My Cousin Can’t Escape

Everyone says Shen Tingzhu, heir to the Marquis of Changxing, is pure and unblemished, talented and handsome, a true gentleman. The only pity is that he's been sickly since childhood and probably won't live long.

Only Lin Qingran, the young cousin who came to live with the marquis's household, knows the "truth": His supposed inability to walk is a lie, his hands can kill, and he once kept her trapped by his side for months.

*

At night, Shen Tingzhu openly pushed open Lin Qingran's door and asked with a smile, feigning confusion: "Cousin, why do you keep avoiding me?"

With red eyes, Lin Qingran pleaded softly, "Please let me go. I won't tell anyone."

"How can I trust you? Should I poison your voice so you can't speak, or break your hands so you can't write...?" Shen Tingzhu kissed the rim of her ear, his voice warm and tender. "But I can't bear to. I can only feel at ease if Ranran stays by my side..."

"Shh, crying won't help either."

Only after soothing the sobbing young woman to sleep did Shen Tingzhu leave the room.

His attendant couldn't stand it any longer. "Young Master, aren't you tired of scaring her into tears and then comforting her every time?"

Shen Tingzhu: "It's so much fun."

Attendant: "Haven't you noticed the young lady is about to report you to the authorities?!" The important thing is, they're really not bad people!

Later, Shen Tingzhu couldn't bring himself to frighten her anymore. He held her in his arms and coaxed her tenderly. "I'll let Ranran bully me back. You can bully me any way you like."

A delicate, timid little beauty × a mischievous young heir

A fictional setting, very fictional

Blurb written on 2021-09-13. Cover art authorized by @ShuYiSY

Please add my upcoming story, Tempting Power, to your favorites.

The court is in turmoil. Prince Ning is colluding with foreign enemies, and his faction is being rounded up and wiped out. The entire Chu family is left with only one survivor, the unknown Chu Yunyi.

Just as Chu Yunyi is about to fall into the abyss, Ji Yun saves her.

Chu Yunyi has lived in darkness since birth, always being abandoned. For the first time, someone speaks gently to her: "You don't have to be afraid. I'll always take care of you."

At the time, Chu Yunyi is thin and frail, her tear-reddened eyes filled with fear and unease. Yet she trusts Ji Yun and obediently hides behind him, saying, "I won't be any trouble to you, sir."

*

Ji Yun is the Grand Secretary, a powerful figure who rules the court, proud and upright. Beneath his mild and refined manner lies a sharp edge he never reveals.

He saves Chu Yunyi partly at the request of an old friend, and partly out of a little compassion. Nothing more.

Yet he keeps making exceptions for Chu Yunyi. This is a bad sign, so he resolutely sends her away, unwilling to let her unsettle his heart.

Until one day, news of Chu Yunyi's engagement arrives from Jiangnan.

In full view of everyone, Lord Ji, who never lets his feelings show, crushes the teacup in his hand.

*

On the eve of the wedding, Chu Yunyi slips a potent drug she obtained from the Tianxiang Pavilion into the wine and smiles sweetly at Ji Yun. "Yunyi would like to offer you a cup, sir, to thank you for taking care of me all these years."

He said he would always take care of her. How could he go back on his word?

She watches Ji Yun's clear eyes slowly grow hazy.

He helps her put on her wedding dress, then strips it off piece by piece. His voice is hoarse as he makes her tremble. "I raised you myself. Did you ask me before deciding to marry someone else?"

Chu Yunyi thinks the drug in the wine is taking effect, not knowing that Ji Yun has imagined doing this countless times and would certainly go through with it.

#A restrained, celibate statesman falls hard#A possessive, gentle beauty#

Please note:

1. The leads have a 14-year age gap, and the heroine has a coming-of-age arc.

2. The heroine is possessive because she craves love, and she planned the marriage herself.

Theme: Give whatever warmth you can, and let it shine.