Angst, forced love, and a tragic romance
Orphan Qu Lingwei married into the He family for fifty taels, to bring good fortune to the frail eldest son.
But fate was unkind to her. Her husband died, leaving her to tread carefully, as if walking on thin ice.
There was always someone coveting her.
Even a cornered rabbit will bite, so she accidentally killed that person.
But someone saw her.
And that person was her late husband's younger brother, the reclusive cripple. At that moment, he stood beneath the eaves, watching her with excitement.
Her brother-in-law, who had always despised her, changed completely. He took the bloodied knife and helped her cover up the crime, all while holding it over her. He dragged her into an abyss called depravity and locked her in his cage.
He treated her as a plaything, forcing her to do things she didn't want to do.
But his eyes were fixed on her, and his heart beat for her. Night after night, whenever he dreamed, his mind filled with intimate scenes of the two of them.
She ran, and he pursued.
Dressed in her wedding gown, she was pinned down in the ancestral hall.
“Qu Lingwei, why don't we let my brother see exactly whom I've married!”
She calmly and openly accepted it all, taking her place as mistress of the He family.
She sat in the family's largest store, holding the He account book as she looked at the glittering jewels and gold ingots.
“He Chongli, there's something I want.”
For a madman,
falling in love is madness too.
He can give up everything, even his legs.
“Qu Lingwei, I find it hard to say no to you.”
Reader's guide and content warnings:
1. The heroine has had previous partners, while the hero is a virgin. Happy ending. The heroine acts in self-defense early on, and the hero is ill (emphasis added).
2. The depravity in the blurb is psychological, not physical. The hero leads the heroine toward evil.
3. In the suffocating confines of feudal society, everyone has a dark side. The leads are flawed, not perfect good people. If that's not for you, read with caution.
Theme: I love you, I hate you
