Mistaken for a Beauty

[A Climbing, Alluring Beauty x A Coldhearted Regent] Ruan Ying had always felt that with her beauty, she shouldn't be stuck in this little place. She deserved to rise above it and become the wife of a wealthy man. To avoid being forced by her father to become the concubine of the wealthy Zhao, Ruan Ying set her sights on the scholar who had just moved in next door. After going to great lengths, she finally won the scholar's heart. He promised to marry her, and she thought that if he passed the imperial exams one day, she could become an official's wife. But on a trip to visit relatives, she happened to encounter the young emperor traveling incognito. The emperor fell in love with her at first sight. After giving it some thought, Ruan Ying decided to abandon the scholar and return to the capital with the emperor. The emperor was born with a congenital deficiency, so Ruan Ying successfully passed off the child in her womb as his. When he learned she was pregnant, the emperor was overjoyed and said he would make her empress. At a palace banquet, she finally met the regent rumored to be aloof and abstinent. One look at him left her dumbstruck. It turned out the regent was the very scholar who had once vowed to love her forever. Pei Shijin, the regent, had always seemed aloof and abstinent, but no one knew that he had once been abandoned after being seduced. Pei Shijin had once spent some time in a small town, where he and a young woman fell in love. Just as he was happily preparing to marry her, she suddenly disappeared without a trace. He searched everywhere for her in vain. Then he received a letter from the new emperor, announcing his impending wedding, and had no choice but to set off for the capital. At the palace banquet, the new emperor introduced Pei Shijin to the woman he loved and added that she was already pregnant. The woman said in a delicate voice, "Greetings, Imperial Uncle." She was the little liar who had seduced him and then abandoned him. - When Ruan Ying returned to her room, Pei Shijin was already waiting. "If you want to be empress, I can grant that wish too." Ruan Ying's eyes brimmed with tears. "Brother Ziyu, I'm sorry..." Her sobs came and went as the man's cold voice pressed her: "I can grant your wish to become empress, and I can give you everything else you want. Can he?" If she had pretended to love him, then she should keep pretending for the rest of her life. △ 1v1, both leads' first love △ The heroine and the second male lead were never officially involved -- Upcoming Novel -- Spring Ripples in His Palm After her parents died, Liang Huyue grew up in the Marquis of Cheng'an's household. The marquis's heir was a few years older than her and had always treated her well, like a real younger sister. Her brother had someone he loved, and the two were a perfect match. All that remained was for the betrothal gifts to be delivered and their engagement made official. Unfortunately, things went awry along the way. Liang Huyue was beautiful, and a villain set his sights on her. He drugged her with an aphrodisiac that would prove fatal if left untreated. In the emergency, her brother personally helped her neutralize the poison. But the poison was potent, and it continued to plague Liang Huyue for months. With no other choice, she had to keep troubling her brother. At last, one day, her brother's beloved realized something was amiss and came to confront him. He offered no explanation, saying only, "As you wish." Liang Huyue tried to explain the circumstances on her brother's behalf, but he held her back. Half a year passed this way, and Liang Huyue finally recovered. Relieved, she decided she could no longer hold her brother back. She found a suitable husband who didn't mind her circumstances and was willing to marry her. When she said goodbye to her brother, he smiled and said, "Good. Yiyi has finally grown up." On the day she left the household, Liang Huyue mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The heir of the Marquis of Cheng'an was devastated by the loss of his sister and stayed shut in his room for two whole months. In the dim room, Liang Huyue looked at the unfamiliar man before her, her heart dead within her. Her brother's fingers caressed her cheek with longing. "Yiyi has grown up. Have you forgotten what you said when you were little? You said that when you grew up, you would marry your big brother." ◇ 1v1, both leads' first love Theme: Keep your feet on the ground, and together you can build a better future.