Begonia Blossoms Drunk in the Sun

My next novel will be a possessive-love story, Golden Wind and Jade Dew. Please add it to your favorites, everyone~ The possessive-love plot kicks off in Chapter 21 | Ruthless, domineering emperor vs. patient, clever beauty After Crown Prince Zhao Mingfei was deposed, he naturally felt no affection for the wife who had been foisted on him as a poor substitute. But Jiang Niantang adored him with all her heart. She secretly watched him practice swordsmanship, took care of everything in the Cold Palace for him, and stayed up night after night sewing his clothes. When she looked at him, her bright eyes reflected a sky full of stars. Zhao Mingfei felt contempt in his heart, yet spoke gently: “Our betrothal no longer counts. You don’t have to do all this.” The starlight in Jiang Niantang’s eyes dimmed in an instant. Even so, she was still willing to die by his side. Zhao Mingfei was always fair in reward and punishment, and made an exception to teach her how to paint. She loved painting him, and said she loved seeing him smile. He lowered his eyes to gaze at Jiang Niantang’s intent profile, and felt as if the tip of a brush had swept across his heart. Until the night of his coronation as emperor, when she lay in his arms and called out another man’s name. The gentle expression on Zhao Mingfei’s face instantly turned sinister and terrifying. So the person she painted wasn’t him. And the way he smiled was most like the man she loved. In a dim prison cell, Zhao Mingfei pinned Jiang Niantang against a damp corner of the wall. Not far away, the man she loved, returned from the dead, lay on the floor, barely clinging to life. His eyes curved slightly, a cruel smile emerging. “Has he kissed you?” “Can he make you cry like this?” “Now, can you tell the difference between him and me?” [Bonus Scene] Jiang Niantang’s beloved returned victorious, laden with glorious military honors. On the day the army entered the capital, the emperor and empress went up to the city gate to welcome them. Separated by the towering wall, Jiang Niantang and her beloved gazed at each other, with so much left unsaid. Zhao Mingfei watched coldly, casually reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from his wife’s ear. He thought expressionlessly that they had been childhood sweethearts, so innocent and close. Had they married, they would have been the envy of everyone. But life has no room for what-ifs. She was his wife now. They would share a bed in life and a grave in death. There was no other path. [Important Content Warnings!!] 1. This is an old-school melodramatic story packed with tropes: love after an arranged marriage, possessive love, faking death and running away while pregnant, and the husband’s desperate attempts to win her back. Maximum melodrama. [This is not a fluffy romance!] HE! Both leads are virgins! 2. Everything in this story serves the possessive-love plot. If you’ve never read this kind of story, proceed with caution. If you have, dive right in! 3. Don’t read if you’re a heroine-only fan. If it’s not for you, please stop reading; there’s no need to tell me you’re dropping it. 4. The story is being edited. Pirated copies contain many typos. Recommended completed possessive-love novel: The Moon Shines on the Nine Provinces A possessive-love story I’m writing for myself: Golden Wind and Jade Dew [Ruthless, refined scoundrel vs. resilient, unyielding beauty] Su Xuan both hated and feared Wei Yanlin. Years ago, she arranged to meet her beloved beneath a willow tree south of the city, but Wei Yanlin showed up instead. Afterward, he offered a casual apology and ruined her marriage prospects. Furious, Su Xuan came up with a plan to drive him out of Ling City. In a turbulent, uncertain age, fortune and disaster were impossible to predict. When they met again, the Su family had long since fallen into decline, and Su Xuan was no longer the pampered young lady of a scholarly family. Meanwhile, Wei Yanlin had transformed from a despised illegitimate son into a powerful warlord. Rumor had it that his moods were unpredictable: one moment he’d be calling someone his sworn brother, the next he’d draw his sword and take their life. The night before Su Xuan heard he was about to take control of Ling City, she didn’t sleep a wink. That day, when he stepped into the bookshop, the noisy main hall fell silent as night. Wei Yanlin walked up to Su Xuan, a faint smile slowly forming. He said softly, “Miss, would you be so kind as to write an invitation for me?” Su Xuan’s face turned pale, and her stiff fingers could barely hold the bamboo pen. She bit her lip without a word and did not write. Wei Yanlin drew his sword. Its tip grazed her neck before coming to rest on the blank paper on the desk. “Invite my old friend, Miss Su, to meet me beneath the willows south of the city tonight.” He smiled as he looked at her, his tone allowing no refusal. * Su Xuan had once been the moon Wei Yanlin could see but never reach. Who could have guessed how unpredictable life would be? Now he had climbed the ladder to the clouds, while she had sunk into the mud of the mortal world. With power enough to blot out the sky, plucking the moon from its place was simplicity itself. [Reading Guide] A possessive-love story I’m writing for myself. Theme: Have the courage to face your own heart