Why Is My Brother-in-Law Like That? (Matriarchy)

(Anti-piracy: 30% of the text is protected for 48 hours! It’s not easy to write for a niche genre, so please support the official version!) [Fake playboy, truly oblivious second-generation rich kid × fake sweetheart, truly scheming brother-in-law] The eldest daughter of the Shen family is frail from birth, a sickly girl barely clinging to life. Fortunately, the Shen family is wealthy merchants with a thriving business and enough money to support her. Still, the Shen family head and her husband were anxious, so they found someone to consult. “The eldest miss’s condition can be resolved.” The Shen couple asked, “How?” Shen Qinglan never thought her parents would believe in such things, but the result was that they found her older sister a young man to marry for good luck. The young man was breathtakingly handsome, but when they asked around, they learned he had been bought for fifty taels of silver from a poor mountain village. The Lu family was in dire financial straits. They were so eager to get money for their younger sister’s live-in husband that they rushed Lu Yuanyuan off to the Shen family. The sight of them grinning as they took the silver made him give up hope. He never imagined he’d be so unlucky. Less than a month after Lu Yuanyuan married into the Shen family, the eldest Shen daughter died. But there was nothing he could do. Even if his wife was gone, a man couldn’t simply change his status as a live-in husband. After only a few brief encounters with his wife, he had become a widower. Shen Qinglan felt sorry for her brother-in-law and looked after him. Who could have guessed that he would repay her kindness by falling in love with her? What was she supposed to do? No, she wasn’t that kind of person. He could forget about it. But then, one time, she drank herself into a blackout, and an accident happened. A few months later, her brother-in-law’s belly began to grow round. The Shen family head assumed her son-in-law had been cheating and was about to punish him according to the family rules. Shen Qinglan hurriedly stepped in front of him. “Mother, there may be another explanation. Let’s ask him first.” “Unfaithful to his husbandly duties! Your sister has been gone for so long. How could he be having a child?” But Lu Yuanyuan lowered his eyes, gently stroking his rounded belly as he gazed resentfully at the person standing between him and the family head. “The child isn’t Qing’an’s, but it is indeed a member of the Shen family.” Madam Shen: ? Shen Qinglan: ??? Don’t drag me into this. [Reading Guide] 1. An alternate world, lighthearted story. Don’t overthink the worldbuilding. One-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced. 2. A matriarchal world with male pregnancy, pregnancy before love. Many original worldbuilding details. Please don’t read if that’s not your thing. 3. The male lead falls first. The male lead and the second male lead both have unrequited feelings for the heroine. She’s a blockhead who is slow to understand romance, and she isn’t perfect. 4. There is no romance between the male lead and the heroine’s sister. Please don’t read if you’re uncomfortable with the relationship setup. Coming soon The young master of the Xie family, Xie Wangruo, takes a liking to a female gladiator. She has a slender waist, broad shoulders, and stands tall and strong. She has fought her way to the top of the arena, undefeated. Her origins are unknown, and she is utterly lowborn. Yet he takes a fancy to her, and she is brought before him bound hand and foot like a gift. From then on, he keeps her beneath him day and night, taking and taking, never sated, his appetite insatiable. … Xie Wangruo has a secret. He talks about self-restraint and propriety, but at heart he is a man of unbridled desire. But unmarried men who have yet to marry into another household aren’t allowed to come into contact with women from outside their family. So he buys a gladiator who caters to his every whim and names her “Xie Anu.” He looks down on a lowborn woman like Anu. A slave like her could never be worthy of his status, but unfortunately, he has already grown unable to live without her. Xie Wangruo thinks that, at least, she is his woman. Once he finds a good wife, he can simply hide her away. Until he unexpectedly discovers that he is carrying the slave’s child. He thinks that if they truly love each other, he can make an exception and let her become his live-in wife… But just as he becomes completely unable to live without Anu, she vanishes without a trace. He can’t find her anywhere. His Anu is gone. When they meet again, she has become the unattainable Prince of Jing’an. This time, Xie Wangruo kneels before the throne, clutching his belly and begging desperately, but the woman refuses to acknowledge him. “Your Highness, please don’t abandon me.” “I’m carrying your child.” Li Qi looks coldly at the young master prostrate in the middle of the hall and replies in a detached voice: “Who are you? I don’t know you.” “Guards, drag him out.” Now Xie Wangruo is truly panicking. [Reading Guide] 1. An alternate world with a matriarchal system and a vast difference in status. Women pursue men; men are chaste. 2. Male pregnancy, one woman and multiple men. Imperfect characters and lots of original worldbuilding. Women are naturally larger and stronger than men, with greater stamina. 3. The heroine has a scar on her face and other husbands, including a primary husband. Please read with caution if that bothers you! 4. The heroine loves power more than men. Don’t take the title out of context; the story will gradually unfold. Don’t overthink the details. Everyone has different tastes, so I hope you find stories you enjoy! Theme: Love can overcome any obstacle