The day Fu Yuancheng took A Ying home was the most wretched day of her life. He didn't care that she was an amnesiac, half-crippled servant. He patiently helped her recover from her injuries.
Later, A Ying learned that he had saved her because she looked like the woman he loved. Even so, she stayed by his side as a kept woman and stand-in. He was her benefactor, and she had nowhere else to go.
Fu Yuancheng was exceptionally handsome. When he smiled, he was as graceful as a jade tree in the breeze. When he was angry, he still smiled as he reached out and crushed someone's throat...
He provided A Ying with food, clothing, and security, but never allowed her to take a single step outside the residence.
A Ying suffered from a chronic illness, and Fu Yuancheng always fed her medicine himself. But one day, when he left early, she couldn't resist pouring away the bitter medicine that was so hard to swallow. After that day, fragments of memory began to surface in her hollow, numb mind...
On a snowy New Year's Eve, Fu Yuancheng prepared to take A Ying home. Clutching a wine jug, A Ying staggered up the nine-story riverside tower.
Fu Yuancheng chased her to the foot of the tower. His voice, edged with anger, carried on the wind: "Come back with me!"
A Ying dropped the jug, shattering it. For the first time, she looked at him with a defiant, icy smile. "Your Majesty, are you speaking to your subject's wife?"
Amid the wind and snow, she paid no mind to Fu Yuancheng's astonishment. She leaped straight into the raging river below.
As the icy water swallowed A Ying, she heard him roar, "Find her and bring her back to me..."
When she woke again, she found herself surrounded by unfamiliar splendor.
A Ying had failed to escape after all. Weak and unable to move, she was held in Fu Yuancheng's arms.
The man's cool fingers brushed lightly over her cheek. Feeling her tremble, he chuckled. "You are not allowed to leave me."
Reader advisory: Old-school melodramatic tropes, including forced possession and regret after the fact. Both leads have no prior romantic or sexual partners.
Upcoming novel: My Beloved Maid, Wushuang. Please give it a chance.
Wushuang had been with Gong Tuo since she was fifteen, serving him from his fresh-faced youth to the graceful gentleman he had become.
Everyone said she had earned the favor of the Earl's heir and lived comfortably, without having to toil from dawn till dusk.
Only Wushuang knew how cautiously she had to tread, afraid of making a single misstep. That so-called affection was faint and fleeting. In Gong Tuo's eyes, she would always be a servant.
Youth slips away quickly. She didn't want to spend her whole life this way, so she began saving money to leave the manor, live a simple life, and find an honest man who could accept her.
When she cautiously broached the idea with Gong Tuo, he simply smiled and said nothing.
His Wushuang had always been gentle and obedient. Her carefulness now was only because his family was arranging a marriage for him, making her anxious and overly concerned about him. With good food and a comfortable home, he didn't believe she'd leave.
Before departing on a diplomatic mission to a foreign land, he had a servant deliver many things to her room, as a gesture of reassurance.
Half a year later, Gong Tuo returned to find her room empty. His family told him Wushuang had been freed from slavery and taken away by someone.
On her wedding day, Wushuang stood in an empty reception hall in a brilliant red wedding dress. There were no guests, and her future husband was nowhere to be seen.
The man in the seat of honor held a cup of tea. As handsome as ever, he gazed at her calmly.
She couldn't help taking a step back. Her eyes reddened with anger. "My lord, I am a free woman now."
Gong Tuo stared at her lovely face, remembering the feel of that slender waist in his hands. Her words made him laugh in fury. "Is that so?"
He had raised her all these years, and watched her grow into the woman she was now. It wasn't so he could let someone else have her.
Modern romance: Summer's Intentions
Xia Wanwan got married without a wedding or a diamond ring. She married into the Yan family, to their son, who was paralyzed in both legs and still unconscious.
She had no complaints. She owed Yan Yu this much.
In the blazing summer heat, Xia Wanwan moved into the cold villa with nothing but a small suitcase.
Thanks to her attentive care, Yan Yu woke up. But he had a terrible temper. Unable to move his legs, he spoke coldly to Xia Wanwan and even said she was only doing this to save the Xia family.
Xia Wanwan's kindness and company were always met with Yan Yu's scornful sneer.
At last, after two years, Yan Yu's legs healed. He returned to the racing world as its brightest star, once again enjoying boundless glory.
The weight lifted from Xia Wanwan's shoulders. She had repaid her debt to him, and now she could start her life over.
The sound of children reading aloud rang out from an elementary school in the mountains. Xia Wanwan, a volunteer teacher in a floral dress, had a sweet face full of energy.
In the principal's office, beside a mottled wall, a tall man stood, his handsome fingers turning an old thermos flask over on the desk. Sunlight traced his refined features and faintly aloof brows.
At the doorway, Xia Wanwan's smile faltered. She turned to leave.
A hand caught her by the forearm and easily pulled her back.
Yan Yu trapped her against the wall, one eyebrow lifting slightly. "Long time no see, Mrs. Yan."
Theme: Storms and rain may rage, but the sun in my heart still shines!
