Marrying My Nemesis

Xu Luoyin is the only daughter of the Marquis of Jingnan. She is noble in status and strikingly beautiful, still in the bloom of youth, yet she has never been betrothed. No one knows that she has long been deeply in love with Shen Shao, the son of her family's sworn enemy. Xu Luoyin knows that the Xu and Shen families have held a grudge against each other for years and are bitter enemies. She could never marry him. Her marriage can be delayed no longer. Just as she is about to obey her parents and marry someone else, she learns on the eve of the engagement that Shen Shao has been transferred back to the capital. She is lost in thought for a long time after hearing the news. When they meet again on the street, he is strikingly handsome, refined and dignified, newly appointed as the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple. Xu Luoyin curtsies with perfect decorum and calls him “Lord Shen.” Her voice is cool, but she cannot keep the slight tremor from its final note. He watches her leave without saying a word. But when she looks back, he silently mouths a sentence: “Don't marry him.” Later, the Xu family is framed and sentenced to exile thousands of miles away. Xu Luoyin's father cannot bear to see his daughter suffer and tries to find her a good match, but everyone else keeps their distance, afraid of being dragged into trouble. On the eve of their exile, Shen Shao takes the initiative and knocks on the Marquis of Jingnan's door. “I've come to ask for her hand.” * Shen Shao is the eldest legitimate son of the Chancellor and holds the post of Vice Minister of the Dali Temple. He has the Emperor's favor and should, by all rights, marry a noblewoman, rise to the rank of marquis and chancellor, and enjoy a life of glory. Even Shen Shao himself thinks so. But later, he does something outrageously unconventional: defying everyone, he marries Xu Luoyin, the daughter of his family's sworn enemy. Everyone assumes he has planned this all along as an act of revenge, and waits coldly for him to divorce her. But as time goes by, they instead see the two of them deeply devoted to each other, growing old together. [Cover character designs based on an illustration by Bishui Gugu] ★ Blurb for my next book, My Homegrown Sweet Peach Ming Tao has spent fifteen years as a fake heiress. The day her true identity is revealed, she is forced to become a concubine. In a panic, she flees into the mountains. Just as wolves are about to tear her apart, a tall man snatches her from their jaws and carries her home on his back as she sobs until she can barely breathe. The man doesn't ask where she came from. He gives her a cool glance and says, “No crying.” Ming Tao is so frightened she falls silent. She doesn't realize until later that the man is simply bad at expressing himself, and treats her very well. In winter, when she's cold, he warms her bed. In summer, when bugs bother her, he swats the mosquitoes for her. She really does stop crying. Nothing stays secret in a farming village. The neighbors all come to tease her: “Taotao, when are you going to marry Li Qingzhou?” Ming Tao says nothing, blushing shyly, her heart full of joy as she waits to marry him. But as she waits, how does she go from being a hunter's wife to a general's lady? * Li Qingzhou has lost his memory. He casually rescues Ming Tao, who has also “lost her memory,” and, feeling they are in the same boat, keeps her by his side. He often reminds her that she can go home anytime if she remembers where it is. The first time, Ming Tao tugs at his clothes and says timidly, “Don't make me leave. I don't have a home.” The umpteenth time, Ming Tao sits in the seat of honor and says with a grin, “This is my home!” Later, he is the first to remember his past. He thinks that at last, he can give her a home. [Bonus scene] Li Qingzhou hates it when women cry, but the girl he takes in is always crying. She cries when she breaks a bowl, when there are mosquitoes, and when she's cold. To make her comfortable, he has to take care of everything himself. Eventually, she finally stops crying. Until their wedding night, when tears stream down her face again. As he kisses away her tears, he speaks with restrained desire: “Taotao, cry out loud. I like hearing it.” Theme: Keep a positive and sunny outlook, and you can find all the beauty life has to offer.