[Clever, well-behaved little vixen x ruthless, obsessive elder brother; possessive love, groveling redemption, faux siblings] (I want to write another faux-incest story. If you like this trope, please add it to your favorites!)
The Shen family's daughter was beautiful, gentle, and charming. Ever since she came of age, the family had been inundated with marriage proposals, but she had never been promised to anyone.
Rumor had it that her elder brother couldn't bear to let her go and wanted to keep her at home for a few more years.
One day, Shen Huaiying threw herself into her brother's arms, tears in her eyes, and told him she had fallen for someone. She begged him to give his blessing.
When she told him the man's name, Shen Qingji laughed. His little sister knew how to choose. The man's father held an illustrious official position, and the man himself had long been infatuated with her. He was indeed a fine match.
"Then will you give us your blessing, Brother?" The young woman blinked her almond-shaped eyes and leaned against his knee, pleading sweetly.
He leaned down slightly and brushed the pearl ornament beside her ear with his long fingers. "If you want my blessing, do you know what you have to do?"
Shen Huaiying bit her lip and deliberately pressed her waist into his palm. The candle flame flickered as shadows swayed across the window.
*
After that night, Shen Qingji got what he wanted and let the canary he'd kept for ten years fly free.
He thought this marriage was simply a matter of mutual benefit: she would marry into a good family, he would gain power, and everyone would be happy.
Until they met again at a banquet, where he saw the sister who once smiled only for him serving food and pouring wine for another man.
She was still smiling, but he was no longer in her eyes.
Waking in the middle of the night, Shen Qingji stared at the empty room and suddenly remembered their childhood, when the family was poor and they had no charcoal to keep warm in winter. Every night, she would stumble into his arms and call him "Brother" in her soft, sweet voice, her eyes full of trust.
What a heartless little fox. The moment she left the nest, she forgot where home was.
The next morning, he awoke with a cold look in his eyes and wrote a letter at his desk.
*
After the wedding, Shen Huaiying lived comfortably. Her parents-in-law were kind, and her husband was considerate. She had almost forgotten the nightmare of her past life.
But somehow, rumors that she brought death to her husband began spreading through the neighborhood, growing more widespread by the day. In the end, her husband's family could not withstand the endless gossip. They sent her back to her family with a divorce letter.
The old madam's hair turned white with worry. Everyone in the household thought Shen Huaiying was a ruined woman who would never find another husband.
Her longtime wet nurse, who had always doted on her, took her hand and quietly advised her, "Miss, perhaps... you should go ask the eldest young master for help?"
That night, after hesitating for a long while, Shen Huaiying finally knocked on his door.
Seeing the young woman kneeling before him, Shen Qingji leisurely set down his teacup.
"Dear little sister," he said in his usual gentle voice, though his gaze darkened. "What do you want me to do for you this time?"
Reading notes:
1. Happy ending, both leads are virgins. They are not real siblings, and their relationship has no romantic element while they consider each other siblings.
2. The hero and heroine manipulate each other, each with their own motives. The heroine is a clever, well-behaved little vixen.
3. The dynasty is fictional. Please don't nitpick the historical details.
Theme: Hold your country in your heart and aspire to great things.
