Scrap Number Three

Since this book is so different from the original, practically a whole new story, I decided to give it a new slot.

[Updates at 9:00 PM]

[The male lead has self-destructive tendencies. Once he falls in love, he loses all sense of self and gives everything. If that bothers you, read with caution.]

[Brother's wife, but the heroine struggles to feel affection for anyone. She's all about revenge.]

A lone daughter of a military family with an iron fist & a gloomy, beautiful little waif

Blurb:

Eldest Young Master Shen had a face as gentle as jade, eyes that looked at even dogs with affection, considerable talent, and an illustrious family background. He could have married even a princess, yet an imperial decree betrothed him to Wen Yingming, the daughter of a fifth-rank official.

What the emperor knew was that Eldest Young Master Shen was a good-for-nothing, with no talents besides being rich and handsome. Wen Yingming was the last surviving member of the Zheng family, a clan of loyal heroes and founding generals. Granting her marriage to a marquis's son seemed a thoughtful gesture, and would earn him a fine reputation for honoring meritorious servants with kindness and generosity.

What the emperor didn't know was that one of them was a traitor colluding with the enemy, while the other was planning to take down that traitor.

(This Eldest Young Master Shen is not the male lead.)

*

(This one is the male lead.)

Though the Shen family was aristocratic, they had one shameful secret that could never be made public.

Born alongside Eldest Young Master Shen was an illegitimate son. He was withdrawn, cold, thin, and frail, yet strikingly beautiful. Had he been born into an ordinary family, he would probably have been abducted and forced to become someone's kept lover long ago.

He was a man, yet his looks were sinister and alluring. And since his mother had died from madness, everyone found him unnerving.

At first, the Shen family planned to dump him at some estate and leave him to live or die. But when they discovered that he had somehow learned to write beautifully, they decided to keep him locked up in the Shen residence and make him ghostwrite essays for the other young masters to win them fame.

If things had stayed that way, the family might have lived in harmony. Unfortunately, disaster struck the Shen family, and after discussing it, they decided to sacrifice him as a scapegoat.

That night, in some corner of the Shen residence, the scapegoat let his long hair down and leaned against the knee of Madam Wen Yingming.

The moonlight was deathly pale, making one want to taste blood.

The lamb led to slaughter raised his head and whispered,

"Madam, save me."

Reader's Guide:

- This is a premise I've really wanted to write, with a touch of political intrigue.

- The male lead is a virgin, while the heroine isn't. The male lead is all about being beautiful, weak, and miserable, and there's a little cross-dressing. If you can't stomach it, blame the author's tastes.

- If you like it, please bookmark and comment to make the author update faster =w=

Theme: Do all you can before resigning yourself to fate.