My Spoiled, Headstrong Little Sister

Before the age of sixteen, Cui Fujun was Chang'an's most spoiled and free-spirited young lady. Only after turning sixteen did she learn that it had all been a grand dream: she was not a daughter of the Cui family. The darling of heaven fell into the mire, reduced to a commoner of humble birth. Then she was framed, stripped of her surname, and driven out of the Cui family. In her panic, Cui Fujun had a dream. She dreamed of her future: after being cast out, she became her former fiancé's concubine, meekly submitting to him until she met a horrible end. When she awoke, resentment and humiliation churned inside her. She hid her tumultuous feelings and went to seek the elder brother she had not seen in years. . As the sun sank and the cold wind howled, a clear, trembling voice rang through the air. "Elder Brother!" Cui Zhaoshi lifted the curtain of his carriage. A young woman in a fiery red dress stood before him, her beautiful face streaked with tears, as if she had countless grievances and sorrows to pour out. It was his younger sister, whom he had not seen in eight years. Cui Fujun and Cui Zhaoshi had grown up together, and the siblings had been close as children. Though he was the Cui family's legitimate heir, he was an outcast within the clan, afflicted with a strange illness. Only his sister had never abandoned him, staying by his side at every turn. But an accident had driven the siblings apart. After years apart, everything had changed. Their relationship had grown distant, and they were like strangers. Cui Zhaoshi watched Cui Fujun hurry toward him and smiled with his usual gentle elegance. . With her brother's help, Cui Fujun was allowed to stay at the Cui residence. Living under someone else's roof, she sheathed all her claws and tried her best to win her brother's favor. He had changed so much over the years that he seemed like a different person: gentle and refined, as graceful as an orchid or a jade tree. Cui Fujun didn't care. To get what she wanted, she didn't mind trying a little harder to please him. Though her brother's nature had changed, once they went from strangers to familiar companions, he doted on and indulged her just as he had before. In the end, he even let her have her way in her marriage. On the day she was to be married, Cui Fujun said, "Elder Brother, I can't bear to leave you." Cui Zhaoshi stroked her head and said softly, "You can rely on your brother for the rest of your life." Cui Fujun shook her head, uneasy. "Elder Brother, what if he treats me badly?" "Then come back. You don't need him." "What if he stops loving me?" "Then I'll cut out his heart," he said lightly. Cui Fujun froze. Cui Zhaoshi lowered his eyes and smiled as if nothing were the matter. "Whether you marry or not, you'll always be the sister I cherish." "If anyone dares betray you and break your heart, your brother will kill him to comfort you." . But neither of her two marriages had a happy ending. With her eyes closed, Cui Fujun rested her head on Cui Zhaoshi's lap and complained wearily. Cui Zhaoshi held her hand and comforted her. "If you don't want to marry, then don't." "I'll stay by your side for the rest of your life." Cui Fujun suddenly sensed something was wrong. She turned her head and opened her eyes, meeting her elder brother's fixed, dark gaze. At that moment, Cui Fujun panicked. She hurriedly pushed his hand away and scrambled to her feet, overcome by an indescribable mix of disgust and fury. He was insane. He was disgusting. How could he disregard all moral boundaries and fall in love with his own sister...? Cui Fujun, who had always flouted convention, suddenly began speaking of propriety. She hastily married for the third time and left Cui Zhaoshi behind. Yet, on the eve of her wedding, she vanished without a trace. . At first, Cui Zhaoshi had wanted to kill the younger sister who had once betrayed him. But when she called him "Elder Brother" with the same affection she had shown as a child, he thought... he could let the past go. He didn't care whether they were related by blood. In his heart, he had always believed that he and Cui Fujun were siblings, bound by flesh and blood. Why did things change later? Perhaps it was because of that accidental kiss. . In a dark secret chamber, a crisp clinking sound rang out. With a face as bewitching as a demon's, Cui Zhaoshi kissed Cui Fujun's ear and chuckled softly. "Little Sister, I told you. I don't approve of this marriage." He sighed. "Your brother is heartbroken. You're the person closest to me, yet you won't even listen to what I say anymore." "If you won't behave, your brother will have to lock you up." PS: [Long-standing upcoming project] One-on-one, an alternate world inspired by the Tang dynasty. The male lead is wholly devoted to the female lead, in body and heart. They are not blood-related siblings, and from the start, neither lead believes they are related by blood. The romance won't develop too quickly, and the female lead will marry normally. A moral female lead and an immoral male lead. Abduction and possession, a chase where you run and I pursue, love and hate intertwined. A spoiled, free-spirited girl and a seemingly gentle, secretly obsessive brother who dotes on his sister. ---- Upcoming project: The Peerless Beauty Claimed by Force You've been breathtakingly beautiful since childhood. After a venerable monk saw you, he read your fate and said you would one day become a beauty who brought ruin to the nation. When you first heard his words, you felt both wronged and frightened. You had no ambition, only the wish to live an ordinary life. You didn't believe the monk's prophecy, but those words weighed on you like an invisible boulder. In the tenth year of Tianshun, famine struck your hometown. Your parents died as you fled the disaster, and later you were separated from your elder brother. A wealthy merchant took you in because of your beauty, and from then on you became a pipa player. Though pipa players belonged to a lowly class, at least you survived. Your only wish was to find your lost brother and live in peace. Yet the monk's prophecy clung to you like a curse. When you grew up, you became a peerless beauty and found someone you loved. But your master offered you to the powerful Prince Jing, and you became his plaything. Fortunately, Prince Jing cherished and favored you. You rose from favored concubine to princess consort, and the two of you lived in harmony and happiness, until the day you entered the palace to meet the Emperor. His gaze was deep and strange, making you uneasy. It was too much like the way Prince Jing had looked at you in the past. After that, you were always anxious. Though your life was happy, you often wept in silence. When Prince Jing asked what was wrong, you shook your head without a word, and the fear in your heart grew ever stronger. As you feared, Prince Jing's mother died of illness, and the Emperor, devastated by grief, summoned you to the palace to keep him company. Later, the Emperor stopped at nothing to take his son's wife for himself. He made an exception and elevated you to Noble Consort, a rank above the four highest consorts, an honor without equal. But none of this was what you wanted. In despair and helplessness, you simply accepted your fate. . After you became a Noble Consort, the Emperor doted on you alone, wishing he could pluck the moon from the sky for you to play with. You bewitched his mind, and he gradually abandoned state affairs for indulgence, luxury, and pleasure. Everyone called you a bewitching temptress who had seduced the ruler, a demoness who would bring ruin to the nation. Exhausted in mind and body, you couldn't help but weep and smile bitterly. . Later, a military governor who commanded a great army rebelled. The once-prosperous empire collapsed completely and was plunged into warfare. As you fled to a relay station, the imperial guards mutinied and demanded that the Emperor order the Noble Consort's death. "The army won't be at peace until the Noble Consort is dead!" "She's a calamity!" The Emperor wept, but helplessly forced himself to order your execution. Looking at the three-foot length of white silk brought before you, you suddenly understood. At last, you saw the man who had once showered you with every kindness for what he truly was. The Emperor asked if you had any last words. Suddenly, you felt such hatred and regret. What had you done wrong? You only wanted to reunite with your elder brother and tell the world that you weren't a beauty who brought ruin, and that your name wasn't Xue Ji. You had a name and a family name. You were Chen Eying. You only wanted to live. . In the end, you survived, took control of your own fate, and became the most revered and powerful woman in the Central Plains. The life of a peerless beauty claimed by force. Content warnings: The female lead has been involved with many men. This is a story of love and hatred between her and several men. A melodramatic wish-fulfillment story. The female lead starts out weak. This is neither a strong female lead story nor a power fantasy; its tone leans toward personal growth. There are many male supporting characters who will die, including fathers and sons, brothers, ministers, warlords, and eunuchs. Inspired by historical events and set in a world modeled on the Tang dynasty. Please don't nitpick the history, thank you. Theme: Live toward the light, follow your heart, and never stop striving.