A dignified, gentle, well-read beauty who observes proper etiquette x a calculating, scheming younger brother-in-law who has long harbored a secret love x a short-lived, upright and refined beloved husband who has passed away
[The female lead is not a virgin; the male lead is. The male lead secretly loves her early on. The romance between the leads develops after the second male lead's death. The female lead is one year older than the male lead.]
Beneath the blossoming trees, Shen Rong'an gives his beloved wife a begonia for her hair, pausing now and then to cough softly.
"My Wanning is so beautiful that even the begonias in the western courtyard pale beside you."
Mu Wanning smiles, fresh and lovely as the moon, but a sudden crack from a dead branch makes her start.
The begonia falls to the ground. Shen Rong'an turns his head and gazes for a long while, but sees only darkness.
He smiles calmly and brushes the woman's hair. "Don't be afraid. There's no one here."
Under the heavy night sky, no one can see Shen Xiujin's knuckles turning blue as he clenches his fists behind the shadowed moon gate.
·
Mu Wanning and Shen Rong'an were childhood sweethearts, betrothed to each other. When they came of age, they naturally married, and afterward they treated each other with affection and respect.
Sadly, not long after their wedding, a severe chill took Shen Rong'an's life. Chang'an lost a refined young gentleman, upright as bamboo.
Unlike Shen Rong'an, another son of the Shen family was born cold and unfeeling, with no skill in romance. He holds the high-ranking post of Prefect of the Capital, yet in all these years, not one woman has been there to care for him.
Mu Wanning is a little afraid of him, but she remembers her husband's words: she should treat this younger brother-in-law well.
"Xiujin, it's been raining these past few days. You should wear your cloak."
"Xiujin, I made the peach blossom pastries you like."
"Xiujin, if you keep a stern face all the time, you'll scare the girls away. How will you ever win a woman's heart?"
At that, the usually stern younger brother-in-law raises his eyes and actually smiles at her. "Understood, sister-in-law."
·
Shen Xiujin has no desire to win the heart of some woman. He only wants his sister-in-law's love.
From the moment Mu Wanning lost her husband, Shen Xiujin began to entertain a different kind of desire.
Knowing his sister-in-law has no wish to marry again, he uses every means at his disposal, scheming only to take her as his wife.
[Saved to Weibo on 2024-04-07]
Theme: Face the unknown and bravely take the first step
