After the Divorce

This novel's blurb: [Soft on the outside, strong on the inside little wife x reserved and inscrutable ex-husband]

In the eyes of outsiders, Xu Zhiyao is the luckiest woman in the entire capital. The daughter of a mere fifth-rank physician's concubine, she somehow lucked into marrying Shen Xi, the handsome and promising Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, winning the hearts of countless young women in the process.

But behind all the glamour lies endless loneliness. No one knows how difficult life in the Shen household has been for her.

Her mother-in-law is cold and sharp-tongued, her sister-in-law willful and unruly, her sisters-in-law sweet to her face but bitter at heart, and the servants fawn on the powerful and look down on the weak. Every step she takes in the inner quarters is a struggle.

But the most painful thing is her husband Shen Xi's indifference. In their three years of marriage, they have had precious little contact beyond sharing a bed.

A thousand days and nights of patience and obedience have not won his favor. Instead, she receives word that his old love has returned to the capital.

All her eager attempts to please him and cater to his every whim have amounted to nothing but wishful thinking. She has lived a truly miserable life all these years.

Watching him laughing and chatting happily with his old love, she finally understands how different it is to be loved and unloved. As her disappointment builds, and all her efforts turn to nothing, her battered heart at last grows cold.

The divorce agreement is her final act of defiance, and the last shred of dignity she has left.

Shen Xi never imagined that his gentle, obedient wife would leave him and seek a divorce while he was traveling south on imperial orders.

He returned home with gifts he had prepared with care and a heart full of joy, only to find an empty house and nothing but loneliness.

Remembering their argument the night before he left, he had thought for a while that she wanted a divorce only to spite him.

Until he saw her nestled in someone else's arms, smiling with tender warmth in her eyes.

Anger and jealousy filled his heart. Arrogantly, he assumed she would come meekly with him. But when he finally appeared before her, all he got was a refusal.

A few things to know:

1. A reunited-after-separation story. The leads have a misunderstanding between them. The male lead does love her, but realizes it far too late. After coming to his senses, he has to chase his wife through a fiery trial.

2. An old-fashioned style with a slow, steady pace. Best to bookmark it before reading.

Here is the blurb for The Scheming Beauty. Please bookmark it:

As a young cousin living under someone else's roof, Yun Sheng's greatest dream is to use the marquis's household's influence to find herself a good marriage.

But shortly before her coming-of-age ceremony, Madam Chen, the matriarch, reveals that she wants Yun Sheng to become the heir's concubine.

The heir, Xu Ling, is as bright and elegant as the moon. If she becomes his, she can stay in the marquis's household and enjoy wealth and status.

Yun Sheng considers it and decides that although she'd be giving herself to him as a concubine, she wouldn't be losing out. So she meekly agrees.

But on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, she learns that the heir's future wife is the sort who won't tolerate rivals.

No matter how comfortable life in the marquis's household may be, she needs to stay alive to enjoy it. So she decisively abandons the idea of becoming a concubine and boldly sets her sights on Xu Xi, the marquis's third son.

She goes to great lengths to arrange chance encounters and takes every opportunity to send pastries to his room. At last, she succeeds in attracting his attention.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, she dresses carefully and arranges to meet Xu Xi by the lotus pond. But the person who arrives is Third Master Xu, his expression stern.

At the Xu family Mid-Autumn banquet, Xu Yan receives an anonymous letter filled with words of admiration and affection, along with a daring invitation to meet in private at the residence.

He intends to ignore it, but after the banquet ends, he still takes a detour to the back courtyard.

He sees a flustered young woman standing by the lotus pond and furrows his brow. Before he can ask her anything, a group of servants rushes out behind him, intent on catching the adulterers.

The young woman, her face pale with alarm, throws herself into his arms and clings tightly to his waist, pleading timidly, "My lord, save me..."

Looking at her pitiful face and remembering the heartfelt admiration in the letter, his heart suddenly softens.

To protect Yun Sheng's reputation, he creates the illusion that they are in love with each other. But once the danger has passed, Yun Sheng does not hesitate to pack up and leave.

Only later does he learn that Yun Sheng had arranged to meet his nephew that night, and that he was not the one she loved.

When he learns the truth, he flies into a rage and drags her back. On their wedding night, he forces her to call him "my lord" again and again, until the red candles burn out.

Reader's guide:

1. At first, the heroine loves herself more and is focused on maximizing her own interests. She is not a traditional innocent, white-lotus type: she's shrewd and resourceful, and she uses the male lead more than she likes him. After marriage, he wins her over, and she gradually gives him her heart.

2. There is an eight-year age gap. The male lead seems composed, but is passionate inside. When his old heart catches fire, it burns fiercely.

3. A romance-focused story about a cherished heroine and her jealous husband.

Theme: True affection is precious, and it's never too late to turn back.