Heart Theft

[Twin brothers competing for her affection + a doomed first love versus the one who stayed by her side] Her betrothed died the year she came of age. Cui Zhiyao had been engaged to Lu Heng, the eldest son of the Lu family, since childhood. Their elders visited often, and she grew up alongside the Lu twins, the three of them always together. Though the Lu twins looked exactly alike, it was easy to tell them apart. The elder brother, Lu Heng, was steady and upright, a gentleman through and through. His younger brother, Lu Zhao, was a shameless troublemaker. Lu Heng taught her to read and write, while Lu Zhao schemed about how to spirit her away from Lu Heng and take her out to play. Then the Lu family was convicted of a crime. Lu Heng died, and Lu Zhao was exiled three thousand li along with the rest of his family. Four years later, the Lu family's case was overturned, and the once-quiet Marquis of Cheng'en's residence was lively again. Only her A-Heng would never return. *On the day Lu Zhao returned to the capital, the residence was filled with people congratulating him, but the one person he most wanted to see was nowhere to be found. When he sent someone to ask, he learned that the Cui family was choosing a husband for their daughter. Cui Zhiyao was by the riverbank admiring the willows with the man she favored as a potential husband. *Lu Zhao galloped over and saw her smiling as she placed her hand in the one the man held out to her. The longing that had gnawed at him for thousands of days and nights suddenly burst its banks, driving him out of his mind. He clamped a hand around her wrist, the veins standing out on the back of his hand, but his voice came out soft. "I came back after nearly dying. Why didn't you come see me?" Five years apart, and after all they had endured, the boy had shed his youthful awkwardness and become almost a different person. Zhiyao looked at him, but all she could think was that this was what A-Heng would look like grown up. *Lu Zhao had once demanded to know why, if all she wanted was a husband who would treat her well, it couldn't be him. Staring at that identical face, Zhiyao wondered if being with him would feel like betraying Lu Heng. Lu Zhao couldn't bear the look in her eyes. He pulled her into a fierce embrace, as if he meant to meld her into his bones and blood. His voice was low, almost pleading. "If that's what you want, I can learn to be like him. I can learn how he treated you. Stay with me, all right?" *, Early story bonus scene, * Zhiyao spent every day with Lu Heng, calling him "A-Heng" this and "A-Heng" that. Lu Zhao was sick of hearing it, and at last came up with a plan: he could skip lessons and take Zhiyao out to play. Lu Heng wouldn't do that. He skipped lessons countless times. Then one day, when he took Zhiyao horseback riding in the outskirts of the capital, the little girl accidentally scraped her leg on a branch. He was frantic to check her injury, but she covered her leg and wouldn't let him look. Yet when they got home and she saw Lu Heng, her eyes filled with tears as she followed him inside to have the wound treated. Once Lu Heng had bandaged her leg, he asked pointedly, "Why wouldn't you let A-Zhao treat it? Why did you let me?" Her voice was thick with tears, and she sounded deeply concerned. "The wound looks ugly. A-Heng won't think less of Zhiyao, but what if Lu Zhao gets scared and runs away?" Lu Heng's gaze darkened at once. After a long while, he crouched beside her leg so they were eye to eye. His voice was gentle, almost coaxing. "It hurt so much. How about you stop going out with him from now on?" Zhiyao shook her head, then inexplicably felt guilty and lowered her head. The next day, Lu Heng went to the Cui residence. A few days later, Zhiyao's injury had healed. Lu Zhao was distracted in class, wondering how he could make it up to her, when he saw the teacher lead the little girl into the room and announce that she would be studying there from now on. The young lady of the Cui family captured everyone's attention as soon as she entered. Like everyone else, Lu Zhao looked toward her and watched as she turned her eager gaze on Lu Heng. He was too young then to understand why his chest felt so tight. Years later, in all his midnight dreams, he wished only that she would look at him like that. *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *, * Please bookmark my upcoming story! (Drums and gongs) Bright Moon, Clear and Radiant: *Xie Zhixu had enjoyed a charmed life and possessed extraordinary talent. The only exception was his frail health as a boy. A Daoist claimed he would recover once he made it past the threshold of adulthood. He anxiously made it to his fifteenth birthday. That very day, his cousin moved in. His cousin was healthy and energetic. His cousin was hopeless at studying. His cousin climbed onto the roof to pull up the tiles. The books she tore up were his, and the roof tiles she lifted were his too. She often made him so angry he could barely catch his breath, sending his heart racing. The adults from both families looked at the color finally returning to his face and said with relief that he seemed much more alive since his cousin moved in. They insisted she stay for a while longer. Xie Zhixu: ...I think I know what the threshold is. *As the only girl of her generation in the Shen family, Shen Mingyue had been spoiled rotten since childhood and had no patience for anything. Except her eldest cousin. Her eldest cousin had a bad temper and made a point of suffering even when he didn't have to, but he was undeniably handsome. Still, he never paid her any attention. When she went to play with him, he shut the study door in her face without a word. But she never gave up. She climbed in through the window and knocked over his inkstone. The next day, she found the window had been locked too. Xie Zhixu watched the figure outside walk away. He had just breathed a sigh of relief and bent his head to focus on his reading when a sudden glare made him look up. A roof tile had been lifted away, and Shen Mingyue was peeking down at him beneath the blazing sun. Shen Mingyue: Hehe. *Later, the Shen family was promoted and moved to the capital, and Shen Mingyue left the Xie residence. Xie Zhixu passed the three imperial examinations with top honors and rose rapidly through the ranks as he implemented new policies. Even his health miraculously recovered after he came of age. He excelled at riding, archery, and martial arts. At the palace banquet celebrating his achievements, the empress asked if he was engaged. He instinctively looked toward Shen Mingyue For some reason, even now, thinking of her made his heart race. But his cousin wasn't looking at him. Xie Zhixu spent the entire night awake. But considering how Shen Mingyue had appeared in front of him every few days all these years, she must...feel the same way about him. Early the next morning, he went to the Shen residence, planning to confess his feelings. He also wondered what he should do if Shen Mingyue was so happy she fainted But when he entered, he saw her chatting and laughing with the newly appointed top third-ranked scholar. The wild geese sent by the scholar's family as betrothal gifts were still flapping about in the courtyard. [Refined and elegant (?), handsome cousin x Beagle-like younger cousin] [Bonus scenes] *Shen Mingyue knew her eldest cousin was in poor health, but she hadn't realized just how bad it was! All she did was drag him out boating, and they accidentally capsized. How could he come home with a fever that wouldn't go down? The man on the bed lay with his eyes closed. The doctor kept shaking his head, saying that if he didn't wake up tonight, then he might... Shen Mingyue kept watch beside his bed all night, holding his hand and sobbing, calling to him over and over. Xie Zhixu's head was splitting from the noise. He struggled to open his eyes and saw her red-rimmed eyes. Suddenly, he couldn't say a word. ...How could anyone cry so much? She was crying so hard he thought he was still in the lake. *After they married, Shen Mingyue wandered into his bathhouse because of a plan he had made. Steam filled the air. His undershirt hung open, and droplets of water slid down the perfect, powerful lines of his waist and abdomen Shen Mingyue's almond-shaped eyes widened. She hurriedly threw a cloak over his head. "You'll catch a chill! You'll get a high fever! You're in poor health, " Xie Zhixu closed his eyes, pulled off the cloak, then swept her into his arms and held her tight. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Why don't you find out for yourself whether I'm in good health, Jiaojiao?" Theme: Life rarely goes as planned, but only by looking ahead can we make our wishes come true.