.

Water dripped from his hair, and his thin inner robe clung to his waist. When he looked up, his eyes shimmered.

“Miss, may I take shelter from the rain?”

Lu Fengzhu leaned against the door and raised an eyebrow, thinking this little trick was a fresh one.

She let him in, curious to see what other games this little white flower could play.

Theme: Love belongs to the brave.