Older man/younger woman | Pseudo-uncle and niece | Both sexually inexperienced
When Chu Qingyi was thirteen, both her parents died, and her clan brought her back to the capital to raise her.
She knew it was hard to depend on others, so she wanted to cling to her Ninth Uncle, the most highly born member of the clan, and hoped he would look after her, a girl with no family.
Qingyi's efforts paid off. Her Ninth Uncle, who was usually cold toward everyone, showed her a little extra care.
That small measure of favoritism made Qingyi develop an attachment to him that went beyond family affection.
When she realized these feelings were improper, she decided to cut them off decisively. She picked out a potential husband for herself and asked her Ninth Uncle to arrange the match.
Her Ninth Uncle, who had always granted her every request, smiled as usual and said, “All right.”
Qingyi felt a little disappointed, but also relieved.
She didn't know that as he smiled, her Ninth Uncle crushed the wine cup in his hand, blood staining his sleeve.
*
Chu Zheng was the only son of the Grand Princess and was the apple of the clan's eye.
But he kept his distance from his relatives, making an exception only for the niece from the Second Branch who had returned halfway through her life.
He treated her well because she was the orphan of a loyal martyr.
He disliked those young men fawning over her because she was still too young.
Until one day, his niece shyly told him that she had fallen for the eldest son of the Hanlin Academy scholar next door and wanted him to arrange a match.
He crushed the wine cup in his hand before he could stop himself.
Chu Zheng knew he was her uncle and she was his niece. They could never be together.
The day before his niece's engagement, he asked a friend out and drank himself into a stupor.
In his drunkenness, he dreamed of holding the person he could never have.
The usually calm and restrained Ninth Young Master lost control in his dream and ravished the delicate flower in his arms.
Only afterwards did Chu Zheng realize it hadn't been a dream.
His beloved was in his arms, fallen petals scattered in the mud.
[Reading Guide]
1. One-on-one romance, both sexually inexperienced, happy ending.
2. The heroine's father was an heir by adoption. After he was adopted into the family, he and the hero became cousins. The leads are not related by blood.
Theme: True love conquers all.
