Marrying My Ex's Older Brother

★ Coming soon: Stepmother's Everyday Life. I had no plans to love, but my husband can't get enough of me.

★ A guide to this story below | Female lead: I'm really not after my cousin's good looks!

★ A little rabbit who can't resist beauty vs. a big bad wolf who knows how to use his looks

Story blurb:

Jiang Si thought she would marry her childhood sweetheart, her third cousin, and live in harmony with him.

But they were separated by death, and she was left with paralyzed legs. Under the sympathetic gazes of everyone around her, she married her older cousin, a stranger to her.

Everyone said that Pei Jue, the eldest son of the Pei family, was aloof, solitary, and extraordinarily handsome. Surely he had only taken his late younger brother's place in the marriage out of pity, to protect her!

Jiang Si couldn't agree more. Unwilling to become a burden to anyone, she wrote a divorce letter and pressed her fingerprint onto it, ready to pack up and leave as soon as the right moment came.

But after waiting and waiting, she found the reputedly upright and self-disciplined eldest young master standing outside her door late at night, wearing only a thin night robe. He held out the crumpled divorce letter and called to her in a hoarse voice: Cousin...

His expression was clearly forlorn, but his dark eyes, strewn with starlight, seemed to hide a hook, making her heart itch and her mouth go dry.

Ever since childhood, Pei Jue had been praised by everyone around him for his gentlemanly conduct.

But only he knew that this was a shackle imposed upon him, one that constantly warned him not to overstep the bounds of propriety.

Only when his beloved began to distance herself did a friend finally set him straight. He realized that he had been wrong all along, and that the saying "Sincerity can melt even stone" had another meaning. So he put it into practice.

When his friend learned what had happened, he was horrified. "I told you to show the young lady your strength and prove your sincerity, not to sell your good looks!"

Pei Jue, having gotten his wish, smiled faintly. "It's all the same."

One night, as they talked by candlelight, Jiang Si reminisced about the past.

Pei Jue lowered his gaze. "I remember you only ever wanted to play with your third cousin."

Jiang Si blinked and laughed awkwardly, changing the subject.

Pei Jue sighed wistfully. "I stood outside in the courtyard for ages, but you never called me over."

Jiang Si felt guilty, softened her tone, and eagerly coaxed him.

Pei Jue let his hair down and loosened his collar. He raised his eyes to her with a faintly amused smile. "It's late. Cousin, do you still want to play?"

★ Bonus Scene ★

The young madam of the Pei household loved reading romance books, so the servants would buy a new batch from the bookshop every so often.

The shopkeeper was generous and cheerfully slipped into the stack a book that had recently become a sensation among the public.

That night, Jiang Si was reclining on the bed when she casually opened the shopkeeper's gift. Her face instantly flushed red.

Pei Jue's thoughtful voice came from beside her. "Goddess-on-the-lotus position."

Sensing danger, she tried to flee, but the young man gently caught her by the wrist and laid her hand against his burning chest, where his clothes hung loosely open.

Her already wavering self-control crumbled in an instant.

The following morning.

Having come to her senses after the previous night's debauchery, Jiang Si blushingly covered the tooth marks that still lingered on her fingertips and drove the satisfied man out of the bedroom.

*

★ Reader's Guide ★ The leads' romance develops slowly at first, as described in the story blurb. After all, Cousin needs time to change. If you want to skip straight to the sweet romance, start at Chapter 33. If it's not sweet, you can drag the author out and give them a good beating until they yelp!

But if you're not in a hurry, we recommend taking your time and savoring it. It's all the more enjoyable that way. -3-

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★ Blurb for Stepmother's Everyday Life:

Both virgins, one couple, happy ending

A new emperor ascended the throne. To secure the court, he planned to unite an old minister's family with a new one through marriage. He summoned General Huo, a trusted confidant who had helped him claim the throne, and the two talked by candlelight through the night.

The following month, General Huo's younger sister, Huo Chan, rode in a bridal sedan chair into the Fu family, a clan renowned for its illustrious heritage spanning a hundred years.

But she was to be a second wife.

She would have a difficult mother-in-law to contend with, unruly children to raise, and a husband seven years older than her.

General Huo felt deeply guilty about it, but Huo Chan smiled and said, "This marriage is a deal, so why worry about the little details? Those noble families have always looked down on us for our humble origins. Whenever they saw us, they held their chins higher than their noses. But once I marry into the family, won't they all have to bow their heads and respectfully call me Madam Chancellor?"

She had a point. "Besides, I've always been afraid of pain. Since Fu Shen already has an heir, won't that spare your little sister the hardship of giving birth?"

She had also heard that Fu Shen was devoted to power and, because of his busy official duties, often slept at his government office. It was normal for him to stay away from home for seven or eight days in a row.

That meant she wouldn't have to bear children or serve her husband. She could sit comfortably in the position of Chancellor's wife. What could be better?

It was a great deal!

Huo Chan smiled, convinced that she had everything under control.

Until one morning after their wedding, worn out from several consecutive days of exertion, she finally couldn't take it anymore and drove him out of the side chamber. Blushing, she spat, "You're so shameless in broad daylight! Are you going to court today or not?!"

Fu Shen gripped the hem of her skirt and chuckled softly. "Everything can be put in order for the day. Chan comes first, court comes second."

Theme: You have to fight for love!