Longing for My Beloved

[Complete] Thank you, sweet readers, for supporting the original version! Mwah! Please add my upcoming stories to your reading lists: Childhood Sweetheart, My Husband's Cursed Fate, and Spring's Embrace. In the late autumn of that year, a young girl suddenly came to live at the residence of Mister Yan, a renowned figure in the capital. She was said to be his adopted daughter. The girl was born to a concubine. After her family fell on hard times, she was disgraced, and her principal wife treated her cruelly. Her life was worse than a maid's, and despite her young age, she was timid and meek. When she first arrived at the Yan residence, she followed all the rules, kowtowing to Mister and Madam Yan to pay her respects. She kept her face lowered and barely dared to say a word, afraid that, as a dependent, she would displease them. Fear had settled deep in her bones. The Yan family's young master, renowned throughout the capital, watched the rabbit-like girl for a long while from behind Mister Yan, his gaze profound. From that day on, Yan Xu had a little sister. Everyone said he had passed the imperial examination at a young age and was arrogant about his talent. Even a Grand Secretary had to repeatedly plead before Yan Xu agreed to become his student. He seemed like an elegant gentleman, but was really cold-hearted and emotionless. No one could have imagined that he would treat the little girl in his home with such tender care. He coaxed her into looking up at the flowers, taught her to read and write, and took her to visit renowned teachers and see the rivers and mountains. They brewed tea in the spring snow and adorned her hair with summer flowers. His friends all sighed that, for such a cool and reserved man, he treated his adopted sister so well. His future wife would surely be eaten up with jealousy. Yan Xu merely smiled. Watching the little girl painting with her friends beneath a tree, he said lazily, "Aren't you just jealous that I have such a wonderful little sister?" - On the day Shen Mei came of age, Mister Yan gave her the courtesy name Jiaojiao, meaning "bright and pure as the moonlight." Her elder sister, a princess consort in the northern borderlands, wrote to say that she had bought a house in the capital. Now that Shen Mei had come of age, it was no longer appropriate for her to live at the Yan residence. So Shen Mei stopped being an adopted daughter of the Yan family and became Miss Shen, renowned throughout the capital. Madam Yan still loved her and continued to treat her like half a daughter. She teased her, saying she would arrange a marriage for her. Shen Mei lowered her head shyly, concealing the glance she stole at Yan Xu. He was the distant moon above a snowy mountain peak. Now that she had left the Yan residence, the days when his moonlight shone upon her would likely be over. She had grown up, and her brother had become Master Yan. She had to keep her distance. So she became ever more careful to observe proper manners, telling herself she ought to stay away from him. Even when it hurt, she obediently went to meet the young men Madam Yan introduced to her. But Yan Xu lost his restraint. On a snowy night in the depths of winter, he cornered her behind a rockery and wrapped her in his fox-fur cloak. The man kissed the girl deeply, his eyes like a fathomless sea beneath the moon. A thin sliver of moonlight fell into the rockery as he pressed his lips to hers and spoke each word with longing and tenderness: "Don't marry him. Marry me." -A refined young gentleman, seemingly elegant and pure but truly cold and emotionless x a timid, insecure girl who is careful in all things It's just a sweet little romance~ Blurb captured on June 19, 2022 ★ Please add my upcoming story Childhood Sweetheart to your reading list~ The noble young lady Qiao Zhenzhen and heir Zhang Ting'an are sworn enemies. Everyone in Jinliang City knows it. Their families have been close for generations, though, and have repeatedly considered arranging a marriage between them. Fed up with her mother's nagging, Qiao Zhenzhen declares that she would never marry Zhang Ting'an, even if every other man in the city were dead. The words reach Zhang Ting'an, who is so furious that he snaps a superb wolf-hair brush. Zhang Ting'an then loudly declares that even if he were the only man left in the city, he still would not marry Qiao Zhenzhen. They can't stand the sight of each other. When they meet on the street, they have to roll their eyes at one another before moving on. People love to make fun of the two of them, and no one expects them to be a good match. Qiao Zhenzhen is spoiled and particular, and has said she would only marry a top scholar who has placed first in all three imperial examinations. Zhang Ting'an is a profligate who hates trouble. Apart from his family background and good looks, he's always been at the bottom of his class at the academy. By no measure are they a match made in heaven. - Three days after their declarations, Qiao Zhenzhen takes a bad fall. When she wakes, she blinks her reddened eyes and suddenly grabs her mother, pleading, "Mother, I want to discuss marriage with Zhang Ting'an." Madam Qiao sighs. "It's too late. The day you fell, Ting'an was thrown from his horse in an accident and has been unconscious ever since." Qiao Zhenzhen panics and rushes to the Marquis of Guang'an's residence, bandages still wrapped around her head. Zhang Ting'an lies in bed, pale and lifeless. She sits beside him and suddenly bursts into tears. She quietly takes his hand and softly calls his name: "Zhang Ting'an." Before waking up, she had a very, very long dream. In it, the Qiao family was ruined, and she was about to be sold to a brothel. No one helped her. Everyone just stood by and watched. Only Zhang Ting'an came to protect her. He drew his sword and snarled, "Let's see who dares lay a hand on her!" In the dream, she trembled all over, her lip bitten and bleeding. But Zhang Ting'an, who had never liked her, wrapped her in his fox-fur cloak, wiped the dirt from her face, gently kissed her bloodied lips, and held her as he soothed her: "Zhenzhen, don't be afraid. I'm here." -Spoiled little childhood sweetheart x a rakish boyhood friend ★ Please add my upcoming story Spring's Embrace to your reading list~ The Yong'an Marquis's residence has a young lady staying there as a guest. She is a legitimate daughter of the main branch of the Cui clan of Qinghuai. Fond of the capital's splendor, she has made the marquis's residence her home. Every year, the Cui clan gives the Yong'an Marquis's residence ten thousand taels of gold to cover the young lady's daily expenses. The young lady is beautiful enough to shame the snow and frost, with a graceful figure and a smile that can steal anyone's heart. Everyone thinks that a beauty like her deserves a young gentleman of exceptional talent and distinction. And what's more, the young lady is very wealthy. So, when she turns fifteen, matchmakers practically break down her door. From noble marquises and princes to fifth-rank officials, any family with an eligible son makes a visit to the Yong'an Marquis's residence. With so many people seeking a match for her, the matchmakers simply put together a booklet. It is full of portraits of young men, with introductions to their family backgrounds, ages, talents, personalities, interests, and hobbies. In the rear courtyard of the marquis's residence, Cui Wanyin lounges delicately on a couch, flipping through the booklet and chattering with her maid. "This one is all slicked hair and powder. He doesn't look very imposing." "This one's proportions are all wrong. How could that do?" "This one looks so frail, as if he can't even lift a chicken." The maid: Miss, are we really looking at the same booklet? Then Cui Wanyin suddenly comes across a portrait that someone has slipped in without permission. Her eyes light up. "Oh, this one's perfect!" The man in the portrait is powerfully built, with resolute features and shoulders almost twice as broad as hers. The caption reads: Yue Qian, Great General of the Western Garrison. Yue Qian spent eight years pacifying the western borderlands, and this year returned to the capital in triumph. With no more wars to fight, he plans to retire in the capital. Then one day, a matchmaker suddenly visits and says the young lady of the Yong'an Marquis's residence has taken a liking to him. Yue Qian is baffled and firmly declines. "Thank you, but I won't marry her." Much later... General Yue spends every day at home bowing and scraping, chasing after his petite, pampered wife. "I was blind back then. Wanyin, don't be angry. How many bows do you want to tie on me today?" "Should I dance with my sword for you again?" "Or should I show you my abs, which you love so much?" Cui Wanyin finally stops, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Yue Qian! Who told you to take your clothes off here!?" -A delicate, beautiful and wealthy young lady x a strong, broad-shouldered general The delicate young lady likes a big, broad-shouldered man. It's a sweet little romance with a huge size difference~ Theme: Love yourself first, and then everyone else will love you