After My Love Rival Toyed with Me

Yun Zhi has had something weighing on her mind lately.

Her crush's cousin has found a new love.

That day, she saw him pin a flower in the new love's hair with her own eyes, his expression serious, no longer distant as before.

His new love, Lu Zhizhou, is the most uninhibited, indulgent young nobleman in the capital, living in extravagant luxury.

He has a face so beautiful it seems otherworldly, but beneath that exterior, he is the sort of man who can kill with a mere twist of the neck.

Yun Zhi once saw him calmly snap someone's neck with his bare hands.

She happened to be passing by, and her eyes met Lu Zhizhou's.

Knowing Lu Zhizhou's nature, Yun Zhi treads carefully, trying to push him out of her cousin's field of attention.

This includes, but isn't limited to, deliberately showing off her closeness with her cousin in front of Lu Zhizhou, the gifts her cousin gave her, and the secrets only she knows...

Lu Zhizhou watches coldly from the sidelines, making her antics look like those of a ridiculous clown.

When things don't go as she hoped, Yun Zhi is so desperate she tries anything, never imagining she'd end up sacrificing herself.

After one wild night, dawn comes and she wakes to find a pair of deep, dark eyes staring at her.

Lu Zhizhou smiles mockingly, but his gaze is ice-cold. He clamps a hand around her slender neck and says, "Miss Yun, what a clever move."

Her only family member is in trouble, and Yun Zhi has nowhere to turn for help. In her desperate situation, only Lu Zhizhou is willing to lend a hand.

And the price is...

She must give herself to him and become his hidden concubine, kept out of the light.

*

Lu Zhizhou noticed long ago.

There was always a faint, elusive gaze following him.

With just a little effort, he lured that innocent fish into taking the bait.

At first, he only thought it was fun. Watching Yun Zhi submit to him despite her reluctance was amusing and a good way to pass the time. But later, he gradually fell for those eyes that saw only him.

A golden house as a betrothal gift, a jade pendant as a token.

He wants to marry her.

Then one day, he returns home to find the place empty.

Lu Zhizhou laughs coldly. He has never failed to get what he wants.

[Bonus Scene]

The emperor grants a marriage. Ten miles of red bridal finery, drums and music filling the air.

Her cousin, drunk senseless at the wedding banquet, stands in the pavilion to sober up in the breeze.

He gently strokes a faded sachet with his thumb. "Suishui..."

Behind a flower bed not far away, two figures in wedding clothes appear and disappear from view.

Suishui is her childhood nickname.

But she has never told him that.

Lu Zhizhou runs his thumb over Yun Zhi's rosy, swollen lips and lowers his eyes to study her watery gaze. He scoffs, "Lord Wei is calling you. Answer him."

[Reader's Guide]

1. One couple, happy ending.

2. Cunning, sweet, innocent-looking girl x refined, villainous, cruel young nobleman.

3. The protagonists' values are flawed. The male lead isn't a good person in the traditional sense, so don't expect him to have high moral standards! The man is strong and the woman is weak, and this is a very unhealthy romance! The heroine really did love the second male lead. The male lead is a perfect gentleman on the surface and a beast underneath. I'm writing exactly to my tastes, so readers who aren't into this should be warned! Please take note!

4. Romance-focused. Everything in the plot serves the romance, and the logic follows the emotions. The language is plain, the historical setting is deliberately vague, and there are lots of original worldbuilding details.

5. The male lead and second male lead are both extremely, absolutely, completely straight. The opening of the blurb is a misunderstanding based on the heroine's assumptions.

Theme: Live life positively