Picking Up a Beauty to Be My Husband

- The full novel is already written; updates daily at 7 p.m.

- The premise has changed; see the pinned post for details. Character descriptions are for reference only; the actual story is what counts.

- CP: A gorgeous top who spouts flirtatious nonsense nonstop × a stern-faced, warm-hearted bottom who says exactly what he thinks

The first time they met, Lin Kong had been kicked out of his home and gotten lost in a small county town with his suitcase in tow. He mistook Chen Qi, who wore his hair in two little buns, for a delinquent student busking on the street.

He searched his pockets and found only two coins. Setting them beside Chen Qi, he asked, “How do I get to No. 17 High School?”

Chen Qi gave a couple of ambiguous laughs. “Sir, two coins won’t buy you a song.”

Lin Kong gave him a cold look, deciding the guy didn’t know how to appreciate kindness.

Chen Qi thought Lin Kong had his eyes where the sun didn’t shine.

The second time they met, rain was pouring down in buckets.

A gale had cut off the power and water in Lin Kong’s dorm, so the former young master had no choice but to carry a bucket to the internet cafe next door to get water.

Chen Qi, sitting at the front desk, cast him a sidelong glance. His long hair hanging loose, he lit a cigarette and asked with half-lidded eyes, “Sir, want one?”

Lin Kong thought he was picking a fight.

The third time they met, Lin Kong stared coldly at the person in front of him and asked, “Where is he?”

Leaning against the shopfront, Chen Qi’s eyes curved. “Sir, my place only serves people who don’t study. Your student wouldn’t be here.”

Lin Kong turned and left, swearing he would pack his bags and go home the next day to take over the family business.

He would never have anything to do with anyone here again.

But he didn’t get to leave.

That night, Chen Qi climbed over his balcony. Leaning against the railing, moonlight spilling over his shoulders, Chen Qi said, “Sir, tell me what the outside world is like.”

-

The first time Chen Qi met Lin Kong, he thought anyone who went out in the rain without an umbrella probably had something wrong with their head.

The second time he met him, Lin Kong had gone out in the rain carrying a bucket to find water, and had even left his ID card behind. Chen Qi figured he was officially an idiot.

By the third time, though, Chen Qi sighed and thought, This idiot teacher is pretty dedicated. So that night he climbed over the man’s balcony. He’d only meant to do a good deed, but got caught in the act.

Chen Qi had no choice but to stay and chat with him.

As they talked, Chen Qi decided Lin Kong was probably a good teacher, even if he wasn’t too bright.

Later, the not-too-bright Teacher Lin asked him, “Want to come with me?”

Chen Qi shamefully found himself falling for him.

-

“So what if we’re weeds? Weeds are what keep growing, year after year.”

“We have to grow up.”

PS:

1. Mutual devotion, both pure, 1v1. The top owns an internet cafe. He may not be highly educated, but he’s no lout.

2. No splitting up the pairing, reversing roles, or self-insert fantasies. No shipping wars, preaching, or unsolicited advice. Anyone who does will be dealt with.

3. Set around 2018. A small-town story, slow-burn and slice-of-life. A writing practice piece.

4. Entirely fictional. Don’t scrutinize any of the worldbuilding; it’s highly idealized.

- Another novel of the same type, coming soon: Small-Town Charm

- CP: A heartthrob top × an office drone bottom

After twenty-eight years of working himself to the bone to become somebody, He Qingyou received both a layoff notice from a major company and a health report marked with red flags, all in a single day.

Having made no money and ruined his health, He Qingyou faced reality and promptly returned to his hometown, a small city ranked somewhere around fifth or sixth tier, with just one suitcase.

On his first day home, an old classmate invited him out for drinks, where he ran into the person he’d had a crush on in high school.

His old crush smiled warmly and said, “Long time no see.”

He Qingyou felt his long-quiet heart start pounding again.

I’m going to pursue him, He Qingyou thought.

After twenty-eight years of never pursuing anyone, He Qingyou had no idea how to do it, so he kept finding excuses to visit the other man’s bar every few days.

But their relationship made no progress. He Qingyou was so worried he didn’t know what to do, so he told a friend about it. His friend said, “You’ve got to play it cool! You know, keep him guessing, act hot and cold?”

He Qingyou saw the light.

So he started acting calm and carefree, pretending he only wanted to keep in touch with an old classmate.

Finally, one day, they accidentally kissed.

After sobering up, He Qingyou wanted to set off a couple of strings of firecrackers to celebrate. His love was finally about to bear fruit. Then his crush messaged him: We kind of kissed by accident yesterday. You don’t mind, do you?

He Qingyou held back the despair of watching his love die before it could begin and replied with three words.

-

Lin Zhiyue had secretly loved He Qingyou for years, but He Qingyou had such good grades and such ambitious goals, while Lin Zhiyue was a lazy student content to enjoy life, so he never made a move.

He thought his crush would come to nothing, but years later the man appeared at his bar, still single.

Lin Zhiyue thought, This is my chance.

To make sure he didn’t let this opportunity slip away, he began carefully recalling why He Qingyou had become his good friend in the first place.

After several days of agonizing over it, he came up with an answer:

He Qingyou must like how emotionally stable he is.

So, to get close to He Qingyou, Lin Zhiyue had to pretend to be the sort of completely detached person who took everything in stride.

He kept up the act until one night, when he got drunk and couldn’t help kissing He Qingyou.

After waking up, to keep himself from giving the game away, he asked He Qingyou first whether he minded. When He Qingyou replied, “I don’t mind,” Lin Zhiyue felt relieved, but also a little disappointed.

Looks like there’s still a long way to go before he can have the sweet romance he wants!

#Two people pretending to be cool, secretly crushing on each other, and never asking if the other likes them back#

- Next, a historical fantasy romance: When the Author Falls in Love with the Protagonist

- CP: An obsessive, wooden, taciturn bottom × a fastidious, deceptively dark top

Su Yin never thought he’d fall in love with his own protagonist. If he had, he would never have given the protagonist such a terrible ending in the first place.

But by the time he learned this world was a book he had written, the world was already on the brink of destruction.

His protagonist disintegrated right before his eyes, leaving behind only a drop of blood that landed at the corner of his eye.

Coldly wiping it away amid the falling snow, Su Yin thought: If I created all of this, then I can make him die, and I can bring him back to life.

So he spent a hundred years trying every method in the world, even resorting to dark magic, to resurrect his protagonist.

-

In his previous life, Wei Shengling was a gentleman praised and respected by all, “a heaven-sent savior descended to the mortal world,” as ordinary people called him.

He had a happy family, a smooth path to immortality, a group of like-minded friends, and an adorable little apprentice.

His apprentice was a little quiet and had a tragic past, but that was all right. If the boy wanted anything, Wei Shengling could give it to him.

For a long time, Wei Shengling’s thoughts revolved entirely around his little apprentice.

When he saw his apprentice gazing longingly at someone else’s candied hawthorn, he went down the mountain that very day and bought out an entire stall’s worth for him.

When his apprentice was injured outside by people seeking revenge, Wei Shengling put on dark clothes the following night and wiped out the entire family.

One day, a friend lured his apprentice to a brothel. Wei Shengling secretly followed them, claiming he only wanted to keep an eye on the boy in case he got hurt. But when he saw other people tugging at his apprentice, he couldn’t hold back and revealed himself on the spot, forcibly carrying him away.

Afterward, his friend said, “Your apprentice isn’t that fragile. Don’t act like you’re his father just because you’re his master.”

Wei Shengling was shocked. “Do I look that old? Besides, what if some bad person tricks him into leaving?”

His apprentice Su Yin, already two hundred years old and a fearsome demon dreaded by mortals: ...

Later, Su Yin sternly corrected Wei Shengling. “Master, I’m all better now. You don’t need to keep treating me like a patient.”

Wei Shengling said yes, but his actions didn’t change at all. He secretly blossomed with joy at his apprentice’s concern, shamelessly deciding that the boy probably liked him a little too.

He planned to confess once everything was over. He would give the boy everything.

Until the heavenly fire came.

Only on the brink of death did Wei Shengling learn that he had imagined it all.

This world was a book. The apprentice he had thought as delicate as a willow in the wind was the creator of this world, while Wei Shengling was merely a character in his story, a protagonist the author sent to die for the greater good without a shred of pity.

Reborn, Wei Shengling watched Su Yin risk everything to bring him back and felt a little desperate.

He was certain Su Yin really did like “Wei Shengling,” but he couldn’t tell whether Su Yin loved the foolish “Wei Shengling” who, as the author’s puppet, had been sent to die, or the “Wei Shengling” who had been rescued and whose personality had changed completely.

Finally, one day, when Su Yin once again treated Wei Shengling as the master who used to spoil him unconditionally, Wei Shengling completely broke down.

“Su Yin, who is it that you love?” He clutched Su Yin’s collar, pressing a knife tightly to his own heart. Word by word, he said, “If you think I’m no longer the person you loved, then you can kill me. Don’t pretend with me here.”

- Thank you for reading -

Theme: Giving lonely, helpless souls a place to call home.