The Flower-Believing Wind

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After a dazzling Lantern Festival night, the usually carefree Miss Duan found herself troubled by something.

While releasing a lantern by the river, she nearly slipped and fell in. A masked gentleman rescued her, saving her life.

The gentleman in white was graceful and impeccably mannered. Duan Manyan fell for him at first sight and vowed to marry no one else.

The young man couldn't resist her, and gave her his name: Lin Zhongting, the Second Young Master of the General's Manor.

But when they met again later, Lin Zhongting was dressed in black and wore a stern expression. His gaze was cold when he looked at Duan Manyan, as if he had no idea who she was.

Even when she gathered her courage and confessed her feelings, the young man's eyes were full of scorn and indifference, as though she were nothing but a joke.

Fortunately, Duan Manyan pursued him relentlessly and finally won his heart. They became husband and wife in a proper ceremony, and her wish was fulfilled.

.

Lin Zhongting had two secrets, both unknown to everyone else.

First, she was a woman in truth, and her reasons for disguising herself as a man were her own.

Second, the person who had rescued Duan Manyan during the Lantern Festival was not her, but her twin brother, Lin Xun. Duan Manyan had offered herself in marriage, but had mistaken her savior.

In the bridal chamber, candles burned brightly. Lin Zhongting watched the smiling bride beneath her red veil, lowered her eyes, silently drank the wedding wine, then bent down to kiss the woman's red lips.

But every secret eventually comes to light.

#When secrets come out, there's only one way forward: groveling for forgiveness#

A few things to know before reading:

1. The second female lead is very cold toward the heroine early on.

2. For the first dozen or so chapters, before the second female lead's identity is discovered, she's mainly referred to with male pronouns.

My next novel, This White Lotus Is Determined to Be One!, is open for pre-orders. Here's the blurb:

In a world of love and hate, passion and heartbreak, Wen Ying receives her own script in the cultivation realm.

Great! She's the ultimate white-lotus female supporting character.

The head of the immortal sect disregards the lives of all living beings just to keep her safe. The crown prince of the Dragon Clan kills his brother and father just to place the Sea-Calming Dragon Pearl in her hands. And the male lead, a sword cultivator hailed as a once-in-a-generation talent, destroys his own cultivation and willingly falls to the demonic path for her.

Not to mention her loyal spirit pet, the Vermilion Bird, and her senior brother and sister, who dote on her endlessly...

According to the law of emotional conservation, if Wen Ying stands above the clouds, adored by everyone, someone else must be neglected and trampled into the mud.

That person is the heroine, Qi Lian, in the early part of the story. She's nothing but Wen Ying's stand-in.

The sect leader takes her as a disciple only to use her heart's blood to prolong Wen Ying's life. The Dragon Prince treats her well only to trick her into taking Wen Ying's place in facing the heavenly tribulation. The sword-cultivator male lead flirts with her only because she looks six or seven tenths like Wen Ying.

In short, early on, Qi Lian is a complete fall guy and Wen Ying's human blood bank. When trouble comes, she takes the hit for Wen Ying. When things are quiet, she's merely Wen Ying's shadow.

Only later does Qi Lian escape Wen Ying's shadow and embark on her own heroine's journey.

Since she won't be written out until the very end, Wen Ying lies flat with her script in hand, while pretending to be apprehensive. "It's all my fault. You won't blame me, will you, Sister?"

The young woman's clear eyes are as innocent as a fawn's, her tears like amber.

Qi Lian wipes the still-warm blood from her hands, then reaches up to wipe away Wen Ying's tears. "How could I ever blame you?"

She only blames herself for not being strong enough to raise her sword and kill all those unnecessary men, one by one.

A few things to know before reading:

1. The heroine just wants to lie flat and be a lazy fish, but this author won't let her, hehe.

2. The second female lead is beautiful, powerful, and tragic. Scratch that last part: how could someone with a wife be tragic?

Theme: "I draw my bow and ride to war as a man; in dreams I once plucked my painted brows. Many times I longed to return, yet raised my cup again. From the clouds above, I pray for Mingfei." - Du Mu, Tang Dynasty