Stealing My Friend's Wife

Jing Ni has had a hard life since childhood.

Her father never cared for her, her mother never loved her, and her marriage was arranged by matchmakers, with no affection between her and her husband.

After two years of marriage, her husband's family fell into decline, her mother-in-law threw her weight around, and her husband was incompetent. Life was far from pleasant.

One day, her husband asked her to accompany him to a banquet. A high-ranking official had arrived from the capital, he said, and they had to show him proper hospitality.

At the banquet, the official was elegant and composed, his feathered robes gleaming. Their eyes met for only an instant, and Jing Ni lowered her head.

His gaze was distant and cold, stirring fear in anyone who looked into it.

The official stayed in Suzhou for a long time. Her husband served under him, so some contact between them was unavoidable.

But in other people's eyes, that small connection took on a different meaning. Her mother-in-law made her kneel for hours in the ancestral hall, accusing her of being flirtatious and wanton, and of lacking a woman's virtue and gentleness.

It was unjust and humiliating. In the pouring rain that day, she secretly made her way to the moat.

The chill seeped into her every limb, yet Jing Ni felt a sense of release. She never expected to be rescued when she was on the brink of death.

The arms holding her were cool, and a crisp fragrance filled her nose. Jing Ni was dazed. In her fading consciousness, she met a pair of eyes.

The scent on his lips was the same as the one on the man who had just saved her. He raised a hand and gently brushed her cheek.

"I saved you today, Madam. From now on, you can't simply throw your life away as you please."

Beneath his palm were her bruised, purple knees.

/

Xie Chongyu, Marquis of Chongan, came from an illustrious family of officials. He was talented, handsome, intelligent, and much favored by the emperor.

Yet for many years, not a single woman had been by his side. Countless noblewomen in the capital had tried to win his favor, and all had failed.

People speculated that Marquis Xie must suffer from some hidden ailment, which was why he kept his distance from women.

Who could have guessed that after a work trip to Suzhou, he would return with a twice-married woman in tow?

What's more, Xie Chongyu doted on her as if she were in heaven, lavishing her with both status and genuine affection.

Everyone: So that's what he's into?

Only Xie Chongyu knew that, from the moment he saw Jing Ni again, her deep, still eyes had already undone the ties of his robe a thousand times in his imagination.

Features melodramatic fake replacement and possessive love tropes.

The heroine is not a virgin; the hero is.

If any of these tropes bother you, don't read.

Theme: True love