Hard to Let Go

(New novel, Spring in the Forbidden Garden. If you're interested, please visit my author page!) Li Suzhi, daughter of the Imperial Academy's Director of Studies, learned poetry, books, etiquette, and proper conduct from a young age. She tried her best never to make even the smallest mistake. But she took propriety too far, making it hard for people to get close to her. The noble ladies all said she was so cold that she was no fun at all. Three years ago, when danger struck, Zhao Yi, who had grown up alongside her and whom she regarded as an older brother, came to her rescue and married her to save her from disaster. As the heir to the Marquis of Xuanping, he should have made a marriage that would bring him greater advantages. The heir's wife should not have been her. Li Suzhi was deeply grateful, but she also felt deeply guilty. Three years into their marriage, Zhao Yi treated her with great respect. She was certain Zhao Yi had never liked her and had married her purely out of kindness. So she felt even more guilty, always calculating when she could repay the betrothal gifts her family had accepted. When the time came, she would give him back his freedom and let him find the person he truly loved. Everything was going well, until he showed her a red mole on his wrist. Li Suzhi racked her brains, but could not remember whether he had had that mole on his wrist before they married. She could only suppress her unease. Later, she discovered that Zhao Yi's handwriting had changed from what it had been before their marriage, too. An inexplicable fear came over her. “My lady...” Seeing her gaze linger on the stack of papers, “Zhao Yi,” seated behind the desk, smiled more broadly. “You'd rather look at these lifeless things than your husband. Are you here to steal secrets?” Li Suzhi lowered her eyes and did not look at him. Her hand at her side clenched quietly. “The heir's calligraphy is beautiful. I got absorbed in looking at it.” The next second, someone tugged her toward him. The startled cry she had been about to make caught in her throat. “Zhao Yi” wrapped his long arm tightly around her waist. Looking at the beauty who had fallen into his arms, he said slowly, “As long as my lady likes it...” Unable to bear the strange, inscrutable look he gave her, Li Suzhi tried to push his arm away and get up. “The study is an important place. I shouldn't disturb the heir while he attends to official business...” “Zhao Yi” would not let her leave. He toyed with her hairpin, his gaze settling on the tips of her ears, flushed red. Nonchalantly, he said, “Have I been a little more affectionate toward you these past few days? Is that why you're not used to it?” Those scenes flooded into her mind all at once. Li Suzhi fell silent, clenching her teeth so hard she nearly crushed them. The person before her could not possibly be Zhao Yi. He would never treat her this way. Male lead's perspective: The character Xi in Zhao Xi's name originally meant “slave.” When the master dies, the slave takes his place. He married the woman he loved. She was a widow, and also... his wife. Reading Guide: 1. A high-morality, aloof beauty versus an obsessive younger man who always speaks his mind. Both are virgins, happy ending. 2. The male lead is Zhao Xi. His background holds secrets, his possessiveness is off the charts, and he really, really loves having the aloof beauty all to himself. --- Forthcoming novel: Not Tender --- Proud, fallen noblewoman x spirited young man Li Yirou is three years older than Xu Qingyan. Normally, age is no big deal. But her father entrusted her to the Duke of Wei's household. Her father had saved the Duke of Wei, and everyone knew she would marry Xu Qingyan, the duke's only son, one day. Once, by chance, Li Yirou overheard him telling someone what kind of wife he wanted. A woman one or two years younger than him, bright and cheerful, carefree, and preferably able to ride a horse. Li Yirou was none of those things. She was older than him and did not like to smile. When she did, her smile was subdued. She was in poor health and could not ride a horse. Unfortunately, he could only take her as his wife. He was destined never to get what he wanted. Later, they married. Even in the early days of their marriage, they were rarely intimate. Just as Li Yirou had expected, Xu Qingyan had no feelings for her. Their marriage had their parents' orders and a matchmaker's arrangements, but no mutual love. Her mother-in-law came to advise her, too. They had barely been married two months, and things were already like this. Perhaps she should take a concubine into the household to help her win her husband's affection. Li Yirou quietly nodded in agreement. Without a sound, she burned a portrait she had drawn herself of a young man drawing a bow. On the night the concubine went to serve him, Li Yirou went to bed early, settled in comfortably, and fell asleep. Late that night, someone suddenly pulled open the bed curtains. Before she could open her eyes, she felt someone rush in. “Li Yirou, how virtuous of you! Truly, no one could be more virtuous!” She bit down hard on the back of her hand. Her hair, damp with sweat, clung to her face, but she muffled her voice and did not make a sound. Wasn't that the kind of woman he liked? Then she would give him one. *We're both proud, so neither of us should ever bow to the other.* Reading Guide: 1. One-on-one romance, both are virgins. 2. They marry first, then fall in love. 3. The male lead is deeply in love, but stubbornly refuses to admit it. Completed novels. Visit my author page to read them! Spring in the Forbidden Garden: Palace stewardess x young emperor Dust on the Jewel Box: Cold emperor x noblewoman Unwilling to Nest: Ambitious, wise ruler x beauty from a fallen kingdom A Sojourn in Yanjing: Gentle official's family x spirited merchant's daughter Hard to Follow: Dominant uncle x frail sister-in-law The Eastern Palace's Young Companion: Childhood-friend crown prince x childhood-friend study companion The Little Peach Is About to Blossom: Proud prince of a vassal state x composed female physician Theme: Stay strong and strive forward even in adversity