I Mistook a Demon-Sealing Talisman for a Matchmaking Charm

[Coming Soon: Top-Tier Jealous Director x Gentle, Sharp-Tongued Best Actress. Rekindled Love, blurb at the end]

Blurb:

The sole heir of the 108th generation of Qingfeng Temple, burdened with the mission of restoring the temple, came down the mountain at her master's command to hunt demons.

The compass needle shook like it had Parkinson's, pointing toward an apartment overflowing with demonic aura: Room 404.

The tenant, Ling Shuang, wore a Taoist robe and radiated righteousness.

The landlady, Hu Yueli, had long, wavy hair and was a breathtaking beauty.

Ling Shuang: "Demon! Behold my [Demon-Subduing Soul-Locking Talisman]!"

On a dark and windy night, Ling Shuang held up the [Demon-Subduing Soul-Locking Talisman], aiming it at her fox-demon landlady, who was watching a show with a face mask on.

Then her hand slipped, and she drew it wrong.

The golden light of demon subjugation turned into pink light of romance, and the overbearing [Ten-Meter Heart-Linking Lock] forcibly bound human and demon together.

From then on, whenever the physical distance between them exceeded ten meters, Ling Shuang would go "whoosh" and teleport to the fox demon Hu Yueli's side.

She had to wait outside while Yueli used the bathroom, stand guard while she showered, and if Ling Shuang lost track of her for a moment at the supermarket, she'd make a spectacular public appearance out of nowhere.

Hu Yueli: "I only wanted to collect rent. I didn't mean to get a clingy little attachment!"

Only when the dormant frigid demon power inside Ling Shuang spiraled out of control did Hu Yueli realize that this lock was the key to cultivation.

From then on, the Taoist's meditation practice turned into intimate "spiritual cultivation."

[Bonus Scene]

On a path beside the stream.

"Sister Yueli, I figured something out. If I stand still while you keep walking, once you're ten meters away, I can teleport right to your side. Then I won't have to walk!"

"I'm warning you, don't get lazy. I don't want to catch you every ten meters like I'm scooping up a fish."

Ling Shuang stood prettily in place, watching Hu Yueli walk farther and farther away, a smug, mischievous smile on her face.

Once they reached ten meters, her figure flashed.

Hu Yueli opened her arms just in time to catch the little one who'd flung herself into her embrace, then flicked her on the forehead.

"You little slacker."

Ling Shuang looked up, perfectly unapologetic. "You're the one who spoiled me."

After their kiss, Hu Yueli was still reluctant to stop. "That'll cost you."

Serious, adorably clueless, growing younger Taoist top x sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, laid-back homebody fox demon bottom. (The top will take the bottom.)

They start out forcibly bound, then fall for each other. Expect both sweetness and angst, with romance and monster-fighting progression in equal measure.

The characters should feel high-end. No more pairing basic characters with other basic characters. If the main couple is sweet, the side couple won't be; if the main couple is angsty, the side couple won't be.

Wonderful, the law of sweet-and-angsty equilibrium. We're saved!

1v1, HE, plenty of author-invented lore. Fluffy creatures with ancient divine beast bloodlines appear within, and they're pettable!

#MyNemesisCan'tBeMoreThanTenMetersAwayFromMe#

Coming Soon:

At the Starlight Film Festival, the spotlight was split in two.

On one side, genius director Pei Shuyi walked the red carpet with legendary best actress Shen Zhiqiu and newcomer Lin Xiangxia. The cast of "Mirror Flower's Fate" basked in the limelight.

The comments flooded by:

[Ahhh, Director Pei and Best Actress Shen are such a perfect match!!]

[Make way, the real couple is Zhiqiu and Xiangxia! Younger puppy and mature beauty, I'm obsessed!]

At the other end of the red carpet, Wen Youyan made her grand entrance in an ice-blue gown, stepping into the light.

The camera swept over them: "Endless Intentions," together again in a once-in-a-century reunion. Their CP fans came back to life. It's New Year!

[Five years!! My CP is finally in the same frame again! Same frame means they're feeding us sugar!]

[Grandma, the CP you shipped got back together!!!]

Five years ago, Pei Shuyi directed Wen Youyan's first film, "Whale Fall." Though new to the industry, she defeated a host of legendary directors and swept up awards at home and abroad. Yet just as Pei Shuyi reached the height of her success, she announced her retirement, bringing their golden era to an end with her own hands.

The ones unable to move on weren't just the fans of "Endless Intentions". Pei Shuyi couldn't move on either.

At the end of a banquet no one knew about, in a hotel corridor.

Pei Shuyi blocked her path and, emboldened by alcohol, apologized in a hoarse voice. "I was wrong back then."

Wen Youyan's red lips curled, but there wasn't a trace of a smile in her eyes. She took a step closer, her breath sweet as orchids. "Is that so?"

"Why don't you show me some real sincerity, Director Pei?"

Before she finished speaking, she swiped her key card and pulled the dazed Pei Shuyi into the room.

And so began a tacit, secret affair.

Whenever Pei Shuyi went on tour to promote her new film, Wen Youyan just happened to have an event in the same city.

The hashtag #PeiShuyiWenYouyan kept appearing in the trending topics.

[Solo fans]: Pure coincidence. Their schedules just overlap. We're taking our sister home, no shipping.

[CP fans]: (Pulls out a magnifying glass) Coincidence? Seven times in one month? They're secretly dating! For sure!

Later, a show called "Letters from the Island," a dating show... no, a slow-paced variety show, pushed the storm of public opinion to its peak.

Seven beauties, including Pei Shuyi and Wen Youyan, gathered on an island.

A sharp-tongued netizen commented: The seven of them are like seven chopsticks. Pick any two and they're a couple. I'm dying from shipping them!

On camera, Pei Shuyi and Wen Youyan kept a polite distance, enough to fit another entire production crew between them.

Off camera, panting and kisses in hidden corners were the only language between them.

The aloof woman who showed no emotion by day kissed her lover's scars again and again through countless nights, as humble as dust.

[Main] Keeps her love locked in her heart, top-tier jealous director (Pei Shuyi) x suffering severe withdrawal, gentle, sharp-tongued best actress (Wen Youyan)

[Side] Walking textbook of allure, innocent mature beauty best actress (Shen Zhiqiu) x strategic at every step, sunny, energetic newcomer (Lin Xiangxia)

Theme: Demons can be good or bad, and people can be kind or evil