Xu Yuling was reborn on the day of her wedding ten years earlier. Two bridal sedan chairs stood before her:
One belonged to her scumbag ex-husband, who had set her up and cost her the power struggle in her previous life;
The other belonged to Shen Shi’an, the future chief councilor who had shot an arrow through her heart at the end of her previous life.
She promptly climbed into Shen Shi’an’s bridal sedan chair, wanting nothing more than a straightforward exchange of mutual benefit with him.
On their wedding night, she laid down three rules: once he had risen to the position of chief councilor, they would divorce.
Shen Shi’an looked at her contemptuously. “Miss Xu, don’t flatter yourself. I have no taste for forcing anyone to do anything.”
But when she really proposed they part on good terms, he trapped her in his arms and cut off every avenue of escape.
Shen Shi’an whispered in her ear, “What’s this, Miss Xu? You’re crossing the river and demolishing the bridge already?”
Xu Yuling turned her head aside and forced herself to stay calm. “I believe Lord Shen said himself that he had no taste for forcing anyone to do anything.”
Shen Shi’an chuckled and leaned closer. “That was before I’d tried it. Now I think a melon forced off the vine has a flavor all its own.”
------Let’s put on a fine show of feigned affection and genuine feelings-------
【Scene 1: Their first meeting, an ultimate battle of wills】
Shen Shi’an swept the veil off the woman before him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Miss Xu, you went to such lengths to climb into the Shen family’s bridal sedan chair. What exactly are you after?”
Xu Yuling smiled sweetly and looped her arms around his neck, breathing warmly by his ear. “Lord Shen, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and the truth may sound like a lie. Perhaps this seemingly absurd mix-up today is actually the fated match written for us.”
【Scene 2: Wedding night, a clash of equals】
Xu Yuling looked at the man across from her. “Lord Shen, I want to be your ally, not your wife.”
“Is there a difference?” Shen Shi’an asked.
“Of course.” A faint smile appeared on Xu Yuling’s face. “As your wife, I would stand behind you. As your ally, I would stand beside you.”
【Scene 3: Someone eats his words】
Shen Shi’an back then: Miss Xu, the Pei family has come to collect you. This farce should end.
Shen Shi’an later: Miss Xu, now that our play has taken the stage and been seen by all, there’s no way we’re ending it halfway through!
【Reader’s guide】
1. Ambitious couple + combative spouses: the heroine is a clear-eyed scheming beauty (out for revenge, putting scumbags in their place, and focused on making money and building her career); the hero is a calculating wolf in sheep’s clothing (an older, seductive, secretly passionate powerbroker, an expert schemer and guiding lover who says one thing but does another, always vying to win her over).
2. A battle of wits between equals, with mature adults locked in an ultimate push-and-pull: a contest of love and a Game of Thrones.
3. Major spoiler: In this life, the leads are 1v1, each other’s one and only, happy ending. The hero was also untouched in his previous life, so read without worry.
Theme: Love begins in a contest, and marriage is built through conspiracy
