The Husband I Tricked Into Marrying Is Surprisingly Irresistible

Please add the historical romance novel Reborn and Determined to Stick Close to My Husband to your reading list.

In his previous life, Jiang Huaijin was a spoiled young master whom everyone hated.

Orphaned young, he lacked discipline, and his noble status meant no one dared cross him. By the time his uncle, the emperor who lived in the palace, realized the child had gone astray and tried to set him straight, it was already too late. So he arranged Jiang Huaijin's marriage to Gu Zhan, a cavalry general who had just returned victorious from war. It was both a reward for the general's victory and a way to have this noble, upright general help discipline the boy.

Jiang Huaijin thought neither of them had wanted the marriage. What general would want a man for a wife instead of a promotion or a cash reward after winning a battle? No wonder Gu Zhan was always on his case. He made him study and practice his calligraphy, forbade him from racing horses in the streets, shut down his theater, punished him for playing cuju or getting into fights, and beat him for gambling with dice. He laid down rules thick as a three-foot stack of paper. Even drinking grape wine from the ice cellar earned Jiang Huaijin a punishment standing by the wall. Every night, furious, Jiang Huaijin would pick a fight with Gu Zhan, biting his neck and scratching his back. When he got worked up, he'd even scratch bloody lines across Gu Zhan's face. Plenty of people were waiting to see the two of them make fools of themselves.

But after thunder crashed on a rainy night, Gu Zhan held Jiang Huaijin and comforted him. "There, there. Don't be afraid. Your husband is right here. I said I wouldn't take concubines, and I won't. I only want you."

Jiang Huaijin's voice was muffled. "But I'm no good. I don't deserve you."

Gu Zhan held him closer, heart aching. "Who says that? My Huaijin is the best. My darling had to grow up all alone. He's just a little playful. That's all right."

Gu Zhan accepted his unruly ways and taught Jiang Huaijin how to be an adult all over again. But just as Jiang Huaijin loved him most, Gu Zhan died on the battlefield. The day his coffin returned to the capital, Jiang Huaijin spat blood onto it and died of a broken heart.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his youth, before he'd even gotten good at being a spoiled brat. And Gu Zhan... Gu Zhan was far more of a handful than he was!

Jiang Huaijin thought that once he found Gu Zhan, life would turn out fine. Gu Zhan would take charge of him, care for him, cherish him, teach him poetry and principles, and help him grow up, just as he had in their previous life. But who could have guessed that the Gu Zhan of this time was a complete hoodlum, nothing like the elegant general he'd become? He was just a street punk!

The first time Jiang Huaijin saw Gu Zhan at the academy, Gu Zhan kicked a fellow student flying, then got beaten up by a crowd. Jiang Huaijin got punched in the face as collateral damage.

The second time Jiang Huaijin followed Gu Zhan, he found him at a back-alley martial arts school, doing debt collection jobs for money and charging protection fees along the street.

The third time, Gu Zhan was watching a cockfight. The fourth time, he was drinking and carousing in a brothel...

Jiang Huaijin finally couldn't take it anymore. He brought people to corner Gu Zhan, his little face furious. "Why did you go to a brothel? Did you call a girl?"

"What business is it of yours whether I call a girl or not?" Gu Zhan snapped in humiliation. "What the hell do you want?"

"Don't use foul language!" Jiang Huaijin, who had been made to follow rules every day in his previous life, got even angrier. His eyes went red, and he couldn't hold back his tears. How could Gu Zhan bully him like this? Gu Zhan swore too, so why had he been scolded for it in their previous life? And he'd already been going to brothels at such a young age. Who knew how many women he'd had in his previous life? No wonder he knew so many tricks. The more wronged Jiang Huaijin felt, the harder he cried. Gu Zhan was left flustered and helpless. "Stop crying. I... I didn't call a girl, I swear! I came to pay back money. Look for yourself if you don't believe me."

Only then did Jiang Huaijin realize how hard Gu Zhan's life was. The foster mother who raised him was gravely ill. He'd spent all the family's money looking for a doctor and medicine, and still owed a great deal. He not only supported his own family, but also looked after brothers who were even worse off, paying their debts and supporting their younger sister. They barely scraped by. His husband had been forced to fend for himself from a very young age, suffering scorn, hardship, and beatings just to survive.

In his previous life, Jiang Huaijin had only known Gu Zhan as the noble, upright general. Now that he had a second chance, he was back at Gu Zhan's most wretched childhood.

Jiang Huaijin returned to Gu Zhan's side, sniffling as he laid down rules for him. "From now on, I'm in charge of you. No brothels, no swearing, you have to come first in your exams, and no fighting!"

Jiang Huaijin clenched his fist and vowed to take good care of Gu Zhan. Little did he know, Gu Zhan was still the same Gu Zhan. Whatever his circumstances, he'd always shelter Jiang Huaijin beneath his wings and never let him suffer the slightest grievance.

The young marquis whined:

"Husband, when are we getting married?"

"Husband, will you sleep in my room tonight?"

"Husband, I can't sleep unless I'm next to you."

Gu Zhan: ...Little darling, could you put your leg down first? :)

Warnings: 1. This is a fictional setting. Some historical details may be mixed together, so readers who care about historical accuracy should take note!!!

[An outwardly obedient but secretly lovestruck fox of a husband x A doting husband who realizes his feelings late]

Ning Xi had been in love with Lu Ming for ten years. He thought his bravest moment came when the Lu family pressured Lu Ming to marry: he pretended to be an easy-to-manipulate, sweet little flower and tricked Lu Ming into marrying him, fulfilling his dearest wish. At the end of their three-year contract, Ning Xi still hadn't gotten Lu Ming into bed, and received the divorce papers right on schedule.

Ning Xi panicked and hastily made up an illness, hoping to buy himself more time. When he nervously handed over his medical report, he didn't even dare look Lu Ming in the eye, afraid he'd be exposed at any moment. "I... I don't feel well. Can we put off the divorce for now?"

Lu Ming skimmed the lines on the medical report, then looked up and saw Ning Xi's wandering gaze, full of nervousness and unease. He reassured him without missing a beat. "Ningning, don't be scared. We'll get you proper treatment."

Ning Xi clutched Lu Ming's sleeve and lowered his eyes, looking aggrieved. "You're going to divorce me. Why do you still care about me?"

A moment later, Lu Ming tore up the divorce papers and pulled him into his arms, soothing him.

Ning Xi leaned against his shoulder and secretly let out a sigh of relief. As long as they didn't get divorced, there was still hope!

Until one day, Ning Xi overheard Lu Ming talking to his assistant. "You know the madam is lying to you, so why do you keep giving in?"

Lu Ming replied, "Because he's cute when he lies to me."

Only then did Ning Xi realize how terrible his acting was. How could he have managed to stay in love with Lu Ming for three more years right under his nose without being found out? Wasn't Lu Ming just blind?

Ning Xi's safe held the candy wrapper Lu Ming gave him when he was eight, Lu Ming's perfect middle school exam paper, a speech he wrote at twenty, and a love letter he never sent. His long, secret love finally saw a glimmer of hope when Lu Ming needed a marriage to get him through a family crisis. Ning Xi resolutely put his studies on hold, returned home without revealing his identity, and used his sweet, sensible face to secure a three-year contract marriage with Lu Ming. "President Lu, I promise to be the obedient, supportive spouse."

Lu Ming's pen paused over the breach-of-contract clause for three seconds. He looked up and met Ning Xi's trembling lashes, then emphasized, "Neither party is allowed to develop romantic feelings during the term of this contract."

Ning Xi pressed his lips together, secretly thinking, "So what if I have a crush on him? One-sided love absolutely doesn't count as a romantic entanglement!"

When he signed the agreement, he never imagined that one day he would let the little fox slip a wedding ring onto his ring finger, willingly allowing the cunning fox to tame him little by little until he became a hunter who belonged to him alone.

What Ning Xi thought was careful scheming was really an overwhelming love that Lu Ming had indulged and allowed all along.

#I thought I was playing him, but it turns out he was happy to let me trap him#

[An outwardly obedient but secretly lovestruck fox of a husband x A doting husband who realizes his feelings late]

Theme: Grow through setbacks and hardship, and after weathering the storm, welcome a brilliant rainbow together.