12. Maternal aunt, respectful address.
13. Shangyuan Festival is also known as the Lantern Festival, marking the 15th and last day of the Lunar New Year. It’s a day for worshipping and celebrating the celestial heavens.
14. A reference to a verse from Lu You’s “Ode to the Plum Blossom”： “Her petals may be ground in the mud, but her fragrance will endure.”
15. “Eyes red with envy” is an idiom that indicates jealousy, similar to the English idiom “eyes green with envy.”
16. “Honghong-er” means “My son, Reddie” or just “Little Red.”
17. [天煞孤星] The Star of Solitude: People with this sign in their fortune are said to bring great misfortune to those around them while they themselves are fine, hence the name. This sign can be nullified with the intervention of a savior. The Star of Solitude and Sha Po Lang are the two most devastating signs in Chinese divination.
About the Author
“A young superstitious girl,
renowned poster of memes;
a gourmet world goof, who takes photos with shaky hands;
and types cursedly slow, finishing stories depending on the mood.
…All lies.
I actually enjoy a refreshing cup of tea in the afternoon, staring into the far-off distance as I open my beloved notebook to write poetry.
…No, no, no, that’s even more of a lie.
All right, actually, I'm just someone
who writes.
Yep.”
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu （MXTX） is a globally renowned author whose works are often cited as the best-known in the modern danmei genre. Originally self-published via the novel serialization website, JJWXC, her current titles include The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, and Heaven Official’s Blessing. All three series have received multiple adaptations and have been published in numerous languages around the world.