After Mistaking My Enemy's Daughter for Someone Else

[Angsty, groveling-ex romance: an aristocratic lady vs. a rugged, virile, strong man]

In the sixth year of the Jiaping era, the old Marquis of Dingyuan was framed by treacherous officials and died on the battlefield. From that day on, Wei Qi despised the treacherous officials who had entrapped his father.

But an imperial edict ordered Wei Qi to marry Du Lanxi, the daughter of his enemy.

If her father was a glib, unscrupulous schemer, then his daughter couldn't be any better.

Although he, Wei Qi, disdained entangling himself with women, he would not let Du Lanxi off lightly, nor would he show her a shred of tenderness. Even in bed, no matter how he humiliated her, the Du girl would have to endure it!

Once he had avenged his great wrong, Wei Qi looked at the soft, pliant body in his arms and felt his heart soften a little.

“Since you're so virtuous and dutiful, I'll let you stay and atone for your father's sins every night.”

“But given your status, don't even dream of bearing my child.”

The woman in his arms trembled and softly answered, “Yes.”

*

Du Lanxi was born into an aristocratic, scholarly family. The youngest daughter, she had been cherished since childhood.

If nothing unexpected happened, she would have spent her life in harmony with her childhood sweetheart, supporting him with quiet devotion.

Until everyone said her father had done wrong and that she had to be handed over to Wei Qi to appease the Marquis of Dingyuan's fury.

She had never met a man as rugged as Wei Qi, with so little regard for women. Du Lanxi hated him, but was trapped in their feud and unable to escape.

If the Du family didn't owe him, she'd rather die than marry a brute like Wei Qi!

*

One day, Wei Qi found an unopened letter in Du Lanxi's room. It said that someone other than the Du family had killed his father, and urged Du Lanxi to divorce him and remarry into the Ru'nan family.

The letter was signed by the eldest son of the Jiang family of Ru'nan, her former fiancé.

The letter crumpled in his hand, Wei Qi looked at his wife, who had just miscarried. For the first time, his heart was in turmoil, and he didn't know what to do.

He absolutely could not let Du Lanxi see this letter...

① One man, one woman; both virgins; six-year age gap; maximum size difference.

② A terrible man grovels to win back his wife. Angsty and melodramatic.

③ A well-bred, bookish aristocratic lady vs. a rugged, virile, strong brute.

④ A bittersweet romance, perhaps?

The heroine's name is taken from Su Shi's poem "Huanxi Sha": “By the mountain, young orchid shoots dip into the stream.”

[Blurb preserved as of February 2, 2025]

◆A forthcoming story on a similar theme, with the true enemy's daughter: "Locked in the Spring Chamber", a groveling romance with a deranged, villainous husband◆

Xu Yan was a concubine's daughter, born to a songstress in the Chancellor's household. She grew up hungry and subjected to cold stares. The only person in the household who treated her kindly was Shen Muzhi, the tutor who couldn't walk.

Shen Muzhi was noble and refined, gentle and modest, and never thought her foolish or dull. For years, in that lonely little courtyard, the two of them were all each other had.

Unable to bear watching him spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, Xu Yan did everything she could to make him smile. She even stayed up late embroidering to buy him the best medicine for his injuries.

One day, Xu Yan went to Shen Muzhi's courtyard as usual. To her surprise, the courtyard was on fire. Thinking of Shen Muzhi's disabled legs, she rushed into the blaze without hesitation.

Xu Yan searched again and again, but couldn't find Shen Muzhi anywhere.

Only when a burning beam came crashing down did Xu Yan see Shen Muzhi standing with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, beyond the curtain of fire.

At that instant, Xu Yan laughed bitterly in despair amid the flames. So it had all been a lie!

For three generations, the Xun family of Yingchuan had produced upright remonstrating officials with iron wills. Yet they were framed by villains and sentenced to execution, family and all. Xun Tan was a vengeful demon who had crawled out of a pile of corpses. Born without compassion, he lived only to take revenge.

For this purpose, he disguised himself as Shen Muzhi, the tutor in the Xu household, and used a foolish, witless daughter of his enemy.

On the night he slaughtered the Xu family, Xun Tan watched coldly as fire consumed their home and his enemies died one by one.

The fire burned all night, and he stood outside the Xu residence watching it all night.

At dawn, among the ruins of the Xu household, Xun Tan found a charred seashell.

He recognized it. It was the birthday gift he had given Xu Yan.

A few crooked words had been carved into the shell: “May Shen Muzhi get all he wishes for, and may every year bring him peace.”

Xun Tan stared at the shell, stunned for a long time.

After being rescued from the fire, Xu Yan understood that not everyone deserved her sincerity. She had no intention of taking revenge. Her only wish in this life was to stay far away from him, preferably never to see him again.

But Xu Yan didn't know that a demon would always be a demon. No matter what she did, she would never escape him!

① One man, one woman; both virgins; eight-year age gap. Fictional Han dynasty setting.

② Angsty, melodramatic, coercive romance, followed by the man groveling to win her back.

The viewpoint in the fire scene is mistaken: the heroine sees the hero's back.

③ A ruthless, scheming hypocrite and a gentle, kind, resilient little white flower.

Xun Tan (qin, second tone)

Blurb preserved as of November 13, 2025.

Theme: Leave room for others, and you may meet again someday.