The Softhearted Straight Guy Gets Tangled Up with a Dark Beauty

Passionate, warmhearted straight seme X beautiful, scheming gong pretending to be an innocent flower Before his death, his dear friend entrusted his cousin, the Sixth Prince, to Xue Yan. But before Xue Yan could even return to the capital, he heard that the Sixth Prince, Zhao Zhen, had lost the fight for the throne and been confined to the palace, never to leave. After agonizing over it for days, he finally came up with a plan. On the day he returned victorious, Marquis Linzi Xue Yan traded the military merit he had earned by capturing nine cities for an imperial decree granting him permission to marry the Sixth Prince. On their wedding night, Xue Yan lifted Zhao Zhen's veil and saw his pale, frail face. Delighted, he said, "Hi, do you remember me? I'm your cousin's friend. I even held you when you were little." To honor his friend's dying wish, Xue Yan pampered Zhao Zhen like his own little brother, giving him anything he wanted. Watching them grow closer and Zhao Zhen become ever more dependent on him, Xue Yan thought, This is great! Until one day, his precious little brother climbed into his bed and started biting and nibbling at him. Xue Yan, pretending to be asleep, was so scared he didn't dare move, and endured it until morning... Xue Yan was horrified. "Wait, bro, your little brother is gay?!" Xue Yan: "I'm your big brother! I'm your big brother!" Stop it already! * At the time, Zhao Zhen was blind, crippled, and gravely ill. Everyone despised him, and only Xue Yan still treated him with the same sincerity as ever. When Xue Yan's fingertips brushed the red silk covering his eyes, even his voice was choked with sympathy. "How could they treat you so cruelly?" Zhao Zhen froze, and all the prickles he'd raised softened. On their wedding night, Xue Yan swore to the moon, "Don't worry. I'm really not into men. I married you just to save you." Blind, Zhao Zhen couldn't see the bright, beautiful face across from him. He smiled gently. "Mm." Then came the day his sight returned. Completely unaware, Xue Yan stripped naked right in front of him. From that day on, images he really shouldn't be thinking about kept flashing through Zhao Zhen's mind... * Later, Xue Yan finally realized something was wrong. But before he could refuse, Zhao Zhen crawled a few steps toward him, dropped his disguise, and knelt before him, inch by inch. His lovely face was full of pleading. "Big brother, please be gentle with me." Xue Yan's heart softened for a moment, and he lost his head. After one night, Xue Yan was chained to the bed, his waist and legs aching from being thoroughly serviced. For countless nights afterward, Xue Yan couldn't understand how the little brother he'd raised so carefully had turned out to be gay. Even less could he understand how he'd ended up gay himself. * Everyone in the capital knew that Marquis Linzi Xue Yan was infatuated with the Sixth Prince, Zhao Zhen. Even though he'd used his military achievements to force the marriage, it was still a case of one-sided devotion. When Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, Xue Yan vanished from the capital altogether. Everyone thought the grass on his grave must have grown tall by now. But months later, Xue Yan, long missing, reappeared in public holding a child. And the young, ruthless, and cold-hearted emperor threw himself into Xue Yan's arms without a care for anyone watching, acting cute and pleading, "Big brother, why don't you move into the palace?" Only Zhao Zhen knew that he was the one who had yearned for Xue Yan all along, and the one who had never been able to have him. * Bonus Scene: Xue Yan had put on weight lately. After checking his pulse, the physician wore an especially grave expression. Xue Yan shuddered. "Is it terminal?" Physician: "No. I'm just a little despairing. Why is it a pregnancy pulse?" Xue Yan: "??? Nobody said men could get pregnant in this world." Reading Guide: 1. Both are virgins; male pregnancy; a straight man gets turned gay 2. The gong acts like a delicate innocent flower in front of the seme 3. The seme has a concubine at the beginning: she's a woman, the relationship is fake, and she's a good person. She later changes her status. No more spoilers. 4. The political intrigue is extremely light, and everything serves the romance The next book will be titled "After Ten Years of Fighting for the Throne, I Find Out I'm a Fake Prince" Ruthless, career-minded, short-tempered seme X world-weary, lazy, impeccably dressed scoundrel with a love-addled brain, gong Chu Mingxuan had worked diligently for over ten years to win the throne. He'd competed with the princes, fought the imperial consorts, clashed with court officials, and built political alliances. He was on the verge of winning the princes' succession struggle and becoming crown prince. Then a bombshell broke: he wasn't the emperor's biological son. He'd been switched at birth with someone else. In light of their years together, the emperor adopted him, but the crown prince position was out of his reach for good. All his years of effort had gone to waste. Chu Mingxuan was furious. Damn it! Even if he couldn't become crown prince, he'd become the powerful minister behind the real crown prince. * Xiao Wangzhi had grown up rough, unable to read a single character and with a long list of misdeeds. When Chu Mingxuan found him, he was squatting at the village entrance with a few local thugs, watching dogs fight. He'd thought he'd spend his whole life doing nothing but eating and waiting to die. Until one day, a noble beauty who looked like an immortal descended before him. With elegant fingers, the man snapped Xiao Wangzhi's little wooden stick and grabbed him by the collar. "From now on, I'm your big brother. I'll teach you how to win the succession struggle. You'd better become emperor, or we'll both die." Overnight, Xiao Wangzhi went from a street thug to a prince. His immortal big brother taught him to read and fight, defeat princes, and win over ministers... Looking at the ambitious beauty, so full of grand plans, the world-weary layabout suddenly felt he could pull himself together after all. At a palace banquet crowded with aristocratic families, Xiao Wangzhi, just brought back from the countryside, inevitably made a fool of himself. Everyone thought Chu Mingxuan's years of scheming had all been for someone else, and that he must hate the man who'd lost his position. But as soon as the mockery began, Chu Mingxuan kicked the speaker flying. "You bastard! Insulting him is like slapping me in the face. Are you trying to make everyone think I'm a petty, vindictive, and treacherous villain?" Chu Mingxuan single-handedly took down everyone who came to test or mock him. From that day on, he became Xiao Wangzhi's dog, completely and utterly. * Xiao Wangzhi finally became crown prince, and his conduct increasingly resembled that of a ruler. But things seemed to be slipping out of control. Powerful ministers and princes were toppled one by one, while aristocratic clans threw their support behind him. Chu Mingxuan couldn't even figure out how Xiao Wangzhi had managed it. When he rushed over to demand answers, Xiao Wangzhi stood there dressed in splendid robes, looking every inch the gentleman. He bent toward Chu Mingxuan with a shameless grin. "How about you kiss me, big brother, and then I'll tell you?" Chu Mingxuan angrily slapped him. Xiao Wangzhi leaned close again, grinning, and offered his other cheek. "This side too." Later, Chu Mingxuan suggested that Xiao Wangzhi marry a daughter from one of the aristocratic clans. He tried to reason with him for days. Then, after all that pleading, he woke up in Xiao Wangzhi's bed. Gold chains and iron locks held him captive. Someone parted the beaded curtain and walked slowly toward him, a beast in human clothing, with dark, possessive eyes. "Big brother, I'm angry. You have to soothe me, or I won't let you go." Chu Mingxuan had just gritted out, "Get lost," when the bastard bent down and kissed him, tearing his clothes to shreds as the chains rattled incessantly. He instinctively tried to run, but Xiao Wangzhi grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him back. "Big brother, if you agree to this, I'll be your puppet emperor." Chu Mingxuan: ... He hadn't found himself a puppet emperor. He'd raised a wolf. Theme: Even in adversity, keep reaching for the light