Living Under Her Roof

During a bloody battle beyond the frontier, Lu Shuo’s father gave his life to save the commanding general.

When the army returned in triumph, twelve-year-old Lu Shuo, dressed in mourning white, was brought to the imposing and unfamiliar Duke’s residence.

That day, many voices came rushing toward him.

The duke said, “Your father saved my life. I’ll treat you as my own son.”

The duchess said, “Good child, if you ever need anything, just come and tell me.”

The young masters of the duke’s household said, “We’re brothers from now on. We’ll be in class together every day!”

Only the duke’s one and only daughter said nothing.

In the fine drizzle, as hazy as smoke, she stood beneath the covered walkway in a spring robe the color of fresh willow leaves and smiled at him.

-

*The heroine lost her speech due to an illness when she was young. She will recover later.

*A gender-swapped version of the “boy taken in by a noble household” trope. The male lead is insecure, secretly in love, and looks up to the heroine.

*A childhood-sweetheart romance with a gentle, slow-blooming, bittersweet everyday life.

Upcoming novel: What If My Mind-Reading Is Backwards?

Blurb:

When Fu Qinglan woke up, she discovered she had lost her memory.

The bad news: People told her she was the daughter of a treacherous minister. As a child, she had bullied the Sixth Prince when he was living outside the palace. Now he had ascended the throne, locked her up, and wanted revenge.

The good news: She suddenly discovered she had gained the ability to read minds. She could hear the thoughts of the first person she made physical contact with each day.

At dawn, the Sixth Prince, or rather, the new emperor, walked into her room with a cold laugh.

To stay alive, Fu Qinglan nervously reached out and touched the new emperor.

His cold smile froze on his face.

Fu Qinglan heard the emperor’s thoughts: Such a kind woman. I must treat her well!

Fu Qinglan: Huh? So I’m a good person? Then why are people spreading rumors about me? His Majesty must have locked me up to protect me!

The new emperor flew into a rage over her disrespectful behavior, but Fu Qinglan grabbed his hand and said earnestly, “Your Majesty, I understand what you’re going through. It’s all right, do what you need to do. I’ll wait for you!”

The new emperor stared at her for a moment, then turned and left.

As she drank the restorative medicine the imperial physician had sent, Fu Qinglan happily imagined that she and the emperor must share a secret past, and that was why they understood each other so well without saying a word.

The next day, Fu Qinglan touched the new emperor again.

She saw him open his eyes wide in disbelief, his thoughts surging: I have to keep this woman by my side!

So she said with equal sincerity, “I’m willing to stay by Your Majesty’s side for the rest of my life!”

The new emperor left in silence, but in private, considerately asked the imperial physician to adjust her prescription and keep nourishing her.

On the third day, the fourth day… In short, the new emperor was always the same: saying one thing and meaning another, cold on the outside but warm-hearted within. Fu Qinglan had grown used to their flirtatious life together.

One day, she could no longer hold back and grabbed him. “Your Majesty, do you like me?”

She heard his frank thoughts: What kind of question is that? How could I not like you?

So she happily threw herself into his arms and gave him a loud kiss. “Honestly, if you like me, just say so. Why pretend to be coy and make me ask first?”

The new emperor trembled from head to toe, his face bright red. Perhaps he was too embarrassed to speak, because he turned and left without a word.

Fu Qinglan thought, They grew up together, and he has loved her secretly for so long. How could she be so ungrateful as to reject his imperial favor?

After he kept pretending to reject her while secretly welcoming her advances, she finally agreed to become his empress, just as he wished.

But on the eve of their wedding, Fu Qinglan suddenly regained her memories.

She remembered all the ways she had mistreated him as a child, his scar-covered back as he knelt before her, and the hatred in his eyes when she drove him out of her home…

Fu Qinglan was numb with shock.

Soon, she discovered that there was a problem with her mind-reading ability. The thoughts she heard were actually the opposite of what people were thinking.

…So he didn’t like her at all. Making her empress was just one part of his revenge.

In despair, Fu Qinglan fled, terrified of being punished for her crimes.

-

Ying Heng had a rough childhood. After falling into poverty and wandering the streets, he became a lowly servant in a wealthy household.

The young lady had been spoiled since childhood. Arrogant and overbearing, she ordered him around and humiliated him in every way. He secretly swore that one day he would repay every humiliation a hundredfold.

The good news: He rose from the mud to become a dragon, and she fell into his hands.

The bad news: She seemed to have lost her mind and kept throwing herself at him.

Just as he agonized over it and finally decided to get even by taking her to bed,

she abandoned him and ran away.

Ying Heng laughed in anger.

After all these years, she was still the same, treating him like a dog and making a fool of him.

If that was how she wanted it, she had only herself to blame when he snapped and bit back.

*

Bratty young lady × restrained emperor

Theme: The road may be long and hard, but take the first step and you’ll reach your destination.