The husband-chasing groveling arc
The male lead is a love-struck fool who realizes his feelings too late.
The male lead only loses an arm and a leg, but the female lead has had her heart broken.
Blurb:
Huan Ying was born into a prominent family in Jiangzuo, one with great power and influence. From childhood, she got everything she wanted, and was even more dazzling than the princess.
There was just one thing that had never gone her way.
The man she loved, Xie Ji, was a refined young gentleman, as graceful as a gentle breeze beneath a bright moon. Born into the prestigious Xie family of Changjun, he was elegant and learned, with little interest in worldly affairs.
Xie Ji was good in every way, but he disliked Huan Ying's flamboyant ways. He even despised the Huan family's stranglehold on the court and its absolute power. Whenever he met Huan Ying, he was unfailingly polite, but never warm, and seemed to avoid her.
Though Huan Ying was upset, she had her pride. After Xie Ji became engaged to the princess, she decided to let him go.
But the political winds suddenly shifted. The emperor was forced to abdicate, and the new emperor was a military man of humble origins who commanded a powerful army and was sharpening his blade against the great clans.
Everyone was suddenly on edge, treading carefully.
The Huan family was first in the line of fire, yet remained calm. The reason was simple: the new emperor's sworn brother from his days of obscurity had become a Huan son-in-law.
Huan Ying's cousin Huan Ling, only a few months older than her, gritted her teeth and married him for the sake of the Huan family.
The Huan family was now in the emperor's favor, and the whole household was filled with joy and celebration.
Even the Xie family, who prided themselves on their noble status, proposed a marriage to the Huan family.
Huan Ying knew Xie Ji did not like her, but after loving him for so long, she still accepted the match. She thought that perhaps, after they married and spent every day together, he would come to see her good qualities.
After they married, Xie Ji refused to share a bed with her, forbade her from entering his study, and never opened his heart to her.
No matter how passionate Huan Ying was, even her warmth would eventually fade in the face of ice that never thawed.
After one reckless night, she got what she wanted from Xie Ji, then coldly tossed out, "You're nothing special," and ruthlessly pushed him away.
Her family supported her decision to divorce him while pregnant, but Xie Ji panicked.
The once aloof young gentleman leaned on a crutch, one arm in a sling, and stood miserably outside the Huan family gates, pleading with her to come back.
Reading Guide:
1. A genuine groveling arc. The male lead loses an arm and a leg and nearly goes blind. The female lead leaves decisively and never looks back.
2. HE, but the female lead's child will never take the male lead's surname.
3. Feel free to criticize the male lead, but don't criticize the author.
Theme: Independence and strength
