In her third month at the Meng residence, Qunyu finally won her second cousin's heart.
Their marriage was about to be arranged when she encountered Xie Wang at a welcoming banquet. She had once shared a brief affair with him, and he turned out to be her second cousin's elder brother.
Amid the colorful crowd, he approached her step by step, coldness radiating from him.
Qunyu stared blankly at the man before her. His expression was indifferent as he gently turned the prayer beads in his hand. She could still remember the pain of those beads digging into her body, and the damp traces they left behind...
But now, he slowly took them off and placed them in her palm. "I wonder if you like this meeting gift, little sister-in-law?"
A little scene:
Three years ago, at the Jade Buddha Temple, he roughly pulled her into his arms and gripped her waist without mercy, the prayer beads pressing painfully into her skin.
Three years later, in the Meng residence's study, he held her in his arms as she painted. Outside the window, magnolias bloomed in silver-white clusters, closing in like snow. Tears clouded her eyes, and she sobbed uncontrollably.
The long, slender brush, dipped in ink, left several red smudges as Xie Wang traced lines across the narrow curve of her waist and back.
Qunyu trembled in fright. At last, when the dense strokes drew away, he tossed the brush aside. His low voice sounded beside her ear. "Keep your voice down. Cry any louder and your fiance will hear you."
A flirtatious, innocent-looking girl x a cold, distant older cousin
Reader's guide:
1. The male and female leads are not related by blood.
2. The female lead has no interaction with the male lead while married to the second male lead.
3. Rekindled romance + taking someone by force + a rivalry between suitors
My next story, Cherry Blossoms Washed Clean, is coming up. Please add it to your collection~
By day, Yingning is the personal maid her mother brought into a powerful family to care for her during her pregnancy.
At night, she's locked in a dark, airless prayer hall, biting on her pillow as she trembles and cries until her eyes are red and her face is streaked with tears.
Then came the winter banquet. The wind howled and the clouds hung low. Light snow fell all over her as she covered her aching face, where someone had struck her, and looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
Because the second son had been making advances toward her, the third son asked their mother to give her to him. Yingning was unwillingly caught up in their quarrel and made to suffer for nothing.
Cui Zhuo gave her a cold glance, his words sharp as a knife. "She's just a maid. Do you really have to make a public spectacle of fighting each other over her, second and third brothers?"
He impatiently turned his ring and casually set it on the table. "Such a troublemaker should be confined."
Her face turned white with fear. She wasn't afraid of being confined. She was afraid of Cui Zhuo's unrestrained cruelty toward her.
*
After the Cui family acknowledged her as their adopted daughter, Yingning thought that since the eldest young master was now her brother, he couldn't force himself on her, could he?
Her childhood sweetheart Shen Du, who returned her feelings, came to the capital. Yingning was overjoyed, waiting for the two of them to discuss marriage and wed.
But when she stole a kiss from Shen Du and happened to look up, she saw Cui Zhuo's dark eyes and felt the fury radiating from him. Her heart sank. Trembling, she quickly looked away.
That night, she knelt before the Buddha statue as he gripped her chin and casually caressed her. "Your mother wants to use your marriage as a bargaining chip to save your younger brother's life."
"Marry that old man or come with me. You choose." For all this time, he had watched Yingning make a fool of herself, fawning over Shen Du. She was so naive that she thought she would ever get to marry someone and leave.
A little scene:
After the Cui family's adopted daughter died unexpectedly, no one knew that the eldest young master had installed a concubine in the residence he had prepared.
She had no way out and could only let him have his way with her.
Cui Zhuo was more than happy with the situation. He thought that if she behaved herself, he might even take her as a concubine after she had his child.
But for all his careful planning, Cui Zhuo never expected her to refuse to bear his child. She left a final letter and resolutely threw herself into the sea.
For the first time, Cui Zhuo learned what it meant to lose control. Without a second thought, he jumped in after her. "You will never get away from me, not in this life."
Innocent-looking girl x cold stepbrother
First drafted on July 27, 2024 (new version October 26)
Theme: Turn the tide
Happy New Year! I wish you all the best!