My Mother-in-Law Is Still as Alluring as Ever

Blurb:

As a ger, the thing Zhou Ping was proudest of in his life was that, despite being his husband's second wife, the two legitimate sons left behind by the previous wife both loved him dearly.

That was because the former wife was his biological older brother.

His older brother doted on him as if he were his own heart. So even though Zhou Ping was a concubine-born son, he lived more lavishly than most legitimate gers. As a result, he was a little crafty, but not by much. After all, he rarely had any need to be.

Years after he married into the family, he dreamed one day that they were living inside a book.

The protagonist of the book was the impoverished scholar who sold calligraphy and paintings under a bridge.

He was actually of Marquis's family blood, though no one knew why he had ended up living outside the family. Once he was recognized and brought home, he would embark on his rise to power as a "chosen one." Every cannon fodder character and every obstacle in his path would die by his schemes.

As for their family

One of his two step-sons was a lawless bully who kicked over the stall of someone trying to make a living. The other had servants beat someone mercilessly simply because that person had looked at him once too often.

The protagonist would hold a grudge against them and make them pay dearly later on.

Zhou Ping jolted awake from the nightmare, terrified. With danger looming, he racked his brains and came up with a foolish plan. If he made the protagonist part of the family, the man wouldn't be able to get rid of them!

He couldn't help congratulating himself, thinking that he, too, would have a protagonist for a son-in-law.

Who knew that no matter how hard he tried to bring them together, his foolish son and the protagonist still wouldn't become a couple? After working himself to the bone all day, Zhou Ping was clutching his handkerchief and wailing over the fortune he was about to lose when someone suddenly cornered him against the wall.

"Are you really that eager to become family with me?"

The protagonist's gaze was unreadable. He lifted a strand of Zhou Ping's hair and sniffed it. "I see Pingping is still quite charming. Why not offer yourself to me instead?"

Notes:

1. The main characters are not related by blood.

2. The love interest is a beautiful fool who is occasionally stingy and money-loving.

3. Many potential triggers, so read at your own discretion. (A little morally ambiguous.)

Theme: It's too late to regret what has been done