Late Evening in an Empty Courtyard

[A heartless, treacherous scoundrel vs. a beautiful, kindhearted, sunny optimist] [Rekindled romance / groveling pursuit / coercive possession] Jiang Yao was a concubine's daughter, raised on an estate in the countryside. She had grown into an old maid, yet no one had even remembered she existed. One winter, after snow fell all night, a half-dead man was lying outside her door. Jiang Yao saved him. He was very refined. Perhaps the cold had damaged his legs, because he had trouble walking. He also had a bad temper. But he was extraordinarily handsome, with the cool, ethereal beauty of an immortal. Even the plum blossoms in the courtyard could not match a third of his charm. After spending many days together, feelings began to bloom. One day, an accident left the two of them huddled together in a cave to keep warm. She asked if he would marry her, promising she could support him for the rest of his life. Jiang Yao was a foolish girl who couldn't read people's hearts. She didn't know that the man she loved was secretly stirring up a tempest in the capital, or that he had no need of her support. Filled with joy, she pestered him until he wrote up a marriage contract. He looked helpless, but didn't refuse. Not long after, Jiang Zhou disappeared without a word. She went to the capital to find him. Hungry, cold, and desperate along the way, she had no choice but to pawn one of his jade pendants. The pawnbroker said, "This belongs to Chancellor Shen. I'm too small-time to dare accept it." She searched until she found the Chancellor's residence. Instead of getting an explanation, she was put up in a side courtyard. A woman who ran away to a man could only become a concubine, so the servants looked down on her. All her hardship and worry along the way now seemed like a joke. She wanted to ask him what she really meant to him. But when she reached the door, she heard her legitimate elder sister ask, "Lang, are you really going to marry her?" "She has no shame. She's not a suitable match." The jade pendant fell from her hand and broke in two. His answer took her back to that bitter winter. Her heart seemed to tear apart, but without a word, she left a letter of separation and went away. Unexpectedly, a young man from a foreign land began following her. He had beautiful eyes and a gentle, tender nature. Most importantly, he would cradle her face with care and tell her he loved her. Jiang Yao thought, why not choose him? On the eve of her wedding, an unwelcome guest appeared at the door. Shen Zhouxue dragged his now-recovered legs across the ground and knelt before her. The bell around his neck rang softly. "Yangyang, I can't find my way home." "Lord Shen, you're going the wrong way. But now that you remember the road, why not come have a wedding drink tomorrow?" Male lead C 80% advance chapter access, 24 hours Please add my upcoming novel, After the Caged Bird Flew Away I have a completed novel of the same type on my other page Theme: Face your own heart