Yang Ling was born into a family of country gentry. She was plump and lovely, and when her elder brother passed the imperial exam, the whole family moved to the capital.
What no one knew was that she had once been Xie Ling, the only daughter of the Xie family and the capital's greatest beauty. She was the first wife of Shen Jiashu, the Marquis of Ningyuan, who died five years ago. She married him when he was still poor, but died in a foreign land while carrying his child.
When she met Marquis Shen again, it was like seeing him in another life. He rode past along Zhuque Avenue, dressed in dark robes. By then, Yang Ling was old enough to marry. Her brother raised an eyebrow and carefully warned his younger sister, pointing to Marquis Shen: "Don't let his handsome face fool you. He's the most heartless man there is. When choosing a husband, stay far away from someone like him!"
Yang Ling nodded in agreement. She wholeheartedly concurred: hadn't she made that very mistake in her previous life?
When word got out that the youngest daughter of the Yang family was being matched for marriage, the noblewomen of the capital waited to see the joke, wondering which fool would take a fancy to a girl from such a provincial family.
Who could have guessed that the usually aloof Marquis of Ningyuan would personally arrive with a bridal dowry stretching ten miles to ask for her hand?
Yang Ling turned to leave, but he pressed close and blocked her way, leaving her nowhere to run.
She looked up and met his bloodshot eyes.
"Please." Shen Jiashu's voice was soft, yet almost crazed. "Xie Ling, don't leave me again."
Reader's guide:
1. After confirming the female lead's identity, the male lead goes through hell trying to win her back.
2. The male lead is an obsessive, unstable yandere. He loves the female lead but is deeply insecure.
Theme: Knowing full well there's a tiger on the mountain
