The Spoiled Beauty’s Exclusive Favorite

Complete. Shen Qingyan was betrothed to her childhood sweetheart at the age of five. The two grew up together.

She waited with eager anticipation for her betrothed to return after placing first in the imperial examinations in the capital.

Unexpectedly, he came back with a princess.

The princess said, "You're only a merchant's daughter, covered in the stench of money. How could you possibly be worthy of a top scholar's talent?"

Her betrothed wanted both love and a future. He said, "She's a princess, born to wealth and honor. She can't be a concubine. Just put up with it for now, and I'll make it up to you someday."

Shen Qingyan's heart felt as if it were being tightly bound by fine cotton thread. The pain left her unable to breathe. Hurt and resentful, she thought, How could he ask her to become his concubine?

Heartbroken, Shen Qingyan calmly pulled her hand away. "Let's break off our engagement."

Seeing the stubbornness and coolness in Shen Qingyan's eyes, her betrothed felt deeply uncomfortable. "Keep dreaming!"

He absolutely would not allow another man to lay a finger on Shen Qingyan. Certain he would get his way, he said:

"What decent man would marry a woman whose engagement has been broken off? My Yan'er is peerlessly beautiful. How could a common laborer ever be worthy of her? Stop making a fuss."

Shen Qingyan insisted on breaking off the engagement and prepared herself to be mocked.

But after the engagement was called off, at a palace banquet, the aloof, cold-hearted Crown Prince pointed to the seat beside him. "Come over and sit by me."

Shen Qingyan said softly, "Your Highness, if this gets out, people may misunderstand, and it could damage your reputation."

The Crown Prince calmly picked up a piece of crystal beef and put it in her bowl. "Let them misunderstand. I'm only putting food in your bowl. It's not as if I haven't taught you to paint or stood watch over you at night before."

Shen Qingyan: "..."

Everyone's jaws dropped. They had to be imagining things. With so many noble young ladies in the capital, how could the Crown Prince possibly be interested in a woman whose engagement had been broken off? Surely he was just playing around, or perhaps wanted to take a concubine?

They waited and waited, only to discover that Shen Qingyan had become Crown Princess. It was said that the Crown Prince even held her on his lap and coaxed her through meals. He doted on her outrageously, and there wasn't a single concubine in his household.

The emperor passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne. Surely this meant he would open the harem now? The Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial proposing a selection of consorts.

Shen Qingyan tossed the ink stick in her hand onto his dragon robe. "Your Majesty, grind your own ink!"

Black ink stained the eyes of the nine-clawed dragon. The palace maids, eunuchs, and ministers all sucked in a breath, but the new emperor hurriedly grabbed Shen Qingyan, looking innocent. "Don't be angry. The minister took it upon himself. I never said I wanted to select consorts."

He turned around and ordered the ministers, "Issue my decree: abolish the selection of consorts from now on. No one is to bring it up again."

The ministers: "..."

This is the story of an aloof Crown Prince being dragged down into the mortal world.

My next book, When the Seasons Bring You, is now open for follows. Please add it to your library.

Important: The male lead is truly stunning, the super, super handsome kind!

On Qixi, the emperor suddenly issued an imperial decree, ordering Fu Yuncheng, the youngest legitimate son of the Fu family, to marry Princess Xie Yuling. The entire court was in an uproar!

Who didn't know that Xie Yuling was the legitimate daughter of the late empress, the Crown Prince's full sister, and a beauty like a celestial being? The emperor had cherished her like the apple of his eye all these years. Why marry her to a sickly man?

They said he started coughing after walking two steps and was out of breath after running a few. He could die at any moment and could barely even leave his courtyard. That was why he had never shown his face in public all these years.

Could it be that all the affection was a sham, and it was really fear that motivated him?

Alas, there is no mercy in the imperial family. The royal house is truly heartless! A crowd of admirers mourned for Xie Yuling.

That treasured princess must be crying her eyes out.

But what they didn't know was that, on the summit of Yuqiong Mountain, a young man easily flew to the peak, picked a jade-like locust flower, and came to her with eager warmth. He held it to Xie Yuling's lips. "A Ling, try it. Isn't it sweet and refreshing?"

The young man had a face like fine jade, outshining the pure white locust blossoms. He was as handsome as an immortal banished from heaven.

Xie Yuling had never seen anyone more handsome.

She fell for him at first sight.

Taking the flower from his jade-white fingers, she put a cluster of petals in her mouth and slowly swallowed them.

Fu Yuncheng gazed at the young woman in his arms, her cheeks flushed as she slowly swallowed the white locust flowers. He was so delighted he could have gone mad!

No one knew how hard he had worked to disguise himself, step by step, so he could win her and come to her side.

He bent down and took the half of the locust flower that still protruded from her lips. He didn't stop until he had swallowed it all. Then his lips touched her softness, holding, gently grinding, licking, biting...

A princess who's pampered from the tips of her hair to her toes, VS a stunning male lead who's pretending to be sickly but is actually a lovesick obsessive.

Blurb for My Husband Regretted It After I Faked My Death:

The Shen family suffered a sudden fire. Shen Xingyu was staying at her close friend's house that night and thus escaped the disaster. An orphan with no means to support herself, she had no choice but to bring her marriage contract to the capital and seek refuge with her betrothed.

Fortunately, the Gu family still honored the marriage agreement and didn't mind that she was now an orphan with nothing to offer.

Shen Xingyu was grateful.

The only thing that puzzled her was her husband, Gu Xiu. He was utterly insatiable in bed, yet remained cold and distant. He never smiled, and barely said a word all day.

Shen Xingyu thought perhaps that was simply his nature. She pushed aside her wild thoughts, cooked for him, and took meticulous care of him, even refusing to let the maids help him put on his shoes and socks.

Then one day, bandits attacked their pleasure boat and smashed into the cabin. Shen Xingyu and Sheng Ruyue both fell into the water. She saw Gu Xiu leap in without hesitation, but he brought Sheng Ruyue ashore.

At that moment, all the details Shen Xingyu had overlooked came back to her, one by one.

--So it was because he didn't love her.

Her chest twisted with aching bitterness.

Shen Xingyu closed her eyes, sank underwater, and swam away.

Shen Xingyu faked her death early, so she didn't know that the moment her figure disappeared beneath the water, Gu Xiu went mad. He jumped in after her without a thought, and only avoided drowning when he passed out from exhaustion and his servants hauled him back up.

Shen Xingyu escaped elsewhere and bought a small courtyard. She drank tea, planted flowers, and decided that this life wasn't bad at all.

They met again three years later.

The usually noble, immortal-like Gu Xiu turned red-eyed at the sight of her, unable to bear looking away.

But Shen Xingyu had already let go completely. "You've mistaken me for someone else, sir."

No matter how Gu Xiu stood in the cold wind and rain, she wouldn't even open a window for him.

[Note]

The male lead was never in love with his cousin. He simply didn't realize he was in love.

A breaking-up-and-getting-back-together trope.

Theme: Learning to love the right way together