After My Rough Older Brother Took Me by Force

With a duke for a father and a commandery princess for a mother, Xie Yuman had spent the first seventeen years of her life basking in good fortune. That was until the real young master, missing for years, returned. Only then did Xie Yuman learn she was a fake heiress. It was like a bolt from the blue. Though the Duke and Duchess were willing to raise her until she married, out of gratitude for the years they'd brought her up, Xie Yuman's standing in Chang'an plummeted overnight. Her fiancé, with whom she'd shared a deep affection, broke off their engagement. The close friends she'd once confided in avoided her, and the noblewomen who'd opposed her openly mocked and humiliated her. What was she supposed to do? Go back to the countryside and marry some random squire? After much agonizing, clutching her handkerchief, Xie Yuman turned her gaze toward Xie Guishan, who had only recently returned home. Xie Guishan had spent years wandering outside the family. He grew up in a bandit's den, then joined the army and fought in bloody battles. He was built like an ox, with eyes sharp as stars and a scar across his face. Every move he made radiated menace. Fighting down her fear, Xie Yuman mended his clothes, brought him snacks, applied medicine to his wounds, and even defended him against the rumors circulating in Chang'an. She managed to keep it up for a while, but eventually fled in terror under the man's scorching gaze, as if he were about to devour her. Wahhh, marrying a squire is fine. It's still better than getting eaten like a plate of snacks. * Though Xie Guishan had spent years away and was too rough around the edges to fit into Chang'an's elite circles, he had earned great military honors and came from a distinguished family. Matchmakers flocked to his door, afraid to miss out on this rising star. Xie Guishan turned them all away. The people of Chang'an assumed he was too proud to lower his standards. They had no idea he was cornering Xie Yuman in front of a rockery, patiently coaxing her. “Are you really willing to go back? Are silk and brocade uncomfortable? Don't you like your gold hairpins and silver jewelry?” “Yesterday, Miss Liu joined forces with that stupid ex-fiancé of yours to mock you. You're not going to get back at them? Without me, you won't have anyone to lean on.” “Dump that pretty boy already. With a body like a boiled chicken, is he as good at taking care of you as I am?” The large hand at her waist was burning hot, as if it could melt her thin silk robe. Terrified, Xie Yuman whispered, “Then you have to promise you won't bully me in the future.” Xie Guishan clicked his tongue, grinning. “Can't do that, dear little sister. Your brother's been hungry for a long time. I might go crazy.” P.S. The romance only begins after the leads' family relationship is dissolved. After signing, the story will update steadily at six chapters a day. Please don't wait for it to build up! Coming next: The Tenth Year After Her Death. Here's the blurb, please add it to your collection: Xi Zhuyue transmigrated and somehow became a beautiful concubine offered to a marquis. Unwilling to become someone's plaything, she ran away. Raised under the red flag, she was naively idealistic, unaware of how the power struggles of a feudal society could drive people mad. In the end, her back was broken and she could no longer escape. She became Xie Xuanfeng's favored concubine, and soon became pregnant with his child. On the day she gave birth, Xie Xuanfeng married another woman. The child she had nearly died giving birth to didn't even get to see its mother. The moment he opened his eyes, he became the legitimate eldest son at his new mother's knee. To see her child, Xi Zhuyue dragged her postpartum body to her knees outside the bridal chamber. The rain poured down. The cold seeped into Xi Zhuyue's thin frame, making her shiver. Rain and blood blurred her vision. Looking up, she could only make out a newlywed couple standing side by side beneath the hazy, yellow candlelight, looking perfectly suited to each other. Xie Xuanfeng finally allowed the wet nurse to bring the child to her, but coldly warned her, “Remember your place,” then punished her with house arrest. Xi Zhuyue held her crying baby close and lowered her head without saying a word. Later, Xi Zhuyue disappeared. He searched the heavens above and the underworld below, but found no trace of her. Only when Xie Xuanfeng clutched the child's ten tiny fingers, each pierced and bleeding, did he realize Xi Zhuyue's pride had never been broken. She had only pretended to be obedient while giving birth to his child. Then she'd knelt in the rain and begged him so pitifully, all just to leave him. The young marquis spat blood and went completely mad. If an elderly minister hadn't held the wailing baby in his arms and called him back from hell again and again, the marquis would likely have followed Xi Zhuyue to her death. After coming to his senses, the marquis devoted himself entirely to using one enemy to destroy another and expanding his territory. No one dared mention Xi Zhuyue again. It seemed he'd cast her from his mind. Only those closest to him knew the truth: Xie Xuanfeng had become cold and sinister, obsessively offering his own flesh and blood in a ritual to beg her to return. Ten years, 6,894 cuts, and at last he succeeded in calling her back. But why, even though she had long since forgotten him, did she still remember that she didn't love him? Content warnings: 1. A domineering feudal patriarch × a radiant beauty. With a feudal patriarch as the male lead, expect an over-the-top melodrama. 2. The leads are 20 when the story begins, so don't ask why the male lead is a virgin despite being a feudal patriarch. He is engaged but hasn't married yet. Without the female lead, he would have married his proper wife, waited for her to bear his legitimate eldest son, then taken concubines as expected and fathered a whole bunch of children. 3. Both leads are virgins when the story begins. They are apart for ten years, during which time the male lead's age is frozen, while the female lead finds love and has an adult relationship. Theme: Sincerity is the ultimate weapon.