Reborn as a Jia, I Take a Lin Heiress as My Wife [Dream of the Red Chamber]

As a child, Jia Xuan was deeply troubled by his elders being far too affectionate with him. To get some peace and quiet, he would keep his handsome little face stern and deliberately say spooky things, indiscriminately frightening and attacking everyone in the Jia family.

But when he met his little cousin, who had traveled all the way from Yangzhou and was hiding in a corner, crying pitifully, he clumsily tried to comfort her. He let her hold him and even secretly became her pillow doll, for ten whole years.

When they grew up, everyone in the Jia family thought the two Yus had fallen for each other. When the Old Madam fell gravely ill, however, the second branch arranged a Jia-Xue wedding to bring her good fortune, making a match of gold and jade. Everyone in Rongguo House looked down on Miss Lin, thinking she was the one who had been cast aside. Daiyu endured endless hardship and cold looks.

After returning home from the border, Jia Xuan had become a fearsome demon capable of silencing crying children. Yet he came quietly to her at once, softly soothing the Yu'er who loved to cry until she was in tears.

"I was wrong. I'll come back and be your doll again, Auntie. Will you still have me?"

Daiyu, choking back sobs and unable to speak, looked up with red eyes and reached out to pinch his cheek, just as she had when they were children. Still not satisfied, she opened her mouth and bit his hateful lips.

Jia Baoyu, the groom, stumbled back two steps after walking in on their intimate embrace. In disbelief, he said, "My parents clearly promised me that Lin Meimei would be my bride! What are you two doing?"

Jia Xuan tightened his arms around the girl, who had shyly hidden herself in his embrace, and glanced sideways at Baoyu. "As you can see, Second Uncle, I did what you could do, and I also did what you couldn't."

He finished by planting a provocative kiss on the hair atop the girl in his arms, then continued unhurriedly, "Back then, I was the one who stepped forward and held up the whole family for you. Even if there was a betrothal, I should have had the first claim, not you. Besides, today you've already married someone else. What standing do you have to question me now?"

When the new emperor took the throne, his teacher Yinsiang went from an idle prince who had lost all influence and was ignored by everyone to Prince Yi, second only to the emperor and above all others. He was so busy he could barely keep his feet on the ground. At last, he managed to squeeze out time to visit a sick person, only to stumble upon the young couple being so affectionate it was painful to watch.

"You brat! All you do is stay home and dote on that girl. Get out here and work for me tomorrow!"

With a teacher who was effectively The Outcast's acting deputy emperor, Jia Xuan could slack off at work, occasionally arriving late or leaving early. His life couldn't have been more carefree. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince Hongli couldn't stand seeing him so idle. Jia Xuan clicked his tongue and extended both his teacher's and the emperor's lives by twenty years.

"Your Highness has a problem with that? Too bad. His Majesty is in the prime of life, so you'll just have to put up with it."

The Crown Prince was so furious that he stamped several more of his treasured paintings and old books that very night.

Please note before reading:

1. The male lead is not of the Jia family's bloodline. He only uses magic to disguise the truth, so he and the female lead are not close relatives.

2. The early part focuses on raising a child, while the later part focuses on romance.

3. This is an alternate setting combining Dream of the Red Chamber, Qing-era transmigration, ghosts and spirits, and immortal cultivation. It has countless original world-building details, and all interpretations are at the author's discretion.

Theme: A good life is something you have to actively pursue for yourself.