The Villain's Wife

[The author's new novel, Going Back to the Seventies with a Big Shot, is now underway] Qi Yingxue was supposed to marry into a powerful family, but after someone set her up, she ended up with Ji Yan, who was only a constable at the time. Her father didn't know what had happened. Worried for her, he beat Ji Yan half to death. Just as Ji Yan was down to his last breath, he suddenly became a fourth-rank official in the capital, having earned merit for saving the Emperor. The Qi family expected to be punished, but the Emperor let them off and ordered the couple to marry soon. The two families agreed to sign divorce papers first, to be put into effect after three years. Six months into the marriage, Qi Yingxue dreamed that she was a minor character in a popular romance, and the wife of its vengeful villain. That villain was none other than Ji Yan. In the story, Ji Yan took revenge on everyone who had framed him. The person who drugged and set him up lost their life. Her father, who had ordered Ji Yan to be tortured, lost his official post, and the entire Qi family was exiled. She was cast aside as well, and in the end, she took her own life to avoid being defiled. To change her family's fate, Qi Yingxue had no choice but to offer herself to the tiger and find a way to survive in the midst of danger. When she found the tall, imposing man who was fierce as a wolf, she nervously but bravely warned him, "Our marriage was ordered by the Emperor. If we live in separate courtyards, we'll be defying his wishes..." Ji Yan looked at the woman trembling like a leaf and teased, "If we live in the same courtyard, just don't go and scare yourself to death." * [Tang Dynasty setting, loosely inspired] * * Coming soon: Going Back to the Seventies with a Big Shot Synopsis: When middle-school teacher Su Yao was riding in the same car as the big shot who had donated a school building, they got into an accident. When she woke up, she and the big shot had not only gone back to the seventies, they had become a married couple with a son and a daughter. Su Yao became the family's meek workhorse, while the big shot became the village's notorious loafer. Their house was falling apart, with nothing but bare walls and drafts from every direction. All four of them were so hungry they were gaunt and sallow. The big shot was sure to make a name for himself in this difficult situation someday. She only needed to lie flat and follow along, but that was in the future. For now, she had to deal with the awful family members behind her, and two hungry children in front of her. And the most troublesome, most embarrassing problem she faced was this: She was still a virgin, yet she had a child who hadn't been weaned. What was she supposed to do? Theme: Even when driven into a desperate situation, hold fast to your principles and keep a kind heart.