The Proud Substitute Bride

The Prince of Yan's household played matchmaker, arranging for the Lin family's young lady to marry Su Jingyu, heir to the Marquis of Dingyuan.

At her elder sister's request, the adopted daughter Lin Fengyue secretly left the residence to meet Su Jingyu and see whether he was truly as fond of wine and debauchery as the rumors claimed.

Ten years ago, Su Jingyu was poisoned at a banquet in the Crown Prince's palace. As he lay dying, a Taoist priest in blue robes saved him. After returning, he became a physician who saw only three patients each month.

That day, reeking of wine, he gazed at her with alluring eyes and leaned close to the ear of the pretending-to-be-ill Lin Fengyue.

"Your inner heat is too strong, Miss. Is it because your energies are out of balance, or would it be better to marry soon..."

After learning what had happened, her sister wept and begged their parents, swearing she would rather die than marry Su Jingyu. Lin Fengyue thought the marriage would be called off, but to her surprise, she was the one married to Su Jingyu.

*

On their wedding night, Su Jingyu vanished without a trace. As Lin Fengyue fell asleep alone, she had a strange dream: she reunited with her husband after a long separation, wept as she touched his cheek, shared their wedding night, and spent the whole night in tender intimacy.

In her sleep, she reached out and embraced Su Jingyu, who had just returned home smelling of wine. He pushed her away in disgust and recoiled.

The next morning, Su Jingyu admitted that he had never wanted to marry her. They immediately agreed to divorce after a year.

Lin Fengyue couldn't stop thinking about the man in her dream. He was gentle and refined, but his features were unclear. He kept a fish-shaped jade pendant close to his person.

One day, she met a young gentleman wearing a fish-shaped jade pendant at his waist. Mistaking him for the man from her dream, she stood face-to-face with him, smiling and chatting happily.

At that moment, Su Jingyu's expression changed completely.

He followed her, schemed to win her over, and lavished all his affection on her alone. At last, he held his beloved in his arms and ground that bothersome fish-shaped jade pendant to dust beneath his feet.

But the man in her dream was the one person he couldn't see or touch, leaving him consumed with jealousy and utterly helpless.

A year later, a prison sentence awakened Su Jingyu's memories of his past life: the cave, the pursuers, the shattered jade, the scars...

His clothes stained with blood, he lifted the sleeping Lin Fengyue into his arms and smiled through his tears. "Little Yue, I'm the husband from your dream!"

#He searched among the crowds, only to find the man of her dreams beside her pillow

#Debts of love from a past life, debts of flirtation in this one: they were always meant to be repaid

A shy, sensual, straightforward fake heiress * a supposedly debauched, truly innocent, bewitching physician

[Please Note]

1. The heroine is lovely but a little fierce. In the hero's words, she's "shy and sensual," so she hardly qualifies as a "sweet wife." That's why the title uses "proud" instead.

2. The hero's bad reputation has a hidden reason. He's actually a very innocent guy.

3. The male and female leads dream about their past lives; neither is reborn. The past-life and present-day stories are completely different.

4. One-on-one romance, both leads sexually inexperienced, happy ending, playful flirting, shameless affection, and overall a sweet little story.

New novel now available:

The Taoist and the Female Demon

[Black-bellied Taoist * Alluring and powerful female city lord]

Yao Huayin, city lord of the five cities of Shaoyang, was known for her stunning beauty and ruthless nature.

One spring day in March, she executed a spy in the mountains outside the city. After wiping the bloodstains from her jade-like fingers, she leaned against a slope and admired the mountain flowers in full bloom.

A young Taoist fleeing with a bundle on his back emerged from the woods. He was handsome and refined, his eyes bright as stars. Their gazes met, and silence fell.

"Big Sister, you're so beautiful. Are you a fairy?"

The young Taoist's smile was like a clear mountain spring.

Yao Huayin slowly leaned forward, one brow raised, her eyes full of allure.

"A fairy? I'm a female demon who specializes in draining people's essence."

Yao Huayin had never met a man so serene and refined, so she kept the young Taoist by her side, day and night.

From that day on, Yao Huayin often woke with a blush on her face, gazing at the young Taoist with bashful desire.

Her attendants all said the young Taoist was handsome and had won the city lord's favor. Only he knew it was all an illusion.

Late at night, with the candlelight soft in the room, Yao Huayin once again fell asleep, breathless.

The young Taoist opened her gauzy robe. On her jade-white shoulder, the vine flower he had tattooed there himself was now as red as blood.

His clear, springlike gaze turned cold in an instant. As his fingertips traced Yao Huayin's face, even more stunning than when she was a girl, he remembered how, eight years ago, she ordered his family's corpses hung from the city gates for all to see.

A strange smile crept across his slightly twisted face.

"A female demon? Big Sister, do you know what a demon is?"

*Visit the author's profile for the reading guide to this novel's synopsis.

Upcoming novel

The Matchmaker

[A stubborn girl focused on making money * A lovesick playboy who is a peacock spirit]

Li Fanxin was a matchmaker's daughter. Her widowed mother had arranged countless marriages with her silver tongue, buying farmland and building a house, with enough money left over to send her to school. Their lives were comfortable and full.

Then her widowed mother suddenly died. The bully who lorded over the family's farm turned on Fanxin. With no rent coming in, she had no means to support herself, and could barely afford to feed the little girl.

When the rice jar was almost empty, Li Fanxin wiped away her tears and decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a matchmaker.

Unfortunately, Fanxin didn't know any eligible, unmarried men or women in town. She cupped her pretty face and thought hard, then turned her gaze to the little girl beside her, who had just come of age and had an enormous appetite.

The little girl froze, then hurriedly put down the second bowl of rice she'd just picked up and waved her hands in alarm.

Just as Fanxin was fretting, a white dog barged into the courtyard again. It was a little dirty, but looked a lot like the one at Master Zheng's estate east of town.

Fanxin's eyes lit up. Why not arrange a match for a dog?

-

Zheng Fei was Master Zheng's only son and a notorious playboy in town.

That day, he was drinking and carousing in his own courtyard. When the steward told him a matchmaker had come to visit, he opened his fan and rested his foot on a stone stool in annoyance.

"This young master is rich, with long, shapely legs, and a handsome face. The girls who like me can't be chased away. Why would I need a matchmaker to arrange a marriage?"

Who would have thought the visitor would be a pretty, delicate young woman, timid but with a hint of stubbornness in her expression, carrying a white dog that had just been bathed and whose fur was still damp?

Zheng Fei couldn't help glancing at her again, only to hear the young woman ask:

"Excuse me, is your dog looking for a mate? Shiny fur, long legs, and a handsome face. Just one string of cash."

Zheng Fei: "..."

Theme: Fate is hard to come by, so cherish it.