Bending the Moon

Complete

Tao Yang was born under an ill-fated destiny. When she was young, she once offended a nobleman because of it. From then on, she never dared set foot in Huaiyang, keeping to herself and rarely going out.

Until the birthday celebration of the old madam of the Xie clan in Huaiyang. She went with her mother and encountered that nobleman again in a grove of crabapple trees. His manner was haughty, and his inscrutable gaze swept over her face as if he had long since forgotten what had happened.

Tao Yang was relieved. But not long afterward, the hard-won marriage arranged for her was ruined, and her family also committed a grave mistake. She had no choice but to go to him for help...

Only then did Tao Yang learn what sort of cold, ruthless heart lay beneath the surface of a man who had always seemed gentle, humble, and upright.

In the dark of a mountain night, in a hot spring pool, she was given a nightmare that would haunt her forever.

*

In the thirty-sixth year of the Rende era, the distinguished Xie clan's Second Young Master, Xie, took office as Minister of State and overruled all objections to advocate war against the Northern Dynasty.

At night, patrolling soldiers often heard the faint sound of a woman sobbing inside his tent, crying through the entire night. The camp stood in the wilderness, so the soldiers assumed it was a wild cat yowling after dark.

Until one day, they heard that the young master had donned his armor and personally led the charge. On the day the Northern Dynasty's commander was to be married, his cavalry trampled the ground amid the smoke and flames of war. With bloodied hands, he cupped the face of a woman dressed in bridal robes, his expression dark and his teeth clenched. "Run again, then!" He pulled her against his chest, his voice hoarse. "In all the world, only by my side is there a place for you."

*

Xie Huaiyan was born a favored son of Heaven, the Xie clan's most valued legitimate heir. He had never been controlled by anyone. But Tao Yang had once deceived him, humiliated him, hurt him, and, worst of all, abandoned him.

Of course he would make her pay back twice over, settling every debt she owed him, one by one.

Reading Guide:

Straight romance; happy ending; coercive possession;

Scheming, unhinged man and stubborn beauty;

Coming next: After Refusing to Be a Substitute (Taking by Guile and Force), please add it to your collection!

Everyone said the second daughter of the Shi family, Shi Yirong, was as beautiful as an immortal, so breathtaking that a single glimpse would make one's life complete.

Unfortunately, the Shi family fell into ruin, and the moon in the sky became a reflection in the water.

In the largest pleasure house in the city, her figure was graceful as she danced amid swirling winter snow, wearing nothing but a thin gauzy robe. Wealthy merchants and powerful nobles filled the seats around her. Whoever bid the highest that night would claim her first night as a hostess.

The men were restless, their eyes fixed on her.

Only one man, with the bearing of a pine and gentle eyes, walked up to her. He draped his warm cloak over her shoulders and asked softly, "Would you like to come with me?"

Everyone present fell silent, and none dared look up again.

Xie Yanchen was the legitimate son of the Xie clan head, the foremost family among the aristocratic houses. His status was exalted, and he was peerless in the world. When Shi Yi met his gaze with her clear, cool eyes, she obediently nodded.

Everyone knew that Second Young Master Xie had a beloved whom he could never have. They had been childhood sweethearts and loved one another, and theirs should have been a beautiful love story. Sadly, that woman met with an accident before she could marry into the Xie clan, becoming an indelible wound in Second Young Master Xie's heart.

And Shi Yi looked somewhat like her.

That was her good fortune.

Shi Yi also knew that by obediently serving Xie Yanchen, wearing the clothes he liked, using the scents he preferred, and calling him "A Chen" at night in that woman's voice, she could indulge all his moods and peculiar tastes.

Xie Yanchen liked how considerate and compliant she was. She was like a clingy cat, and when he was in a good mood, he would even let her visit her family and treat her with a little tenderness.

He thought she would always be so sensible. After all, she was timid and cowardly, and never dared disobey any of his orders. That is, until he was unexpectedly injured and fell unconscious. When he awoke, he searched the entire city but couldn't find her.

Later, Xie Yanchen thought that daring to run away was the biggest surprise Shi Yi could give him. But then he found her and saw that the man beside her bore a striking resemblance to him, sharing seven-tenths of his features. In that moment, all he wanted was to kill her.

Reading Guide:

Both leads are virgins; happy ending; coercive possession;

The male lead mistakes the female lead for his beloved, while the female lead really does treat him as a substitute. However, the male lead is no good man;

Theme: Survive in troubled times and find a quiet corner of one's own.