The Secondary Wife

Shu Wan rescued a man in the woodshed at her home.

The man was exceptionally handsome, with an air of distinction about him, but a knife wound ran from his chest through his abdomen, and he was on the verge of death.

Shu Wan called him Yue Lang. Then, one day, the man suddenly said he wanted to marry her. Shu Wan was startled, but soon her cheeks flushed and she agreed.

After they married, Yue Lang treated her coldly. But Shu Wan always felt she was marrying above her station, so she gave him everything he asked for and cooked for him with her own hands.

One day, Yue Lang said he wanted to take her to the capital to search for his family.

Shu Wan nodded, timid but happy. After that, she entered the grand residence of a powerful family in the capital, surrounded by servants and bound by strict rules.

Meanwhile, the man was often away from home and grew ever colder.

Shu Wan felt helpless and downcast, but for her husband’s sake she endured the alienation she felt from everyone around her and did her best to be a good wife.

Who could have imagined that the truth, when cruelly revealed one day, would be so unbearable?

Her good husband was Wen Shi Yan, the capital’s most distinguished heir to the Duke’s estate. At the time, news that the heir was about to marry the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiashan had spread through every street and alley. She even heard that he had spent a fortune to please his fiancée.

And then Shu Wan’s existence was discovered, too.

She was dragged into the Duke’s estate and made to kneel in the hall, while the contemptuous stares around her cut into her like knives.

The Duchess looked down at her and said, "A country woman with no manners, and you think you’re worthy of being my son’s wife? Either become his concubine or get out."

Before she could choose, Wen Shi Yan entered the room and replied coolly, "She’ll be a concubine, naturally."

After that, Shu Wan was forced into a secluded courtyard in the Duke’s estate. As she was dragged past Wen Shi Yan, her heart twisted with unbearable pain, and she felt utterly hopeless. After all that, she was nothing but an unworthy mistress, and she had misjudged him.

On the night before the wedding, a servant brought word that the woman from the secluded courtyard had vanished without a trace. When the usually aloof and dignified heir heard the news, he angrily tore off his wedding robes. But as his fury mounted, he inexplicably found his eyes turning red.

He stayed angry for three years.

Three years later, a new family of influence suddenly emerged in the capital. The newly appointed top scorer was refined and gentle, and his elder sister was stunningly beautiful. Wen Shi Yan stared in shock at Shu Wan, who had appeared at the flowing-cup banquet at Qushui. Her every gesture was every bit as graceful as those of the noble young ladies around her.

He had thought that after three years, all he felt for her was disgust. He hated that she had left without a word, so he steeled himself to keep his distance. Yet he was still drawn to her without meaning to, until he lost control and went so far as to ruin her marriage prospects.

But Shu Wan, once timid and meek, had become composed and dignified. She pulled her hand from his grasp and rebuked him coldly: "The heir to the Duke’s estate has no manners at all. This common woman is already betrothed. Please do not harass me."

Wen Shi Yan’s heart was instantly pierced with pain, and he stared blankly as tears fell.

Reading Guide:

1. A husband’s pursuit of his wife after she leaves him, and from the start the story is set in the capital. Includes household-intrigue plots. The heroine is a dependent, delicate flower at first, but changes later. The entire novel has a 50% anti-piracy measure, which is very low.

2. Both leads are each other’s first and only partners. (P.S. The male lead is an imperfect character: an aloof, untouchable figure brought down from his pedestal, and also a big liar who puts self-interest first.) One-on-one romance, happy ending.

3. He has a fiancée, but does not love her.

4. Don’t judge the story by real-world moral standards. You don’t have to tell me if you drop it; it’s just entertainment. (P.S. The author isn’t thin-skinned and hopes everyone can discuss the plot and characters in a friendly, harmonious way. Love you!)

Coming soon 1: "After Bearing the Heir of the Madam’s Brother". A possessive, forced marriage.

Plump, airheaded beauty x cold, patriarchal authority figure

Xu Qian is a merchant’s daughter. She was born alluring and beautiful, and when she came of age, her stepmother, hoping to secure a bright future for her son, turned around and sent her to become a concubine to the husband of her beloved cousin’s younger sister.

She was honest by nature and dared not resist. Once she entered the household, her plump, alluring figure won her the master’s favor. But this drew the mistress’s jealousy, and torment and oppression became routine. What unsettled her most was that she would often go to her cousin to complain and tattle.

Her cousin, He An Ting, was the Grand Secretary. He was fair-minded and upright, as flawless as fine jade, and had always despised women with swaying waists and coquettish eyes, the sort who seemed sure to bring unrest to a household.

One day, after her master received her cousin’s recommendation and won the emperor’s favor, her cousin warned her in front of everyone at the celebration banquet: "Luring the master into favoring a concubine and neglecting his wife is an act that disgraces the family. You’d better behave yourself."

Under everyone’s contemptuous gaze, she was mortified and began to cry from hurt.

She was simply born looking like this. Could she really be blamed for it?

After that, she wanted to avoid her cousin as much as possible, so she wouldn’t invite his disapproval.

Until the day her master took her on an autumn hunt. By chance, she encountered her cousin after he had been drugged. Unlucky as she was, she entered the wrong tent and stumbled into a scorching embrace. A hot breath suddenly brushed her ear.

After a night of reckless passion, she was fortunate that He An Ting did not know who she was. To avoid being strangled by him, Xu Qian ran away.

But after He An Ting woke up, he searched heaven and earth for the woman.

At the Mid-Autumn family banquet, the Earl of Lingyun’s residence was full of celebration, all because Xu Qian was pregnant.

Yet her smile was strained as she guarded her belly, pale and guilty.

Her cousin, who had always treated her with cold disdain, kept letting his gaze fall on her. He even thoughtfully added a cushion for her.

In the seductive night, whispers and the sound of a struggle came from the rockery in the earl’s residence.

He An Ting blocked Xu Qian’s way and would not let her leave. She looked around in alarm, wary of his approach. "Don’t make things up. This child has nothing to do with you."

He An Ting pressed closer, making the distance between them suddenly charged with intimacy. "Even if the child isn’t mine, it doesn’t matter. I’d make a better father than he would. Qianqian, why not consider me?"

Blurb written on January 9, 2025, and archived.

Reading Guide:

○ The heroine is not the male lead’s first partner; he is older. The heroine was initially the second male lead’s concubine, with no concubinage contract and no formal relationship with him.

○ Angsty push and pull, then he realizes what he has lost and gets face-slapping comeuppance.

○ The heroine has a very shrewd-looking face, but is actually simple and naive.

Theme: Women should be strong and self-reliant.