Entangled Branches

[Read with caution]

[The author's understanding of the flavor of this relationship may be a little twisted]

[Fine, you can read it. You can curse me afterward too _(:з"∠)_]

"Faux siblings / gentle puppy-like younger sister x seemingly gentle but secretly ruthless older brother"

Xue Jiayi's birth mother died young, and she and her older brother, Xie Yunshuo, were sent to the countryside to be raised by their biased father.

The quiet young man was her only support. Like every younger sister in the world, she depended on and cherished her older brother.

In those years of loneliness and hardship, the slender, composed young man clasped his sister's hand and solemnly promised, "Nongnong, I'll make something of myself one day and keep you safe."

Later, he decided to enlist. Though she was loath to part with him, Xue Jiayi could only hold back her tears as she packed his belongings and told him, "Brother, I'll wait for you to come home."

But the news that reached her was that he had died on the battlefield.

Distraught, Xue Jiayi resolved to mourn her brother for three years.

On the day her mourning period ended, she was still dressed in mourning clothes when she heard that the Eastern Palace had recognized the long-lost Imperial Grandson.

In a daze, swept along with the crowd, she looked up and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure seated atop a tall horse.

So he had never been her brother.

Before Madam Xue died, she once summoned Xie Yunshuo to her bedside and sternly made him swear that no matter what happened, he would protect his younger sister.

At the time, Xie Yunshuo thought his mother was simply doting on her daughter.

He agreed, thinking that he didn't need to swear. He would protect her regardless.

After all, she was his sister, bound to him by blood.

His sister forever.

But later, his true identity was revealed, and he was recognized by the Eastern Palace.

And she came before him, shyly accompanying the man she had chosen, to pay her respects.

"Brother." Her eyes were bright, just as they had been when she looked at him in the past. "I'm getting married! You'll have to come celebrate with us."

Xie Yunshuo smiled and agreed. He had his attendants prepare a generous gift and saw her and the man out.

That night, he stood by the window with his hands at his sides, listening to the rain all night, and came to understand one thing.

He had to be the one to protect her.

And no one else could.

*The male lead's feelings have changed. I'm working hard to update, so please don't wait until it's finished to read it qoq

Tips:

1. Bittersweet romance, beginning with a familial relationship.

2. The heroine and hero are (faux) twins. The hero was brought home by the heroine's mother, and they are not related by blood. Their relationship remains familial until his true identity is revealed, after which his feelings begin to change.

3. The brother will go mad later on, with a little forced marriage and domineering pursuit. Read with caution if that's not your thing.

Coming soon: The Betrayal of Marriage

Blurb:

Prince Shen Ke is the person Mingfu cares about most.

He protected her as she grew up in the lonely palace. On the day the rebels stormed the capital, he was the one who took her by the hand and led her to safety.

The realm lay in ruins, their glory gone. Stripped of their noble status as prince and princess, they wandered from place to place.

But Mingfu didn't care about any of that.

As long as she could stay with her brother forever, everything was fine.

Until one night, her brother, single-mindedly intent on restoring the kingdom, gently took her hand and said to her in a soft voice:

"The prince of the Helian tribe has taken a liking to you. He says you're precious and is willing to trade thirty thousand cavalry for you."

Shen Ke has always prided himself on never regretting anything.

He doesn't regret the years they spent relying on each other, nor does he regret taking advantage of her genuine feelings.

Just wait a little longer.

He thought that once his great ambition was fulfilled, he would bring her back to his side and never let her go again.

But why, on the day he successfully redirected the threat and overturned the realm, did she choose to die alongside Helian Jing, leaving him only one resentful, indistinct glance?

Shen Ke charged madly into the flames to save her. When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to seven years earlier...

He was holding her trembling hand, having just escaped the fire that had consumed the capital.

Seventeen-year-old Shen Ke, covered in soot and grime, told her, "Don't be afraid. Your brother is here."

Before the little princess from the Central Plains gave him the name "Jing," Helian Jing was more accustomed to hearing other names.

His people, awed by his power, called him their king. The Central Plains people, afraid of him, called him a barbarian. While the woman who gave birth to him was still alive, she would sometimes call him softly when she was in a good mood: Aleda.

Only she would put her arms around his neck and say, "Helian Jing, you're such a good person. I like you."

She taught him to read difficult books and write difficult characters, and taught him to see himself as a person rather than a beast who only knew how to eat raw meat and drink blood.

Ten thousand times, he regretted being captivated by her beauty and bringing home such a handful.

But for the ten-thousand-and-first time, he would still take her hand and swear to the snow-capped mountains that never thawed:

In this life, the next, and every life after... he would be with Shen Mingfu forever, never to part.

Coming soon: One Night with My Husband from a Past Life

Blurb:

1.

With her wedding date fast approaching, Princess Yongjia, Xiao Chengyu, caught her betrothed fooling around with a male performer. Furious, she broke off the engagement in front of everyone.

Back at the princess's residence, three parts drunk and emboldened, she narrowed her eyes, picked the most handsome man there, and ordered her subordinates to tie him up and bring him to her bed.

After one reckless night, Xiao Chengyu awoke from a dreamy haze and asked, "Who was that man last night?"

A palace attendant knelt down and answered nervously, "I-It was a new stable hand at the residence, named Wei Zhuo."

His status was so lowly that Xiao Chengyu should have been angry. But when she thought of his powerful arms and sturdy chest...

Her heart gave a sudden leap.

2.

The news that Princess Yongjia had replaced her stable hand with a new consort spread throughout Chang'an in an instant.

Xiao Chengyu, meanwhile, wore a charming pout as she laid down three rules for the stable hand: he must not overstep his place and must always show her respect; he could not make the first move and could only appear when she needed him...

"The third rule is the most important," she said, clearing her throat. "You must not fall for me. Do you understand?"

The tall, long-legged man knelt beside the bed and didn't answer for a long time. The little princess grew impatient and lightly kicked him with her foot. "Why aren't you answering me?"

Only then did he look up at her with hawk-like eyes, his voice low and hoarse. "Understood, Your Highness."

3.

Wei Zhuo had known this spoiled little princess in his previous life.

The realm had fallen into chaos and war had broken out everywhere. She had been betrayed by her husband and abandoned by her relatives. In short, her life had been miserable.

And he had become a bandit, taken over a mountain stronghold, and become its chieftain. He had picked her up while she was fleeing, and had done so simply because he was attracted to her looks.

But by the time he had become a powerful warlord and they had both sincerely wanted to be husband and wife, she had died young from a chronic illness.

Snow fell the day she died in his arms.

With his dream of ruling the realm within reach, he calmly took care of her funeral arrangements, then walked into her tomb and never came back out.

4.

After being reborn, Wei Zhuo made his plans step by step.

First, he had to expose the true nature of her good-for-nothing fiance. Then he had to protect her and make sure she never ended up in the same situation as in his previous life...

Wait, he hadn't even had time to plan his next move toward her. How did she end up tying him to the bed?!!!

She looked down at him, her eyes, untouched by hardship, shining brighter than the stars.

"Listen carefully. I chose you only as a temporary measure. From now on, we..."

Wei Zhuo had seen those bright, imperious eyes before.

As for those three rules...

Who knows? In any case, he wouldn't follow a single one of them :)

A lovesick warlord x a radiant princess, the male lead is reborn and will fight tooth and nail for her

Theme: Love should be honest