The Seventh Year of Being Forcefully Taken

[Truly Unhinged] [Brooding Ghostly Beauty] vs. [Gentle on the Outside, Tough Within] [Never Forgets a Grudge]

Coercive Love / Chasing Her Wife to the Crematorium / Combative Couple / Powerful Woman Breaks Down and Begs for Love

In the seventh year of being forcibly claimed by Du Ruoheng, Shunhua saw her ideals shattered and her friends and family scattered.

She was tired of a life spent hiding and running, and utterly exhausted.

She accepted her fate.

She would quietly stay by Du Ruoheng's side, like a flower in a porcelain vase, blooming, withering, and finally fading away.

She thought this would make Du Ruoheng grow bored of her and set her free.

But she was wrong.

*

After seven years of forcing her way into Shunhua's life and using every underhanded trick, Du Ruoheng had finally gotten what she wanted: Shunhua at her side.

It should have been a perfect, happy ending, but it still wasn't enough for her.

Shunhua wouldn't smile at her, kiss or embrace her of her own accord, or whisper sweet words to her.

She didn't love Du Ruoheng, and had never intended to be with her wholeheartedly.

She was like a hibiscus, blooming in the morning and fading by dusk, forever vivid and vibrant, yet forever beyond Du Ruoheng's reach.

But it didn't matter. As long as she could keep Shunhua by her side, she had all the patience and tricks she needed.

*

On their seventh anniversary, friends gathered, but Shunhua, one of the two people being celebrated, arrived late.

After several rounds of drinks, with the party in full swing, Du Ruoheng brought out a diamond ring and dropped to one knee, gazing at her with deep affection.

Amid a chorus of cheers and teasing, Shunhua stared coldly at the woman kneeling before her and said not a word.

As expected, the party ended on a sour note. Du Ruoheng went mad with rage and pulled her into her arms.

Her fragile neck bent backward in an impossibly sharp curve.

As the world spun upside down, a strange woman entered her field of vision. The look in her eyes was exactly like the one Du Ruoheng had given her when they first met.

Fierce and deep, determined to claim her.

*

"Hello, I'm Du Ruoheng's aunt."

"Leave her and be with me. I'll take care of everything."

The woman said this when they met for the second time.

Shunhua curled her lips into a smile. After only a moment's hesitation, she leaned close to the woman's ear and murmured, "All right."

Bonus Scene:

An old-fashioned castle, solemn and romantic. A pure white wedding gown trailed across the floor and over an ivory satin carpet.

A priest in black robes stood between them and asked solemnly, "Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish each other, in wealth or poverty, in sickness or in health, and never leave one another?"

Du Ruoheng turned to the person beside her and nodded gravely. "I do."

Shunhua looked at her too, but said nothing. Only when the priest had repeated the question for the third time did she slowly part her lips:

"I do not."

The entire room erupted in shocked whispers.

Du Ruoheng's face darkened for an instant, then she broke into an even brighter smile. "Go on. Aren't we supposed to exchange rings next?"

The priest said, "...Yes, yes."

Before the ring could slide onto her finger, a hand was already wrapped around her wrist.

"She said she doesn't."

"Didn't you hear her, my dear niece?"

Reader's Guide:

1. Written to suit my tastes, with an old-school melodramatic feel. The early and middle parts feature coercive love, followed later by the pursuit of a wife at the crematorium.

2. A modern, semi-fictional setting. All place names are made up, and same-sex marriage is legal.

3. There is a childbirth plotline much later, involving a baby girl conceived through technology using the combination of two eggs.

Theme: Respect, restraint, and love