My Husband Is Quite the Man

The Yao family of Shengjing was a distinguished household of scholars. The master and mistress were loving and harmonious, and their relatives treated one another with mutual respect. Their reputation was renowned throughout the capital. And yet this family produced a vicious, shrewish daughter who disrespected her elders and caused trouble for no reason: Yao Qixiang. As Yao Qixiang reached the age to marry, the mistress of the Yao household thought she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Who would have guessed that Yao Qixiang's wicked reputation would make all the noble young men in the capital avoid her, while even scholars from humble families refused to marry her? Looking at this hopeless girl, the mistress of the Yao household figured that such a menace would be better sent off to the countryside sooner rather than later. Barely two days after the decision was made, a distinguished guest came to their door, insisting on marrying Yao Qixiang! The Meng family had been a powerful clan for a hundred years. Its eldest legitimate son, Meng Fuwei, was as refined as an orchid and as handsome as a jade tree, the dream of many a young woman in Shengjing. But no one could have imagined that the man Yao Qixiang, publicly jilted by her former fiancé, would eventually marry was him! Everyone was completely baffled. They were certain Yao Qixiang had seduced him shamelessly with her foxlike beauty, and waited for Meng Fuwei to see through her true nature and divorce her. On their wedding night, Yao Qixiang stared at Meng Fuwei and sneered. "Go on, divorce me if you dare. Don't expect me to play the virtuous wife for you." Meng Fuwei said nothing, leaving Yao Qixiang fuming. The next day, as the new bride served tea, her mother-in-law tried to put her in her place, making her kneel for ages under the pretext of teaching her the household rules. Yao Qixiang went limp and dabbed at her tears. "My husband was far too considerate last night. I'm afraid I'm simply too weak to stand." Everyone in the room went pale with shock, speechless. Even her taciturn husband couldn't help looking at her. - Later, because the excuse worked so well, whenever Yao Qixiang felt unable to refuse something, she would pretend to be tired and weak, as if she had been thoroughly "worn out." Gradually, she noticed that everyone, including the wives of her husband's brothers, looked at her as if they wanted to say something, with envy lurking in their eyes. Yao Qixiang: "..." - It was a marriage arranged by others, and she and Meng Fuwei treated each other with courtesy and respect. Yao Qixiang had never expected anything from him. But later, when she got her revenge and became the target of everyone's condemnation, Meng Fuwei was the only one who firmly shielded her. Only then did Yao Qixiang realize that he had planned this marriage from beginning to end. That was also the night Yao Qixiang discovered that her husband was very capable indeed. Female lead's perspective: marriage first, love later. Male lead's perspective: his secret crush comes true. A lighthearted domestic-intrigue romance. Synopsis written on July 13, 2023, and registered. ※ Advance release, Bullying the Honest One: Sister-in-Law, Open the Door, It's Your Brother ※ Qiao Hui has been married to Shen Jue for over a year. She can tell that her husband doesn't like her. His gaze is always strange and distant, and he is very cold in bed... She feels miserable, often wondering if she did something wrong to make him despise her. Later, her husband goes off to war. She waits at home for a year, until at last he returns. "Ah Hui, Dalang has always been cold, but perhaps things will get better now that you two are together again after so long," her mother-in-law says, trying to comfort her. Qiao Hui doesn't get her hopes up. But unexpectedly, when Shen Jue returns, he has completely changed. He is no longer cold, and treats her with tenderness and care... Yet he still avoids her in bed at every turn. Qiao Hui is depressed for a while, then comes to terms with it. Perhaps her husband is impotent. But her parents-in-law are kind and affectionate, and her husband has changed his attitude. Though they still have no children, it isn't her fault, and she is content. Months pass. Just as Qiao Hui has grown accustomed to her gentle yet distant husband, Shen Jue changes again. He starts holding her night after night, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. He calls her name over and over. He... he isn't as impotent as she thought. Qiao Hui is baffled all over again. - His elder brother dies in battle. To keep the army's morale steady, Second Young Master Shen has no choice but to take his brother's place and command the troops, since the two look exactly alike. The crime of deceiving the emperor is grave, so after returning to the capital, Second Young Master Shen has no choice but to keep up the act. But when he gets home, he discovers that he has a beautiful sister-in-law. Second Young Master Shen has no idea how she and his brother got along. He can only speak gently to her and fulfill his duties as best he can, never daring to cross the line. That should have been that. But unexpectedly, his brother, who was supposed to have died in battle, comes back. That night, Second Young Master Shen paces around the courtyard for half an hour, then goes to knock on Qiao Hui's door. "Ah Hui, open the door." Shen Yan speaks up. "I'm your husband." Theme: Keep striving to better yourself, even in adversity.