I Wish to Be a Pair of Entwined Branches with You

The blurb for my next novel, The Fake Daughter Insists on Switching Betrothals with Me, is at the very bottom. It's also a marriage-first, love-later story. If you're interested, please add it to your favorites.

Aloof, refined top scholar x gentle, patient beauty

Shen Qingwan was born into humble circumstances and had always been cautious, modest, and proper. The only thing she ever did out of character was fall for Meng Jue, a rising star at court and a trusted minister of the emperor.

Knowing they were worlds apart, she kept her feelings buried in her heart. That is, until the county princess's birthday banquet, when an unexpected turn of events led her to spend the night with Meng Jue. He was forced to marry her.

Everyone said she was devious, willing to ruin her own reputation just to climb into Meng Jue's bed.

The Old Madam of the Meng family saw her as a shameless seductress. Her sister-in-law saw her as the jinx who had ruined her brother's good marriage. They made things difficult for her at every turn, every word dripping with hostility.

As for Meng Jue, that distinguished minister, noble and graceful as an orchid or jade tree, he could hardly bear to look at her, as if she were some filthy thing.

She had no way to defend herself, and no one believed her. So she fell silent. She kept to her principles, managed the household, paid her respects morning and night, and took care of everything inside and out without missing a single detail.

She treated Meng Jue well, pouring his tea, grinding his ink, and making sure he was warm. In return, all she got were his cold words: "There's no need to do all these pointless things."

She stood there in a daze for a long time, then gradually learned not to look at him with hopeful eyes. She would simply be a dutiful wife who knew her place.

It was only when Meng Jue returned home late one night and found no one waiting at the gate with a lantern that he realized her eyes no longer held the longing they once had.

He suddenly understood that, without his even realizing it, she had claimed a place in his heart.

And now she was handing him a divorce agreement.

The love and hurt in her eyes had burned away, leaving only a clear, indifferent distance.

Later, Meng Jue finally uncovered the misunderstanding from years ago and realized he had been wrong about her all along.

But by then, she was no longer in the household.

Later still, after asking around, he learned she had gone to a temple outside the capital. He rode there in haste and, from afar, saw her standing beneath an ancient locust tree in a plain blue robe and skirt beside a young man. Whatever they were talking about, the corners of her lips were slightly raised.

His throat tightened, his eyes reddened, and he strode forward and seized her wrist.

She turned and recognized him, but her gaze remained calm and empty. With a gentle tug, she slipped her hand free. She took half a step back and said coolly, "Lord Meng, since we are divorced, I ask that you conduct yourself with propriety."

He froze on the spot. For the first time, he tasted what it was like to want something he could not have. He had spent his life studying, sitting the examinations, and solving cases without ever knowing defeat, yet in matters of the heart, he had lost everything.

Reading Guide:

The leads are each other's only partners.

Marriage first, love later, with sweet and sour tension. The aloof one finally bows to love.

Happy ending.

Wen Jian died in an accident in her previous life. In this one, she transmigrated into the real daughter who had been switched into a marriage with the mad Crown Prince.

Everyone in the capital knew that after Crown Prince Xiao Xu broke his leg, he went mad, becoming moody and cruel.

On the first day she entered the Eastern Palace, Xiao Xu drew his sword and smiled at her. "Don't be scared. It'll be over soon."

Her legs nearly gave out. Desperate to survive, Wen Jian improvised and started telling him stories. Every day, she'd stop right at the most exciting part.

Xiao Xu got hooked and waited for her to continue each day, his face stern.

Wen Jian secretly celebrated: The longer I tell stories, the longer I live.

While telling stories, she acted obedient on the surface, but in her heart she was making plans: save money, then escape.

When she noticed the way he looked at her growing increasingly dark and strange, alarm bells rang in her mind.

One late night, Wen Jian packed her belongings and climbed over the wall to escape. She hadn't even made it two streets away before Xiao Xu caught her and dragged her back.

Behind the dark curtains, he backed her into a corner and wrapped a hand around her waist, his touch suggestive. He leaned close to her ear and said, "Running away? ... You haven't finished your story."

The fake daughter, Wen Rou, had originally been engaged to the Crown Prince. She disliked his cruelty and lameness. Everyone in the capital could see that the emperor disliked him, and that Prince Cheng would eventually take his place.

She forced the marriage onto Wen Jian and married Prince Cheng herself.

Only after the wedding did she discover that Prince Cheng's gentle manner was all an act.

She gritted her teeth and comforted herself: It's still better than marrying that murderer, right?

Until the Spring Appreciation Banquet

She rubbed the injury beneath her sleeve and looked up to see the Crown Prince drawing his sword again for no apparent reason, fury radiating from him. Bloodshed seemed imminent.

Everyone present held their breath and hunched their shoulders. Nobody dared approach. They all remembered that the last person to anger the Crown Prince had been carried out on a stretcher.

Then Wen Jian went over and secretly kissed his earlobe.

The madman who killed without batting an eye froze, the tip of his ear turning visibly red.

The man's whole body stiffened. His ear was scarlet, but he still didn't lower his sword.

He looked down at her and said in a hoarse voice, "...One kiss isn't enough."

Wen Jian kissed him again.

Only then did he lower his sword and coldly shoo everyone away. "Get out."

The entire hall fell silent.

Everyone saw it: the Crown Prince, who had been on the verge of drawing blood moments earlier, was now quietly peeling lychees and feeding them to the Crown Princess.

#At first I wanted you dead as soon as possible. Later, I wanted you to live to a hundred.

Message: Learn to let go of what you can no longer hold