Tannu (Rebirth)

【Book title changed. This novel does not involve BL, so darlings can read with confidence.】The Yue family had a servant, a handsome young man whom the Eldest Miss of the Yue family had rescued from a courtesan house. The two grew up together, and could be considered childhood sweethearts.

But the year Yue Qingning came of age, the young man was suddenly expelled, and from then on, he hated the Yue family. He shamelessly climbed the social ladder by attaching himself to the Crown Prince. Afterwards, he rose to become a powerful official, a ruthless schemer who framed loyal subjects and bit the hand that fed him.

In her previous life, Yue Qingning was thoroughly manipulated by him. Their childhood affection was no match for his ambition, and she was ultimately framed and killed by him. Reborn, she failed to kill him. She wondered, how could she break the rotten red string connecting him to the Crown Prince?

Naturally, it had to be like training a dog: first, a smack; second, a scold; third, a head pat. Once he was completely accustomed, so much so that after a slap, he would run back and ask if her hand hurt, and would go east if she told him, never west, he could then become a handy tool to bite back at the evil master.

However, as the days passed, the little dog's constant sweet talk became unbearable. By her sickbed, he knelt before her with his eyes tightly closed, pleading, "Miss will always be my master. In my heart, I only acknowledge you." He even wove a lie before the Emperor when receiving an award, saying, "I have no other wish, only Qingning."

Qingning was unwilling and dared not believe him. But deep in the quiet night, the little dog, wagging his tail and begging for pity, crawled onto her bed, his eyes slightly red. "You love many in this world, yet you refuse to care for me."

Qingning, whose hand was being held to his face, was annoyed but couldn't fathom what had gotten into this man, who supposedly preferred men. The bewildered Que Ming thought: ...Who prefers men? Me?

——

Que Ming carried a deep-seated vendetta, barely surviving six perilous years. He only found a moment's respite after being taken in by the Yue family. He was meant to be emotionless and loveless, focused solely on revenge, but during his long period of dormancy, he fell for Miss.

He considered himself to be in a swamp, capable of any dirty or rotten deed to achieve his goals. But Miss repeatedly reached out to him in the darkness, lifting his hand, urging him to stand tall under the sun, to live a lifetime with her.

Thus, Que Ming could only act as a gentleman. Dirty thoughts buried deep in his heart, even if he was a hypocrite, putting on an act for a lifetime, who could say he wasn't a true saint?

——

Note:

1. The male lead remained chaste and pure in both lifetimes.

2. The Crown Prince likes beautiful people.

3. Extra chapters will update an 'if' scenario for the male lead's past life.