With nowhere else to turn, Shen Yaoyao and her younger brother sought refuge at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
But because she was far too beautiful and alluring, her cousins fought over her, while the heir to the Earl's estate wanted to take her as a concubine.
The elders of the family were all convinced that, like her mother, she was a troublesome temptress. Even though she followed the rules and took care at every turn, they still looked down on her and treated her with scorn.
Pei Ningqian, heir to the Duke of Dingguo, was powerful and high-ranking, a gracious and magnanimous gentleman. He was also Shen Yaoyao's nominal uncle.
Yet he was as pure and noble as moonlight, and kept himself above reproach. Not even a beautiful princess, who used every trick in the book to woo him with tender devotion, could win the slightest response from him.
As a dependent in someone else's home, Shen Yaoyao knew her place. She regarded Pei Ningqian only as an elder, and treated him with respect whenever they met.
Until one night, she ate something she shouldn't have...
The next morning, before dawn, Shen Yaoyao was so frightened that she grabbed her skirt and ran.
What a disaster! Now her reputation as a temptress was set in stone, but she was a respectable young woman!
She swore that her uncle had made the first move!
Unwilling to become Pei Ningqian's concubine, Shen Yaoyao sneaked into the heir's courtyard one night. With tears in her eyes, she made her case to her uncle, Pei Ningqian.
"Uncle, your niece has never dared to entertain improper thoughts about you. Please help me become a nun. I'll be grateful to you for the rest of my life!"
Pei Ningqian glanced at the alluring young woman seated below him, turned a page in his book, and replied casually:
"What if I let you entertain improper thoughts about me?"
Shen Yaoyao: ???
After learning that nothing had happened between her and Pei Ningqian that night, Shen Yaoyao breathed a huge sigh of relief and set out to choose herself a new husband of virtue and talent.
But just as she was about to become engaged, her betrothed turned around and married someone else.
By a twist of fate, she ended up marrying Pei Ningqian after all.
On their wedding night, Pei Ningqian lifted the bridal veil. His pretty young wife, her face like peach blossoms, greeted him timidly, seeming a little afraid of him.
"Uncle... You, you came back so early."
"Call me husband."
Pei Ningqian's gaze was dark, but his expression stayed composed. His burning hand, however, pulled his petite wife's slender waist firmly into his arms.
After all that effort to marry the woman he loved, he had no intention of letting this beautiful springtime go to waste.
Everyone thought Shen Yaoyao had used her beauty to climb the social ladder and marry Pei Ningqian. Little did they know, he had schemed for this marriage with all his might.
After they wed, Pei Ningqian spoiled Shen Yaoyao rotten.
One-on-one romance, both leads are virgins, six-year age gap, no blood relation
Note added on December 4, 2021
Theme: See beyond appearances to the truth
