Blurb for The Archrival Says He and I Are Betrothed:
[Childhood Friends + Archrivals + Mutual Pining Comes True]
Scheming, Unhinged Beauty x Carefree, Sunny Young Man
Chi Yuan had a childhood friend from the time she was little. At first, he was merely the perpetual runner-up. Later, when she performed poorly in her studies, he came to gloat. When she accidentally made a fool of herself, he laughed about it from morning till night. She painstakingly made him a double-sided embroidered sachet, and he turned around and tore it apart...
Even an uncle might put up with that, but an aunt wouldn't!
And so she acquired an archrival.
The good news: A rebellion has broken out within her archrival's sect.
The bad news: He actually has a betrothal contract with her?
The good news: Her archrival needs her help?
Then she certainly won't hold back. Besides getting back the token that belongs to her, she'll take advantage of the situation and extort a little extra.
She thought they had nothing more than a relationship of mutual benefit. Then, after helping her archrival reclaim his sect, she accidentally entered his study. Portrait after portrait of her met her eyes, and every letter in the cabinet revealed his affection for her.
So what?
For someone like her, who puts self-interest first in everything, this was simply another useful leverage point.
That was until the entire martial arts alliance issued a kill order against her. Her archrival gave up his chance to escape without hesitation and fled with her. A faint sense of guilt spread through her heart.
When her archrival leaned close to her ear once more and whispered a plea for a reward, she instinctively answered with a kiss to his cool lips.
Perhaps she could indulge him this once, as repayment for saving her life...
*
At first, Qi Yunjie couldn't stand being outdone by Chi Yuan. After working hard, he finally became the perennial runner-up. Whenever he came close to taking first place, he would gloat in front of Chi Yuan for ages.
But all she ever said was, "How boring," and she stopped having much to do with him.
Remembering a method he'd read about in a storybook for bringing an aloof beauty down from her pedestal, he eagerly put it into practice. When Chi Yuan performed poorly, he went over to show off. When she accidentally made a fool of herself, he laughed about it for ages.
Then he saw Chi Yuan chatting happily with another man, a smile in her eyes he'd never seen directed at him.
After that, Chi Yuan carefully made a double-sided embroidered sachet. It was obviously a token of love.
Consumed by jealousy, he pretended to ruin it by accident, and finally... earned himself a slap.
The burning pain cleared his head a little. When had he started caring so much about her?
As Chi Yuan spent more and more time with him, every smile and frown of hers stayed in his mind. Whenever he read about the protagonists in storybooks, he would picture the two of them embracing as they drifted off to sleep...
Gradually, he realized he couldn't stand by and ignore anything that happened to Chi Yuan. He wanted to see her smile, to see her get angry, to see her lively and real right in front of him.
He thought he had probably fallen for her completely.
One day, his mother suddenly told him that she and Chi Yuan's mother had once arranged a betrothal. When he received the token, he couldn't sleep all night.
But their good fortune did not last.
His mother passed away, and not long after he took over the sect, its members rebelled against him.
He deliberately let information slip, waiting for Chi Yuan to come and show him the token and her bargaining chips.
On the surface: We're just partners in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
In his heart: I can stay by her side for a while with a perfectly legitimate excuse. Yes!
Who could have guessed that after Chi Yuan helped him reclaim his sect, she would discover the feelings he'd secretly harbored all these years?
He had already thought of every excuse, but he hadn't expected her to accept his feelings so calmly. The distance in her eyes still hurt him deeply.
He secretly vowed to do everything in his power to cherish her for the rest of his life. One day, that final barrier between them would disappear completely.
1v1 / happy ending / childhood friends
Theme: Live well.
Come on 💪 Thank God, thank earth, thank you for your hard work~