[Gentle, beautiful, honest woman x gloomy, obsessive ex-husband]
[Coercive romance / chasing his wife to the crematorium / brothers sharing a wife / romantic rivalry]
Pei Yunsheng detested his wife, Jiang Ying.
She came from a humble background and had crude manners. If not for the need to bring him good fortune and cure his illness, he would never have married a woman like her.
In the six months since their wedding, he had never shared a bed with her, and was even unwilling to speak with her more than necessary.
This marriage had been a joke from the start.
What kind of status did he, the eldest son of the Pei family, have? How could he possibly take a country girl for his wife?
The day he recovered would be the day he divorced her.
*
Life in the Pei household was like walking on thin ice for Jiang Ying.
Only the second young master, Pei Yunxiao, treated her kindly. He secretly helped her when others made things difficult for her, and quietly brought her salve after she was punished.
As time passed, she found herself falling for this gentle, jade-like younger brother of her husband.
At last, the day Pei Yunsheng recovered arrived, and he really did hand her divorce papers.
Her heart felt heavy and aching, but then a gentle voice came from behind her: "If Eldest Brother doesn't want Ying'er, then I do."
In front of the whole family, Pei Yunxiao took her hand. "I've admired Ying'er for a long time. I want to marry her."
Moved to tears, Jiang Ying happily agreed.
She thought that at last she could spend her life with the one she loved, and that the days ahead would be happy and fulfilling.
*
Pei Yunsheng watched coldly, filled with scorn.
This vain woman had turned around and hooked up with his second brother in no time.
But gradually, he realized something was wrong.
The Jiang Ying who used to be like a piece of wood now stayed up late mending his second brother's clothes, personally simmered nourishing soups for him, and smiled at him.
He had never seen her like this.
Her eyes were smiling, her manner gentle. She was nothing like the cautious, timid woman she had been by his side.
He began dreaming of his ex-wife every night, waking with an emptiness in his heart.
Only then did he realize how foolish he had been, mistaking a pearl for a worthless stone.
*
On the eve of his second brother's wedding, Pei Yunsheng drank himself into a stupor and pushed open the bridal chamber, its door decorated with wedding characters.
Jiang Ying was trying on her wedding dress. When he barged in, she jumped in shock. "What are you doing here? We're already divorced."
Reeking of alcohol, Pei Yunsheng seized her wrist and pressed her against the dressing table. "Divorced? I've changed my mind."
The red candles flickered, and her wedding dress fell to the floor.
He was almost crazed, murmuring over and over in her ear, "You'll be my wife for the rest of your life. You can't escape..."
*
At that moment, Pei Yunxiao was eagerly coming to find her, but heard unusual sounds from inside the room. Through a crack in the door, he saw the elder brother he respected pinning his fiancée beneath him.
Her eyes were blurred with tears, her hair disheveled.
It seemed she caught sight of his shadow. Her lips moved faintly as she panted, silently begging him for help.
"...Save me."
Reading notes:
1. Gentle, beautiful, honest woman x gloomy, obsessive ex-husband.
2. Happy ending, both leads have only ever been with each other, fictional dynasty, please don't nitpick historical details.
Theme: Follow your heart, and walk your path with simple resolve.
