Late Spring

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Story blurb

Cui Lingyi and Shen Ke’s paths truly crossed because of an accident. That day, her husband, Shen Xu, beat her again, while her parents-in-law turned a blind eye as they always did.

To protect herself, she grabbed a vase in desperation and smashed it into Shen Xu’s head. He never woke up again.

When she came to her senses, she hurriedly dealt with the scene with her maid, You Chun. But while they were dragging the body, Shen Ke caught them in the act. Cui Lingyi was utterly despondent, thinking she might as well give her life in exchange to the Shen family.

Shen Ke only smiled at her, his expression sinister. “Sister-in-law, how about making a deal with me?”

Shen Ke was a concubine-born son of the Shen family. His birth mother, Concubine Qin, had been a courtesan, beautiful as a jade-like goddess. Shen Ke bore a striking resemblance to her, inheriting her good looks.

For some reason, however, Concubine Qin was already pregnant before she entered the household, and for years people had whispered that Shen Ke was not really of the Shen bloodline.

Her father-in-law, Shen Chongzhi, loathed Shen Ke, while her mother-in-law, Madam Wei, hated him because of Concubine Qin. Shen Ke’s life in the household was even harder than Cui Lingyi’s.

Cui Lingyi had no choice but to agree to his demands. But Shen Ke was treacherous and cunning, stopping at nothing to get what he wanted. Several times, she thought she would die at his hands.

Seeing her walk on eggshells every day, You Chun said, “Miss, why not try seducing him?”

Seduce him?!

Cui Lingyi shook her head. She’d sooner die than do it. Seducing Shen Ke would be asking for death, wouldn’t it?

By chance, she witnessed Shen Ke at a murder scene. Panicking, Cui Lingyi took off running under his icy gaze. Even after returning to her courtyard, she remained on tenterhooks, afraid Shen Ke would come to silence her.

And sure enough, in the middle of the night, Shen Ke appeared at her bedside like a ghost and suddenly clamped a hand around her delicate throat. As Cui Lingyi struggled to breathe, You Chun’s suggestion from the other day suddenly came to mind.

Figuring she had nothing to lose, she lowered her head and kissed Shen Ke’s fingertip...

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Ke really did let go. Then he left without a word, his face cold.

What did that mean?

Cui Lingyi was baffled and thought she had failed. But a few days later, Shen Ke suddenly reached out to her again, his gaze burning. “Do what you did last time.”

*

Shen Ke had always known he was a despicable man. He was best at using his looks to deceive people and make them willing to serve him.

He simply hadn’t expected to be the one to slip up. The person who set the trap became caught in it, and he was more than happy to stay there.

Looking at Cui Lingyi’s peaceful sleeping face in his arms, he could only hope she would never learn the truth. Shen Xu’s death that day had not been a mere accident. He had been planning it for a long time...

Coming soon: Five Years After Faking My Death

The great fire years ago let Shen Jingzhi successfully fake her death and escape. She never expected that when she returned, the first person she would see would still be Fu Yuzhang.

She and Fu Yuzhang had been husband and wife for three years, and they had once enjoyed a sweet, deeply devoted marriage. But everything was shattered by the arrival of Xu Qingyue. Xu Qingyue was the one Fu Yuzhang had loved in his youth but never been able to have, the woman he would sigh over in the middle of the night.

Ever since Xu Qingyue entered the Fu household, Shen Jingzhi had to give up everything, from daily necessities to her husband’s affection. In the end, even her mother’s keepsakes were handed over to Xu Qingyue whenever she asked for them.

Shen Jingzhi could take it no longer and wanted a divorce, but her father repeatedly obstructed her out of concern for his reputation. Heartbroken, she started a fire and faked her death to escape.

Five years later, in a small town in Jiangnan, she unexpectedly reunited with her father. He wept and held her, telling her how much he had missed his daughter all these years.

Unable to bear seeing him so upset, she agreed to return to the capital for a short stay. The very next day, she ran into Fu Yuzhang at Fahua Temple.

The past was the past. They were even.

Shen Jingzhi turned and left, only to run into Cui Yi.

Cui Yi was the Duke of Xingguo and the Crown Prince’s study companion. Though still young, he already held great power. Shen Jingzhi had met him a few times, and each time his stern, unsmiling manner had made her uneasy.

Now he had unexpectedly discovered that she was still alive. Shen Jingzhi could only hope he would pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

Cui Yi smiled meaningfully. “I can do that, but there’s something I’d like Miss Shen to help me with, too.”

What Shen Jingzhi didn’t expect was that Cui Yi wanted her to marry him!!!

Theme: You reap what you sow