*The blurb has been revised, but the original premise is mostly unchanged.
[Cold-faced, secretly scheming cutie x innocent big bad]
Ji Zhi transmigrates into a little world where everything goes wrong. On her first day there, she gives the Heavenly Dao the finger.
Beneath the wedding candles and brocade curtains, a strange fragrance drifts by. Ji Zhi loses her senses and falls into the arms of a man as beautiful as an immortal, and they spend one night together.
That man is her new husband, the fake heir of the Marquis of Wuding's household, a tragic beauty who is both powerful and handsome, and a universally adored man with a protagonist's halo?
Who cares who he is? The original owner was forced into the wedding sedan, and Ji Zhi would never fall for him either. After the wedding, Ji Zhi spends her days chasing cats and dogs and running around, coming and going from dawn till dusk. She can't wait to get a divorce and escape this misery.
-
Yan Shi was born noble, or so the world believes.
In reality, he lived like a wretch, often going hungry. Then he married Ji Zhi, and everything changed.
His father, whose heart was as cruel as a demon's, began treating him differently. His mother, whose heart was as venomous as a snake's, started asking after his well-being. His hypocritical friends were willing to risk their lives for him, and the high moon he'd once thought beyond his reach showed him some kindness... Everyone but his new wife.
At first, Yan Shi hated her. He hated her stupidity and her erratic behavior.
Later, the only thing he hated was that there was never room for him in her eyes...
-
Ji Zhi thought she and her universally adored husband could keep out of each other's way, so why was he relentlessly pushing her like this??
Egged on by his friends, Yan Shi tries to force himself on her, only to be slapped into silence.
"Zhizhi," says the refined and handsome heir of the Yan family, heartbroken, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. "We're married. Why can't you look at me..."
As the world spins around her, Ji Zhi hears something crack beside her ear. When she wakes again, she discovers that the little world has restarted.
Ji Zhi: ?
That damn protagonist's halo has landed on her head. But she's a poker-faced schemer, so Ji Zhi decides to run away. Before she goes, she gives Yan Shi a gift. After all, his life has been pretty miserable.
No one loves him, and Yan Shi himself doesn't know how to love. But the very first time he meets Ji Zhi, he realizes just how wrong he has been.
Years later, Yan Shi has become emperor and abdicated early. He keeps a city and stays by one person's side.
Yan Shi: If I don't stay by her side every second, she'll build a harem!
The history books record: During his reign, the emperor cultivated virtue at home and kept the border tribes at peace. The dynasty prospered, and the people lived in harmony. He left the imperial harem empty, took no wives or concubines, and had no heirs.
Ji Zhi never tells Yan Shi she loves him, but years later, he is the only one who stays by her side and grows old with her.
[Reading Guide]
1. Happy ending.
2. "Marriage" means "Zhizhi gets married" + "Yan Shi marries into her family."
3. More to come if I think of anything.
Theme: Learning to love from scratch
