My Elder Brother's Wife

On the day Shen Yixin was to be married, her groom was sent to Xining by imperial decree.

The bride was already on her way, and the wedding could not be called off, so the second son of the Cui family, Cui Changyu, took his elder brother's place and brought the bride home.

Two months later, news of disaster arrived from the border. Cui Heng had been hit by several bullets and died on the battlefield.

With no one in her husband's family she could rely on, Shen Yixin began planning a way out for herself. Then a friend of Cui Changyu's suddenly came to her, offering advice and making things easier for her at every turn.

She thought Cui Changyu had asked his friend to look after her in secret. So even though Cui Changyu treated her coldly and with displeasure, she didn't take it to heart. She was considerate and attentive to him at every turn.

Until that friend suddenly confessed that he admired her, and told her why he had approached her.

Only then did Shen Yixin learn that Second Young Master Cui had always suspected her birth family of having something to do with his elder brother's death, and had deliberately sent someone to test her. She didn't dare confront Cui Changyu, so she could only quietly distance herself from him.

But he wouldn't let her. He wanted her to treat him just as she had before.

After an accident, Shen Yixin was falsely accused of having an illicit relationship with another man. She was about to take her own life to prove her innocence when Cui Changyu rushed in and claimed to be the man in question.

The Cui family had no choice but to suppress the news. The matriarch ordered her to observe a year's mourning for Cui Heng, promising that after a year she could leave and marry freely.

Just as she was beginning to fall for him, Cui Heng returned.

Overjoyed, Shen Yixin decided to put everything back on track and eagerly arranged a match for Cui Changyu.

In the quiet, warm chamber, Cui Changyu blocked her way, his face stern. "Sister-in-law, do you really want nothing to do with me?"

Shen Yixin was backed into a corner, with nowhere to run.

Outside the door, Cui Heng called out, "My wife, are you ready?"

Reader's Guide:

1. Lots of melodrama | love rival stealing someone away | men competing for the female lead

2. The female lead isn't a virgin, while the male leads are. The relationships are one-on-one at different stages. The female lead has a physical relationship with both brothers.

3. The female lead is an honest sort who dithers and hesitates, yet somehow gets a whole lot done.

Theme: Live toward the sun.