How Could Her Beauty Not Move Him?

"Upcoming novel, A Beauty in the Tent, blurb below. Hope you lovely readers will add it to your collections!"

Cui Shiyin was born into a noble family but raised in the countryside, and the Cui family only took her back when she was young. With her ethereal beauty and extraordinary charm, she became famous throughout the region.

But her parents did not love her, and her elder sister, who had returned reborn, took the marriage meant for her. With no other choice, she was forced to marry Helan Ting, the ailing eldest son of the powerful Helan family of Luocheng.

A few years later, news of Helan Ting's death spread across all of Luocheng. Seeing that the beauty was now alone and without support, the sons of powerful families were all eager to make their move.

When Li Zhan first arrived in the capital, he saw his friend excitedly discussing the news. Proudly calling himself a true man, Li Zhan scoffed and declared, "A great man lives between Heaven and Earth. How could he covet a moment's beauty?"

Then came the Ghost Festival. The temple glowed with lamps, and a veil of smoke drifted through the air. He saw a woman of breathtaking beauty praying devoutly before the Buddhas, bowing gracefully.

One glance was all it took to haunt his dreams. After she left, Li Zhan, who had always prided himself on being a great man, lost his composure and asked, "Who is that woman?"

"She is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Helan family. She came to the temple to pray for her late husband."

From then on, a single thought took hold in Li Zhan's heart:

"With the gods and Buddhas as my witnesses, I, Li Zhan, swear to marry Cui Shiyin!"

This story is also known as Snatching My Friend's Love Interest, and I Regret Nothing, My Wife Has Too Many Exes, What It Takes to Win the Beauty's Heart

Reader's Guide:

An alternate history setting. One-on-one romance, happy ending, and both leads are devoted to each other.

The heroine is a clever beauty whom everyone loves.

The hero starts out as a pure-hearted puppy, then becomes a scheming big bad wolf.

The heroine's former husband is not dead.

The hero pursues the heroine.

-- A Beauty in the Tent: Blurb --

In the fifth year of Tianyou, Shen Ningxia, a commoner blessed with great beauty, had a stroke of luck when she saved Pei Ji, heir to the Marquis of Dingbei.

The two spent every day together and fell in love. At the height of their passion, as they embraced cheek to cheek, Pei Ji's warm, damp breath brushed her ear as he promised in a low voice, "When I return home, I will marry you. Then we can consummate our marriage."

But how could the Marquis of Dingbei's household allow a helpless country girl to become its principal heir's wife? Before long, Pei Ji had to leave in haste on official business. Before departing, he earnestly told Shen Ningxia to wait for his return.

After Pei Ji left, the Marquis of Dingbei's household took Shen Ningxia in as their benefactor, and the marquis adopted her as his daughter. She was made to take the place of the eldest daughter and marry Batu Wen, a handsome and proud young prince of a foreign tribe in the northern frontier.

In the tenth year of Tianyou, Batu Wen died in a devastating blizzard that swept through the tribe. Gentle and alluring Shen Ningxia was left helpless, alone with her three-year-old daughter, a lamb among wolves.

First, her elder brother-in-law, who was set to become the tribe's next leader, murmured before the funeral altar, "The border grasslands are bitterly cold, and you are delicate. Perhaps you should find someone to rely on." Then, ignoring her resistance, he pulled her into his arms and whispered his own proposal: "What do you think of me? If you agree, you will be the most esteemed woman on these grasslands."

Then a powerful high priest pressed her at every turn. "If you will only say yes, I am willing to lay aside my robes and return with you to the Central Plains, where we can live as an ordinary couple."

With no other choice, she fled back to her homeland in the Central Plains with her daughter, aided by an old friend.

But one rainy night, she encountered the person she least wanted to see again: Pei Ji, Marquis of Dingbei.

Dressed in black, a jade crown on his head, he held a spear in his strong, well-defined hand and lifted the carriage curtain. Seeing the woman inside, more stunning than ever, holding a chubby little girl in her arms, he gazed at her darkly. "Little sister, how have you been?"

A domineering, obsessive, rugged older brother x a gorgeous, cunning beauty

Theme: Where there is a will, there is a way.