Shen Li was the legitimate daughter of a minor official, yet she was betrothed to the heir of a marquis's household. The young marquis had fallen for her at first sight and insisted that he would marry no one else.
After she married into the marquis's household, the young couple lived in harmony. Yet whenever they made love, her husband never left the lamps lit or said a word. As soon as they were done, he would turn and leave, cold as ice.
Shen Li was full of questions. By day, he was clearly a courteous and considerate husband. Why was he so cold and taciturn in bed?
At first, she thought her husband simply had no interest in sex. But whenever the lights went out, he would press down on her and demand her night after night without restraint.
Then an imperial edict came without warning. Barely six months into their marriage, her husband went off to war with the army.
After he left, the residence felt empty. Her heart was on tenterhooks, and she worried every day, yet she kept running into her taciturn, aloof brother-in-law all over the estate.
She tried to avoid him. One day, he cornered her in a covered walkway, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
Her brother-in-law gave her a faintly amused look. "Sister-in-law, are you avoiding me?"
Only later did she learn that the person who left the lights off and stayed silent in the dark had never been the husband she was married to in name.
A year later, her husband returned victorious, only to be told that his new wife had died suddenly two days earlier.
Overcome with grief, he happened to see a woman on the street whose face looked just like his wife's. And the person beside her was none other than his own younger brother!
Reading guide:
1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced.
2. The male lead is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and later he goes straight to taking her by force.
3. The melodrama is pretty heavy.
Theme: Pursue freedom and reject a life as a puppet.
