[A deranged, obsessive prince with mysophobia x a clear-headed, resigned duke’s daughter who thinks she’s dying]
Prince Regent Yan Lin is decisive and ruthless, a dangerously obsessive man so fastidious that he’ll burn his clothes on the spot if even a speck of dust touches them.
Shen Qingrou, the duke’s legitimate daughter, was drugged into weakness and mistakenly believes she has little time left to live.
After getting drunk, she sleeps with him as if he were her male companion, then throws money at him to humiliate him. Yan Lin swallows the truth he’s uncovered, invokes a “terminal illness” as an excuse, and has her brought to his estate in a lavish wedding procession. Pinning her down with a hand at her throat, he gasps, eyes bloodshot: “Shen Qingrou, your life belongs to me. Even the King of Hell wouldn’t dare take it.”
Later, she discovers the deception cloaked in the name of love and flees, leaving him a letter.
When they meet again, the man who can’t stand being touched kneels in the pouring rain, clutching her skirt and pleading in a trembling voice. She looks down at him and smiles coolly. “Your Highness, I haven’t much time left. Why insist on this?”
Reading guide:
Marriage first, love later. The male lead starts off unhinged, gradually falls hard, and keeps convincing himself she loves him. The female lead stays clear-headed throughout.
A groveling chase, with the male lead on his knees until they’re shattered.
A mix of sweetness and angst, with satisfying face-slapping and no frustrating setbacks.
