Marrying the Male Lead’s Late Brother in the 1970S

[Draft in progress, please add to your want-to-read list] Arrogant, vicious villainess vs. frail, doomed young genius alchemist Shen Mingmei was born into a distinguished military compound. Her father was a high-ranking officer, her mother a doctor, and she was every inch the darling of heaven. The only thing that went wrong for her was love. Her childhood sweetheart was cold as ice toward her and declared that his career came first, and he had no interest in romance. At first, Shen Mingmei thought so too. Until her childhood sweetheart brought back a beloved heroine to the compound and announced that she was his one true love. Only then did Shen Mingmei realize she was the vicious villainess who had come between the male and female leads and made them suffer. Shen Mingmei: “...” How about I act evil for real and show you? * Lu Huaiyu was a genius alchemist in the cultivation world. He transmigrated into a military-marriage novel set in a bygone era, as the male lead's elder brother, who was destined to die young. In this military compound, where might made right, his frail and refined manner made him an odd one out. No problem. He could make pills! Health-restoring pills, longevity pills, beauty pills: he had them all. Living to a hundred? Easy! In the cultivation world, a hundred years old was considered a premature death. As long as he outlived that premature death, he'd be the biggest winner in the book! When Lu Xiao brought back a female comrade and she slapped him, Lu Huaiyu wasn't surprised. When Shen Mingmei broke off her engagement with Lu Xiao and slapped him, he wasn't surprised either. But when Shen Mingmei slapped him... that really did surprise him. The Lu and Lin families sat down to discuss the marriage. “The engagement between our families can't be called off. Since Lu Xiao is unwilling, Huaiyu can marry Mingmei instead.” Lu Huaiyu: “?” Are people in the mortal world really this rude? I get slapped, and you still expect me to hand over my head? The first day after the wedding Lu Huaiyu: I know you love someone else. We can be courteous and respectful to each other. The third day after the wedding Lu Huaiyu: Take a pain-relief pill for your cramps, a beauty pill for your complexion, and a slimming pill to lose weight. Is there anything else you need? One month after the wedding Lu Huaiyu knocked on the door late at night and pleaded meekly, “Wifey, can I come back to bed now?” P.S. Screenshot uploaded on 2026.9.23 Theme: After every dark tunnel, the road opens up again