Why Does My Brother's Classmate Keep Climbing Through My Window in the Middle of the Night?

In the winter of the twenty-eighth year of the Yuanjing era, after three years of mourning, Kang Ning followed her brother to the capital in search of a position.

The Kang family had fallen on hard times. They had even raised the money for the journey to the capital by selling their old home. With little money to their name, they had no idea how they would make a living once they arrived, and Kang Ning was terribly worried.

Fortunately, on the way, they happened to meet Xiao Jue, one of her brother's former classmates. Her brother had once helped him, and to repay that kindness, Xiao Jue offered to take the siblings in at the Duke's residence.

The Duke's residence was a grand estate of the powerful and wealthy, full of splendor and strict rules. As a guest, Kang Ning always observed proper etiquette and took care not to trouble her hosts.

Until an unexpected incident shattered the peace.

That day was the sixtieth birthday celebration of the old madam of the Duke's residence. After drinking a cup of tea at the celebration, Kang Ning suddenly felt heat spreading through her body, growing hotter and harder to bear.

Knowing something was wrong, she immediately tried to run back to the little courtyard where she was staying.

But halfway there, she stumbled into the arms of her brother's former classmate. Unlike her brother, who had returned home to observe mourning as soon as he earned his degree, this classmate was not only born to high status, but had also achieved the rare distinction of placing first in all three imperial examinations at the age of eighteen. Now, barely past twenty, he was a vice minister at the Court of Judicial Review, a powerful and ambitious man favored by the emperor.

Under the influence of the drug, she collapsed into his arms. Her raised face was flushed, her eyes red and glistening, her cheeks bright as sunset clouds. Her slender body trembled uncontrollably, and the fingertips gripping his robe had gone bone-white.

"Help me," she said. She didn't know what he should do or how he should help, only that she wanted him to help her.

His gaze darkened, a storm gathering in it that she couldn't understand.

His long, distinct fingers lifted her chin with an irresistible firmness.

His breath came in a soft, unsteady pant.

"What do you want me to help you with?"

Kang Ning couldn't take in a word. The man before her was the only cure she had. She clung desperately to the narrow waist wrapped in blue robes, grabbing and crumpling his neat clothes as she begged softly again and again, "Help me."

As if worn down by her pleas, the man bent over and gathered her into his arms. His voice was husky and dangerous. "Since that's what you want, then I'll give it to you."

Afterward, Kang Ning wrapped herself in the quilt and silently wept.

A hand lifted her out of it. Her brother's cool, haughty former classmate held her in his arms, his face showing a rare tenderness. His voice carried the satisfaction of a man who had been well fed. "I'll speak to your brother about our marriage later."

Kang Ning's eyes widened in disbelief. He wanted to marry her?

Perhaps her shock was too obvious, because he paused, then added haltingly, "From now on, you'll stay here and be my concubine."

The color drained from Kang Ning's face, and the embarrassment in her eyes slowly froze over.

Her brother didn't need a sister who was someone's concubine to advance his career, and the Kang family didn't need a daughter who was anyone's concubine!

Kang Ning smiled sweetly. "This isn't your fault, Young Master Xiao. I don't want to be anyone's concubine. If you truly feel guilty and want to make amends, why not use your connections at court to find my brother a good position?"

The once-warm room instantly turned icy. The lofty heir of the Duke's residence turned livid and swept out, leaving behind a cold remark: "As you wish."

Xiao Jue was born into a distinguished family and had risen to power at a young age. The most outrageous thing he'd ever done was give in to the beautiful young woman's pleas at his grandmother's birthday banquet.

The Kang family was an obscure household, and Kang Ning's mother had died when she was seven. She had neither a prestigious family to rely on nor support from her mother's relatives. How could she be fit to become the principal wife of the Duke's heir? So after that day, he proposed taking her into his household as a concubine.

Given the Kang family's current standing, taking her in as a concubine was already a generous offer.

Who could have guessed she would make sarcastic remarks and try to use their night together as leverage to secure a better future for her brother?

Xiao Jue had never met such a calculating young woman. Furious, he slammed the door and left on the spot.

He assumed she'd only said it in a fit of anger, and that if he gave her the cold shoulder, she'd realize her mistake.

But the next day, not only did she secretly go out to buy contraceptive medicine, she also moved out of the Duke's residence and brazenly began meeting other young men, as if she meant to forget the past and start her life over.

Xiao Jue was so angry he laughed.

Had she forgotten that she had made the first move? He had already fulfilled his responsibility, but she still owed him hers...

Note: Both the male and female leads are sexually and emotionally devoted to each other.

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