I Don't Know My Wife

When Li Qiulan was thirteen, her grandfather used half the family's fortune to arrange a good marriage for her.

Her betrothed was Shang Qing, the youngest son of the great general of Xiaoyuan.

Beautiful in appearance and peerless in martial arts,

he became famous across the land after winning a battle at just fifteen.

When their engagement was settled, Li Qiulan stole a glance at him through the corridor.

The young man stood beneath a peach tree in dark robes, his sleeves fluttering, his features radiant.

She blushed before she knew it.

But Shang Qing never came to meet her.

Over the next five years, he passed by the Li residence seven times, never stopping, never coming to see her or asking her a single question.

She once wanted to find him, but before she could even get out of her carriage, she heard him mention her, his tone full of cold contempt. "She's a merchant's daughter. There's no need to care about her. Don't bring up this marriage again. I won't let her into my home to bring shame upon it."

After a long silence, Li Qiulan told the driver to turn back.

Later, the Li family fell into decline. As their fortunes faltered, Li Qiulan had no choice but to knock on the Shang family's door and ask Shang Qing for help.

When they met, she became timid and said she was a maid from the Li residence.

--

Shang Qing made a name for himself at a young age, becoming a general at fifteen. He was carefree and dashing.

He never imagined that he would fall in love with his fiancee's maid,

then find himself caught in a tortuous cycle of longing.

After the Li family's crisis was resolved, he went to break off the engagement.

It was the first time he had ever met his fiancee.

Through the gauze curtain, he couldn't make out her face.

The faint sunlight only revealed her slender figure, her loose hair, and the simple ornaments in her hair. She was like a white orchid in a mountain valley.

He was briefly distracted, but still looked away and firmly brought up the broken engagement.

"This engagement was arranged because your grandfather held me to a favor. It was never my intention. Now that the debt of gratitude is repaid, we owe each other nothing."

It was the first thing Shang Qing had said to Li Qiulan in all these years.

Behind the gauze curtain, Li Qiulan stood and bowed to him. "From now on, we are strangers. I wish you well."

Unfortunately, Shang Qing had already left before she could finish saying goodbye.

No matter how hard he searched, he could no longer find the woman he loved.

Until one day, he heard that the only daughter of the richest Li family in Jiangnan was about to marry.

Shang Qing rode past on horseback and glanced over by chance. His eyes nearly burst with rage.

The woman he had longed for day and night was dressed in a red wedding gown, about to become someone else's bride.

Reader's Guide:

Both leads have had no previous partners, happy ending, boy-girl romance.

The male lead only loves the female lead from beginning to end. They simply mistake each other's identities.

Angsty regret-and-redemption style. Not for readers who dislike that.

Theme: Self-reliance