Jiang Huaizhi is the eldest son of the Chancellor, and the hardships he endured as a child left him stubborn and rebellious.
When he first met Wen Chuqing, she was just a little girl, standing thirty feet away and timidly calling him Brother Huaizhi.
She looked like a little rice dumpling, soft and white, so he assumed that was simply her nature.
Afraid of frightening her, he barely dared say more than a couple of words whenever they met. He felt that if he looked at her for too long, she'd burst into tears. He treated her with such care, as if she might melt in his hands.
But then he saw the soft-spoken little girl turn around and chat and laugh with his younger brother, talking to him about everything. She was like a completely different person from the girl who spoke to him.
He drew a quiet breath, helplessness rising in his heart. Just as he was planning to take things slowly and proceed step by step, he heard that Wen Chuqing and his younger brother were discussing marriage.
It was then that Jiang Huaizhi realized that there was no such thing as being powerless. You could only do your best.
Wen Chuqing was the eldest daughter of a general's household. At sixteen, she had bright eyes, pearly teeth, and lovely brows.
Jiang Huaizhi was the eldest legitimate son of the Chancellor's household, the older brother of Wen Chuqing's childhood friend Jiang Yizhi. He served as Vice Minister of War, was tall and imposing, and had a perpetually icy expression that never cracked into a smile.
That was why Wen Chuqing was a little afraid of him, and assumed he didn't like her.
So even though their families were close and on excellent terms, she was only willing to spend time with Jiang Yizhi, keeping her distance from Jiang Huaizhi.
As time passed, their elders noticed and wanted to match her with Jiang Yizhi. She had no particular objections and simply waited for him to propose once they were old enough.
At a spring banquet, she accidentally drank some fruit wine. On her way back to her room to rest, her steps unsteady, she stumbled into a cool, clean embrace.
Her head was throbbing, and her vision was blurry. She rubbed her eyes, thinking the person holding her was Jiang Yizhi.
Her mind was muddled, and she spoke without thinking, her voice sweet and petulant as she complained:
"Didn't you say you'd come to propose? It's winter already, so why haven't you come?"
The owner of the embrace was silent for a long moment. Then he leaned close to her ear and coaxed her in a husky, wicked voice:
"Do you even know who I am before you say you'll marry me?"
She was drunk, and neither her reason nor her actions were under her control. She just went along with whatever he said. She pouted and muttered something, and when he heard it, he nodded with satisfaction.
His gaze drifted toward the spot behind her.
"I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again."
Her snowy face scrunched up, and she spoke reluctantly. "I like you!"
"Who am I?"
"Brother Huaizhi..."
The hand around her slender waist patted the small of her back encouragingly, and he praised her:
"Then Jiang Huaizhi will come to propose next month. Will you say yes?"
[1]
Wen Chuqing barely remembered the spring banquet that day. The only thing she recalled was that afterward, her elders told her that her future husband had changed. It wasn't her childhood friend Jiang Yizhi, but his older brother, the cold-faced demon Jiang Huaizhi from the rumors.
Her head was spinning, but she couldn't remember when she'd agreed to marry Jiang Huaizhi.
But once spoken, words can't be taken back. There was no way to undo it now.
It wasn't until their wedding night that she finally found the chance to ask the man who was now her husband.
"You took advantage of me when I was drunk!"
Jiang Huaizhi walked toward her, undoing the cuffs of his wedding robe. He wasn't the least bit vexed by her accusation and openly admitted what he had done:
"Then I suppose I did take advantage of you."
He admitted there had been deception involved in his marriage to Wen Chuqing, but so what?
That was still better than hearing her call another man her husband one day. He couldn't bear the thought, even if that man was his younger brother. He could give up anything, but not Wen Chuqing.
The unexpected contender beats the childhood sweetheart.
If he can't win, he'll just steal her away!
1. This is a sweet romance, not a coercive romance.
2. The male lead married his wife through his own efforts and didn't hurt anyone.
3. Gentle, sweet heroine x a real man, a rugged hunk.
Theme: If you want love, go get it yourself
