After the Abandoned Maidservant

[A beautiful maid who plans every move x the aloof heir of a marquis's household] Both leads are sexually inexperienced.

Yingchan is the most beautiful and charming senior maid serving the marquis's wife. The Fourth Master takes an interest in her and wants to make her his concubine, but by a twist of fate, she ends up by the side of Shen Lin, a coldhearted heir who keeps his distance from women. She assumes she's simply on the usual path from maid to concubine.

A scheme to frame her brings Yingchan and Shen Lin closer. She wears him down bit by bit, tending to his every need, and never expects that her tricks will actually win her this aloof, unattainable man.

His supposed aversion to women and his apparent indifference were all a lie.

Behind the red silk curtains, he repeats her name over and over. There's no trace of his former disgust. Lost in their passionate embraces, he dotes on her and lets her have her way.

But she was born a servant, and Shen Lin is the heir. He will have to marry a proper wife. He once said he would never leave her by his side without a title or status.

A year later, he breaks his promise.

Shen Lin is about to marry, and has never brought up her status again. Yingchan is heartbroken.

Even though he spends every day in her room, sending her heaps of gold, silver, and jewels, and everyone says she's his favorite, Shen Lin tells his wife to her face that Yingchan was born a servant and doesn't deserve to be made a concubine.

Yingchan wipes away her tears, packs her belongings, and escapes the capital in the dead of night, never to speak of her past there again.

·

Shen Lin is the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's household, a trusted confidant of the new emperor, and a decorated general who joined the army as a boy.

He thinks a wife should be a capable partner, someone who helps him manage household affairs. As long as he preserves her dignity, everything will be fine.

Who could have imagined that one day he would fall in love with a maid and find he couldn't live without her, losing sleep every night after she left?

He never gave her the position of concubine he promised. He thought a little coaxing would make everything right. Who knew she'd be so stubborn and actually... leave him?

Shen Lin thinks he can wait for her to come back. He calls off his marriage, thinking that if there's no mistress of the household, she'll be the only one in his inner quarters. He waits one year, then two. When he hears that she's about to marry someone else, Shen Lin can wait no longer!

He sends betrothal gifts from the capital to Jiangnan, then arrives at her door ahead of them.

In the morning dew, he holds his birth details and comes to ask for her hand, unannounced.

Behind him, the top-ranked candidate in the palace examination speaks gently, each word striking like a blade: "Young Lord, you once let a precious pearl fall into the hands of someone unworthy. Why have you come to ask for her now?"

Yingchan kneels before the door and begs him to let her go. That fleeting affair vanished as soon as it came to light. Now they should each go their own way.

His mouth tastes of blood, and his eyes are bloodshot. "What if... I refuse?"

Reading Guide:

1. The hero has never married. They're each other's first love. No other woman or man gets between them, but there are misunderstandings.

2. The blurb may change from time to time, but the core story will remain the same.

3. I'm a developing writer, and the pacing is a little slow. I'll revise any issues, but the major plot won't change, and I won't abandon the story.

4. This is not a feel-good power fantasy! The heroine was born into a servant family, so there won't be scenes of her single-handedly defeating everyone. If that's not for you, please feel free to leave now.

4. Happy ending + groveling pursuit + sweet romance + mutual fidelity + powerful man humbled.

Upcoming novel No. 1: Never Take Back Spilled Water

Pursuit after abandonment / mutual fidelity / secret love / inner-household intrigue / slice of life

One

Xue Tan is the adopted daughter of a eunuch, and has been in an awkward position since childhood. Only the eldest son of the Wang family, who saved her life when she was young, has never looked down on her.

She clings to the eldest Wang son for ten years and finally becomes his lawfully wedded wife. But they enjoy less than seven years of happiness before he secretly takes a mistress.

Their love nest is broken, their vows shattered. Reborn, Xue Tan decides she'd rather be disliked by everyone.

Two

As a son of a prominent family, the eldest Wang son was raised in a family with a long scholarly tradition. His clan has long been at odds with the eunuchs. But he can't bear to see little Xue Tan, who follows him everywhere, upset, so he never completely dispels her hopes.

But one day, Xue Tan comes to terms with things. She stops arguing and competing, and finds she can live well on her own. Wang Daren can't understand why his heart aches so much he can hardly breathe, especially when he sees Xie Chenbi standing by her side. The one standing beside her should have been him.

Then one day, he has a dream...

Three

Xie Chenbi has been a rotten egg since childhood, rotten to the core.

He has a secret no one knows: he loves the seventh young lady of the Xue family, Xue Tan. He couldn't swim back then, and because he was a moment too late while searching for someone to save her, she never let him into her heart again.

Just when he thinks he has no chance in this life, Xue Tan suddenly leaves the eldest Wang son.

Four

In the middle of the night, Xie Chenbi perches on the wall of Xue Tan's courtyard and presents her with a marriage contract bearing his name.

"Marry me. You can help me keep up appearances in front of my parents, and I'll find the best doctors in the world for you."

Xue Tan thinks it over. "I don't need a famous doctor. If you ever grow tired of me, we can part ways. If I die, take care of my father. Don't let him get bullied when he's alone."

Xie Chenbi agrees readily, grinning from ear to ear as if he's gotten a fantastic bargain.

Xue Tan doesn't understand why he looks so delighted, as if his wish has come true. But she thinks that, as a sickly person like herself, it's better not to go out and cause trouble for anyone else. She might as well cause trouble for the boy next door, Xie Chenbi.

[Capital street gossip] The Xie ancestors caused a riot in the underworld, and Xie Chenbi suddenly turned from a rotten egg into a good person!

[Unofficial gossip among officials] Love is changing everything! Lords Wang and Xie are still at odds today!

Upcoming novel No. 2: Contemporary romance, second-chance love, Imprisoned in Spring

[Sensitive, cool, breathtakingly beautiful, universally adored celebrity x former retired film emperor turned gaming company mogul]

The deeper you love, the more you fear losing the other person. Security becomes a floating branch in the water: desperately desired, yet impossible to grasp.

At twenty-seven, Song Miansheng isn't afraid of attending lavish banquets or handling business deals on her own. She has gone from a nobody in show business to a long-running top-tier star, one of the most sought-after female celebrities in the industry.

It isn't until she sees Liang Xu at a business event, so different from the man he used to be, that she realizes the twenty-seven-year-old Song Miansheng's heart can still beat in time with the heart of her twenty-year-old self.

"Have you been well all these years?" Liang Xu holds a wineglass, blocking everyone else's view.

"Very well. I even signed a brand deal with your company. I wish you success in your career, Mr. Liang." Song Miansheng is always at a loss for words in front of Liang Xu. She was like this at twenty, and apparently still is at twenty-seven.

"Is that so? I've been well too." Liang Xu politely says something utterly pointless.

"But I want to be even better."

At twenty-three, Liang Xu didn't marry Song Miansheng. At thirty, he wants to try again.

Theme: Live well.