She Fell Out of Love in Their Third Year of Marriage

[Scheming, lovesick mistress's daughter vs. austere, celibate family patriarch]

With the wedding approaching, her legitimate elder sister suddenly falls gravely ill. Pu Jinyu, who has been living in the countryside for years and forgotten by everyone, is finally brought back to the capital.

Her legitimate mother uses her concubine mother's life as leverage, leaving Pu Jinyu no choice but to change her appearance and study her elder sister's mannerisms. She takes her place in marrying into the Yan family, expecting to switch places once her sister recovers and the deception can end.

Unfortunately, her sister never recovers and eventually dies.

The Yan family is powerful and prestigious, with strict rules governing its inner household. Wearing her sister's face and name, Pu Jinyu lives in constant fear, cautiously serving her parents-in-law and getting along with her sisters-in-law. She racks her brains to deal with her distant, unfeeling husband and doesn't dare let her guard down for a moment. Her legitimate mother also blames her for her sister's death and makes life difficult for her in every possible way.

Eventually, Pu Jinyu is worn out in body and mind. She dies in childbirth at the age of twenty-nine, having spent her entire life trapped in the Yan family's merciless manor, living under her sister Pu Wange's name and identity.

Only after death does Pu Jinyu learn that her sister hadn't died young from illness at all. She had faked her death to escape and follow her lover.

The concubine mother she had relied on and cherished had never been threatened either. For the sake of a promising future, she had used and discarded Pu Jinyu time and again, her own daughter, to secure her position and enjoy wealth and glory.

Looking back on her life, Pu Jinyu sees how, as the daughter of a mistress, she was forced to dress as a boy from birth to please her biological father. But a falsehood could never become the truth. As she grew older, she could no longer hide her identity, and her concubine mother had no hesitation in arranging to send her to a poor, remote place.

Back then, seeing her mother's tearful eyes, the young girl didn't understand what it meant to be cast aside. She truly believed they were full of love and concern for her.

But...

When she opens her eyes again, she has returned to the third year of her false marriage. Looking at the Yan family's red-brick walls and blue tiles, and the gauzy curtains, she lowers her lashes with a cold smile, putting on a gentle, obedient air as she hides the storm raging inside her.

The Yan family has stood in prominence for a hundred years and ranks as the most prestigious house in the capital. Its eldest legitimate son, Yan Chiyun, is striking and elegant, with the ethereal beauty of an immortal. At a young age, he has already reached the highest ranks of the court, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The Yan and Pu families arranged their marriage years ago. When they came of age, Yan Chiyun followed the elders' wishes and married the most irreproachable noblewoman in the capital.

After their wedding, he was restrained in bed and devoted to his political duties, leaving early and returning late. Though they rarely met, they treated each other with mutual respect and lived peacefully side by side for three years. If nothing unexpected happened, they would remain husband and wife until old age, raising children together.

So he cannot understand why his usually decorous, obedient, and gentle wife would betray their marriage.

Even when he catches her, she is unmoved by his furious questioning. She calmly gets dressed and out of bed, looks coldly into his eyes, and lightly says, “Since you've seen it, then let's divorce.”

His fury turns into a dark, mocking laugh. As he looks at his wife's profile, serene as a gardenia and luminous with beauty, he narrows his eyes.

He suddenly realizes he may never have truly known this woman.

[A self-restrained paragon of propriety falls in love, then is driven mad into taking her by force]

Reader's Guide:

A restrained, proper, celibate family patriarch (a dark, unhinged male ghost) vs. a beautiful, resilient mistress's daughter (a lovesick, scheming innocent flower). Marriage before love, a long-simmering passion finally catching fire, the cold and aloof paragon falling hard and getting face-slapped, going mad for love and stopping at nothing. Both leads' first relationship; happy ending.

The blurb contains misunderstandings stemming from the characters' subjective perspectives; it doesn't reveal the full story. To avoid spoilers, I won't elaborate. Please don't send writing advice. You don't need to tell me if you're dropping the story. Readers of pirated copies, please show some respect.

Theme: Love is exclusive and singular.