[Official version archived] Revised 2026.1.24/7.27
Before she starved to death, Yan Ning was taken in by Madam Xia, the richest woman in Lin'an.
There were three heads of the household besides Madam Xia: her two sons.
The elder son was gentle and gracious, a man of great refinement. The younger son was sickly and gloomy.
Everyone was afraid of the younger son.
Yan Ning secretly prayed that wherever she was sent, she would never be assigned to serve in the younger son's courtyard.
Only later did she learn that she had been taken in to bring good fortune to the elder son.
The elder son was kind and gentle. He not only took good care of her, but also taught her to read and write.
As she came of age and first fell in love, she hoped he would get better soon.
But in the end, this good man did not survive that winter, nor did he live to see the day she was meant to bring him good fortune.
Even so, she became the Xia family's nominal eldest daughter-in-law.
To repay their kindness, she learned to do business and keep the accounts, and cared for her sickly younger brother-in-law.
But he never acknowledged her as family. He even treated her worse than everyone else.
Then came a sudden kidnapping. Yan Ning saved him, and everything seemed to change.
Her brother-in-law began treating her better and often showed concern for her.
Even her casual remarks were treated like sacred words.
But she always felt a chill creeping down her back, as if a sinister gaze were clinging to her...
On the bed, at her desk, anywhere at all.
Whenever she was exhausted and fell asleep, she would vaguely feel something lightly touch her face and neck, then travel lower...
The sensation was damp, like a snake's tongue, and carried a trembling, carefully restrained desire.
Yet every time she woke, there was no one there. Those sensations seemed like nothing but an illusion.
One night, another icy touch crept up from her ankle. She unconsciously drew in her leg, then jolted awake.
The moment she opened her eyes, a warm hand gently covered them.
A scorching breath brushed past her ear. A hoarse voice, edged with laughter, slowly sounded in the darkness.
"Sister, why didn't you come see me today?"
At last, she recognized him.
"You're insane. I'm your sister-in-law."
As Yan Ning panicked, the voice by her ear grew even hoarser.
"Sister-in-law? Do you truly love my brother so much? Will you stay a widow for him your whole life? Or... will I always be inferior to him?"
Reader's guide:
1. A quick-witted but softhearted heroine and a sickly but unhinged hero.
2. The heroine handles everything outside the home on her own, but is endlessly indulgent toward the hero.
3. Contains coercive content. Please don't read if that bothers you.
4. Older woman, younger man romance. She is three years older. One-on-one romance, both sexually inexperienced.
Theme: Only love freely given is true love
