The Caged Bird (Taken by Force)

Old-school romance + possessive pursuit + she runs, he chases + tragic love + both leads are virgins 💛💛 Careful, soft-hearted beauty with a plan × dark, twisted, wolfish young general Also known as I Took Her by Force and Got Myself a Little Ancestor In the fifth year of the Yuanzheng era, an imperial examination cheating scandal rocked the court. Kong Lingyi waited outside the Ding'an Marquis's residence for three whole days. Just as her heart had turned cold and hope had nearly died, he finally strolled out of the residence. Xie Hong's expression was cool and detached. “What business does Miss Kong have with me?” “Second Master, it was all my fault. But my cousin... he once saved your life.” Xie Hong suddenly laughed. He leaned down and used his cool fingers to straighten the crooked wooden hairpin in her hair, his breath brushing her ear. “Your cousin? When you rejected me, you called him your fiancé, the man whose betrothal papers had already been exchanged.” “I intend to repay kindness with betrayal,” he said, cold light gleaming in his eyes. “Who's going to stop me?” “Kong Lingyi, you know...” His thumb brushed her trembling lips. “That's not what I want to hear.” He turned to leave. Panic seized her, and she hurriedly caught his sleeve. “Lingyi... will do whatever Second Master commands from now on.” From then on, Second Master Xie kept a mistress. His colleagues saw the dark circles under his eyes grow worse by the day and earnestly advised him, “Even a military man needs to know when to hold back!” Everyone assumed he was spending every night wrapped in a beauty's arms. Xie Hong couldn't explain his predicament: that stubborn Kong Lingyi wouldn't even let him get close. She even kept a knife under her pillow. Reading guide: 1. The heroine has feelings for the second male lead early on. 2. The hero takes her by force; she fights back, and they push each other to the limit. 3. Fictional setting. Here's the blurb for my new story. If you like it, please add it to your favorites~ 《Cousin, It's Been a While》 (Possessive pursuit) Second Young Master Zhou Hu of the marquis's household attends a funeral at the Wu residence. White funeral streamers flutter as paper money turns to ash and fills the sky like gray butterflies. Through the haze of incense, he sees her Song Jin'an. The merchant's daughter who once lived at the marquis's residence, moaning softly beneath him night after night, only to turn around and marry someone else. Now dressed in plain mourning clothes, she kneels before the spirit tablet, looking haggard as she keeps vigil for her late husband. He thinks seeing her like this will bring him satisfaction. But that very night he dreams of her again. In his dream, red candles glow around a warm bed. Her hair is loose as she sobs beneath him, her plain white mourning robe slipped to her waist, its ties undone between his teeth. She sobs and pushes at his chest, but her fingers are too weak to muster any strength. In a trembling voice, she begs, “Cousin... slower.” When Zhou Hu wakes, the bed is a mess. He looks down at the deep, long scar on his chest. So what if she killed him? He was born with a tough fate! The Wu family is in a precarious position. They send her over in a small sedan chair in the dead of night. Zhou Hu removes the blindfold from her eyes and smiles as he speaks: “Cousin, it's been a while.” Theme: Live toward the light