Awaiting Jingzhe

There is so much filth and darkness in this world. Some people grow up in the sunlight, while others struggle in the depths of an abyss.

There is also so much warmth and beauty in this world. Some people turn a blind eye to it, while others are immersed in it.

Throughout their lives, he and she saw so much darkness and beauty.

(Cousin, Fragrant Embrace is currently being serialized. Here's the blurb. If you're interested, add it to your favorites:

Wan Shu had reached the age for marriage. Madam Chu carefully selected several promising young men and showed her their portraits.

Wan Shu blushed and chose one.

Madam Chu was pleased. "The Meng family is very strict with their children. Jing is close with your brother, keeps himself out of trouble, and has a gentle temperament..."

Soon, a matchmaker came to call, and the marriage was on the verge of being settled when Wan Shu had a nightmare.

In the dream, Meng Jing set himself on fire and died for the woman he loved.

He said, "Wan Shu, I wronged you. Go in peace. Yan'er and I will raise our child well."

Later, after Wan Shu warned him, her brother discovered that Meng Jing had taken a mistress named Li Yan'er. The marriage was called off.

From then on, whenever Wan Shu met a potential match, she would dream that the man had some vice she disliked. Every time, investigation proved her dreams true.

Wan Shu was both delighted and worried. She was glad to have avoided so many ill-fated matches, but worried that she might never get married.

One day, Huai Yu knelt beside her and confessed his feelings. Only then did Wan Shu realize that her usually well-behaved and courteous cousin had harbored such feelings for her.

But she had always thought of Huai Yu as a younger brother. How could she accept him?

*

Chu Huai Yu lost his father when he was young. After his mother remarried, his stepbrother constantly abused him, while his mother told him to endure it.

He could not endure it, so he learned the art of perfumery and crippled both of his stepbrother's legs.

Not long afterward, his mother died of illness. He escaped from his stepfather and from then on became a rat in the gutter.

He learned to disguise himself, especially in front of the Gu family, who had kindly taken him in, putting on an appearance of gentle harmlessness.

It was only when he learned that Wan Shu was about to become engaged to someone else that he used underhanded means in the Gu household for the first time.

Using fragrance to draw Wan Shu into a "dream," he easily ruined the marriage arrangement.

In time, he finally got what he wanted.

On their wedding night, he traced her brows, eyes, lips, and every inch of her body, murmuring obsessively, "Mine, mine, all mine..."

He wanted his dear older sister to belong to him, body and soul, and never leave him.

With a faint fragrance in the air, Wan Shu seemed to have had a wild, shameful dream, one that frightened her even as she sank into it.

From then on, she no longer dared to think of Huai Yu as her younger brother.)

Reading guide:

1. This story is told from the female protagonist's perspective.

2. There is plenty of mystery and political scheming. The romance develops very, very slowly and is understated, with a hint of sweetness.

3. The male lead is reborn, but makes little use of that advantage, and has little presence early on.

4. The dynasty is fictional, so please don't scrutinize its historical accuracy.

Theme: Companionship and sincerity are both essential.