It's Easy to Humiliate My Ascetic Brother-in-Law

[A chaste, aloof beauty x a plump, sincere sweetheart]

Chunyao is the wet nurse's daughter, and grew up under her mistress's care. Unable to repay such a great kindness, she willingly married the foolish young master to bring him good fortune and bear him an heir.

But the marriage was never consummated, and her mistress's concerns remained.

The Xun family had passed down its name through only one male heir for three generations, and the clan was watching like a pack of wolves. To protect the family estate, the madam turned her attention to her nephew, who had come from Xijing.

He was the legitimate son of the Huan family and was staying at the Xun residence on official business.

Others praised his handsome looks and refined bearing, calling him a kind and virtuous gentleman. Chunyao, however, was terrified of him.

At their first meeting, he ignored her greeting, leaving Chunyao thoroughly humiliated.

Then, on another occasion, he watched her fall in a heap and be mercilessly mocked. From behind the willow screen, he cast her a single indifferent glance and walked away without a care.

He was so hard to approach that he had to be either a hypocrite or someone who disliked her.

When Chunyao nervously knocked on his door with a restorative soup, she was sure he would turn her away. Little did she know that, to ensure everything went smoothly, the madam had added the strongest possible dose of aphrodisiac to the soup.

And before coming, Chunyao had secretly drunk a bowl herself.

.

Beneath his upright, courteous exterior, Huan Zhao despised the weak above all.

His timid sister-in-law, who said nothing when she was bullied and didn't even dare ask for help, was no exception.

If all went as expected, once he had finished his business and returned to the capital, they would never cross paths again. But this mild-mannered woman he looked down on was the one who tricked him into committing an outrageous breach of propriety.

All the self-restraint and propriety he had cultivated since childhood were ruined. Huan Zhao hated her and wanted her dead.

But when his fingertips sank into her slender, delicate throat and his cold eyes met hers, wet with tears, he suddenly changed his mind.

Death would be too easy. She should live with endless guilt and regret.

The simplest plan: make her fall in love with him first.

[Bonus scene]

After giving birth to a son, Chunyao received the reward the madam had promised her and returned to her hometown, finally free.

As for Huan Zhao, theirs had been a fleeting affair, one stolen night of pleasure. They had each gotten what they wanted, so of course she had no reason to feel attached.

So when she saw the young man who had tracked her down in the dead of night, Chunyao stared at him in shock. "W-what are you going to do?"

Huan Zhao gave a soft, cold laugh.

"You could abandon the child, but you had to abandon me too... Fine."

"Chen Chunyao, is this what you meant when you said, 'I love you most of all'?"

He swiftly bolted the door and, right in front of her, drank a full bowl of doctored restorative soup, just like back then.

#Ah, is this part of the plan too?

1) Don't worry: Chunyao did try to consummate her marriage with her first husband! (They're both virgins.)

2) Chunyao and her first husband had no feelings for each other when they married! There was no legal marriage document!

Theme: Chen Chunyao, may the coming year shine bright.