Only as Shen Qingyan lay dying at the bottom of a deep well did she finally see through the greatest deception in the world.
Her gentle, considerate fiance, the Third Prince, was the one who had drained the Shen family's resources and personally sent her to her death. Her pitiful half-sister was a poisonous snake who stole her betrothal and took over her life. And Prince Su Xiao Jinyuan, mocked throughout the capital for being disabled and frail, practically a useless man, was the only one who had secretly protected her for years and shielded her from every storm.
When she was reborn, she returned to the night before the marriage swap.
Her stepmother forced her to marry the useless prince in her sister's place. Her half-sister pretended to feel guilty and offered to give way, while the scumbag man feigned tenderness to persuade her to stay.
In this life, Shen Qingyan smiled coolly and calmly accepted the marriage everyone despised.
Everyone said she was impossibly foolish, ruining her own bright future. Only she knew the truth: The world may reject him, but I will marry him. In my previous life, he protected me without recognition. In this life, I will stand by him as he claims the throne.
They made a pact on their wedding day: they would pretend to be husband and wife, leave each other alone, and divorce when the time came.
She remained clear-headed and composed, managing the household, fighting her enemies, settling old scores, and turning the tables one step at a time. She would never be love-struck.
He played the pig to eat the tiger, concealing his sharp edge, controlling the court, secretly protecting his beloved wife, and favoring her beyond measure. His heart belonged entirely to her.
Outsiders thought the useless prince and his wife were merely scraping by, unaware that the prince had long been laying the foundations of an empire for her, giving her every bit of his tenderness.
The contract was fake, but their life together was real.
In their previous life, they missed each other despite loving one another, left with nothing but regrets. In this life, they choose each other, their love growing deeper with every passing year.
