Marrying Off My Older Sister

Xie Qingyan was stunningly beautiful, yet known throughout the capital as a sickly beauty. Her mother was an outside woman, treated as less than a concubine's maid. People said her marriage prospects were bleak and that she was destined for a life of hardship.

Xie Qingyan herself thought that suited her just fine.

Until one day, Xie Lianlong kissed her by accident. From then on, he kept pushing her boundaries at every turn, and his words to her grew more and more indecent. Only then did Xie Qingyan decide to find herself a husband.

Three days after the match was settled, Xie Qingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She called Xie Lianlong over. "I have no elder brother. On my wedding day, I hope my younger brother will carry me to the bridal sedan."

Xie Lianlong's voice sounded as if he had forced the words out through clenched teeth. "Xie Qingyan, you really have no heart..."

On her wedding day, Xie Lianlong did carry her to the bridal sedan. After that, he left for the battlefield without looking back. Years later, the young soldier returned to the capital. Crowds lined the streets to welcome him, but among them was no sign of the person he had longed for on countless sleepless nights.

He clenched his fist, crushing the matching lock he had treasured in his palm.

The sharp shards pierced his skin, and blood flowed freely. Xie Lianlong burst into laughter. "Xie Qingyan, I'm here."

It turned out the matching lock she had given him all those years ago had only been a joke to her.

And after being away for so long, some people seemed to have forgotten whose mark they bore.

*

Bonus scene

People said that though the frontier was harsh, it tempered a person's character. Otherwise, how could it have made Xie Lianlong so steady and composed? But only Xie Qingyan knew it was an act. His years on the battlefield had merely honed him into a sharper, more ruthless blade, free to do as he pleased.

Otherwise, why would he appear outside her bedroom in the dead of night, push open her window with his scabbard, and say:

"Are you satisfied with the husband I chose for you?"

"You have no idea how much I hated it when I carried you to your bridal sedan."

"Sister, if you can pity him, then pity me too."

Xie Lianlong gazed at the girl he had desired for so long, leaped through the window, and climbed onto her bed. He coiled around her like a venomous snake and took her innocence. Satisfied, his voice was feverish and full of gratification. "Sister, he's dead. Now you're mine."

The Xie family rules stated that a woman had to marry by sixteen, and if her husband died, she could never marry again.

To have her, her younger brother had resorted to such a cruel trick!

Reader's guide:

Pseudo-incest!! They are not biological siblings and share no blood relation. This is revealed in the main story!!

A possessive, coercive romance.

Please add my next book, The Villainess Stole My Childhood-Friend Storyline, to your reading list.

Main story told in third person.

The wedding was fast approaching, and the one who would marry me was Xing Wudu, the strongest sword cultivator in Penglai.

I thought I would be the happiest woman in the world, until a woman appeared out of nowhere and told me that she was the heroine, Xing Wudu's destined wife.

Childhood sweethearts can't compete with someone who appears out of nowhere. It's a familiar trope in romance stories. If I weren't the childhood sweetheart, I might have clapped along too.

But Xing Wudu and I had spent a century together. How could anyone else understand what we shared?

I wore my wedding dress and complained to Xing Wudu, "There's this ridiculous woman who says you won't marry me."

Xing Wudu met my gaze and froze for a moment. He slowly removed my arms from around his neck, his tone distant. "Junior Sister, I'm sorry..."

"But she's telling the truth."

It rained hard that day. Xing Wudu and I cut off our ties, swearing to go our separate ways.

Though everyone laughed at me, and losing the person I loved was hard, life had to go on. Day by day, I grew used to it. Then I found a new partner, and after much thought, I decided to bring him to Xing Wudu.

"Sect Master Senior Brother, please sign the marriage contract for us."

Xing Wudu was always cool and restrained, every inch the gentleman. But he lost his composure for once.

He swung his sword and shredded the marriage contract, his fingers trembling. "Ling Zhu, this marriage is absolutely impossible!"

I looked up at him, my voice teasing. "Senior Brother, what will your fiancee at home think if she sees you like this?"

I left that night feeling triumphant, but the happy life I had imagined never came. Xing Wudu came back for me the very next day.

This time, his voice was calm, and two heads were strung on his sword. "Ling Zhu, aren't you happy that the people who made us like this are dead?"

"Look at you. Why are you trembling with excitement?"

*

After a century as childhood friends, Xing Wudu finally had the chance to marry the woman he loved. But when another woman appeared, his memories gradually became confused. The one who had brought him a coat when he was sick was no longer Ling Zhu, and the one who had watched over him when he was badly injured had become that other woman.

Only when Ling Zhu appeared before him with a marriage contract did his confused memories return to normal.

The mistake had already been made. He had no intention of letting her slip away.

But why, when he appeared before Ling Zhu carrying the heads of those two wretches, was she looking at him with fear?

It didn't matter. He would comfort her, just as he always had.

Main story told in third person.

Synopsis written on April 24, 2026.

Reader advisory:

A spoiled, rebellious girl who saves her strength before causing trouble x a mad hero who turns dark after failing to win back his wife

The hero may have been unfaithful because he lost his memory, but he was still unfaithful. The male lead will not be changed.

Theme: Pursue healthy love