How to Win Over My Archrival

In her previous life, Lin Guande disguised herself as a man and entered government service for her family. She became the top scorer in the imperial exams at fifteen, and by eighteen was a Senior Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and a member of the imperial cabinet.

But once her family had secured its position and risen to power, they turned around and handed her over to the second prince to be tortured to death.

"Women in power put the state at risk. We're simply acting on Heaven's behalf!"

A once-in-a-generation talent met her grisly end on the cold slopes of Xingchun Mountain.

Lin Guande was no good person, and she didn't meet a good end. But she was not willing to accept it. Why should she, after earning everything the Lin family had, end up in such a state?

Heaven did not let her perish. Lin Guande, who died full of resentment, was reborn as the cousin of the daughter of the Marquis of Xinyang.

But this cousin is delicate and frail, unable to carry anything heavy or even lift a hand. A fright makes her cough up blood. And worst of all, her cousin is Xie Ming, Lin Guande's sworn enemy in her previous life.

Xie Ming comes from a noble family and is as beautiful as an immortal. At nineteen, he is already a Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, praised by all as the foremost young gentleman of the aristocracy.

He is upright and dignified, while Lin Guande is full of schemes. Like twin stars, in every life they are either the most compatible partners or the most formidable rivals.

But one comes from a family of upright officials, while the other is a scheming courtier who relies on the emperor's favor. They are destined to walk different paths.

Yet Lin Guande insists on provoking Xie Ming. After making him fall for her, she swiftly withdraws.

When Xie Ming learns the truth, he asks coldly, "Do you enjoy treating people this way?"

She replies airily, "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? The young marquis usually stays above the fray, so it's especially fun to tease him."

Xie Ming and Lin Guande were classmates, then colleagues. In the end, they parted ways on bad terms. Who could have guessed that after being reborn, they would become cousins?

Having to live under someone else's roof, a great man knows when to bend and when to stand tall. Lin Guande, who once killed without blinking, now plays the delicate young lady and fends off Xie Ming.

In front of Xie Ming, Lin Guande acts too weak to fend for herself, using him to stand up for her and speak on her behalf.

At last, Lin Guande gets the chance to kill her enemy with her own hands. Looking at the second prince, she says coldly, "Acting on Heaven's behalf? Don't you know? Heaven is always on my side."

Lin Guande gets her revenge, but before she can even put down the murder weapon, Xie Ming catches her at the crime scene. Frowning, he calls her by the name she had in her previous life. Clearly, he has recognized her true identity.

Lin Guande stands with the weapon in her hand, her pale face splattered with blood. All she can think about is how terribly she tormented him in her previous life. Now she wishes she could faint on the spot.

But the usually composed young marquis rushes over in a panic and holds her tightly. Then he carefully wipes the blood from her face, bit by bit, gazing at her like her most devoted believer.

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Blurb: Song Xingyue comes from a lowly background. The only thing she has going for her is her face; every other part of her life is less than ideal.

Yet after unexpectedly sleeping with the heir to a dukedom, she marries into the Duke's Estate and becomes the heir's wife.

Xie Linxu was born into nobility and is exquisitely handsome. He made a name for himself at a young age. He is the unattainable, cold moon in the heavens, the refined and incomparable heir of the Duke's Estate.

The heir, who should have had a perfect marriage, is forced to marry her. After the wedding, he treats her with utmost coldness.

Song Xingyue knows Xie Linxu doesn't like her, but after marrying him, she still wants to make a good life together. She pays no mind to his coldness and distance, always greeting him with a smile. She hopes that one day she'll bear him a child or two, and that their life will eventually get better.

But then he brings home the woman he was once engaged to as a young man.

When she confronts Xie Linxu through tear-filled eyes, he merely says indifferently, "Isn't this what you wanted? If you can't take it, then divorce me."

At those words, Song Xingyue gives up on Xie Linxu completely.

*

Xie Linxu personally saw Song Xingyue seducing someone before they were married. He knows she's scheming and fickle.

But he thought that since she had gone to such lengths to marry into the Duke's Estate, she would never leave.

Until, at a spring banquet, he sees her laughing and chatting happily with another man.

He hasn't seen that kind of smile on her face in a long time. After they return home, the two of them have a fight.

But Song Xingyue throws his own words back at him, unchanged. She smiles and says, "If you can't take it, then let's divorce."

Seeing his wife's distant smile, Xie Linxu feels regret for the first time.

Premise: The road ahead is bright and full of promise.