When a Villainess Picks Up a Noble Beauty

Xun Jiu never dreamed that after years of scheming to marry into a powerful family, her ambitions would be so easily crushed by her lover’s elder brother. It took just one sentence from him to turn her from a respectable young lady into a stray dog driven from her home: “This woman is unfit to be a proper wife. She is deeply calculating and will never amount to anything.” His offhand judgment was taken as gospel. All her plans, years in the making, came to nothing. Meanwhile, Shen Ting remained the legitimate son of the foremost aristocratic family, the youngest candidate to place third in the imperial examinations, and the emperor’s most trusted aide. Everyone treated him like the moon in the heavens. She hated him with all her heart. At last, one day, she found her chance. … That night, Shen Ting had lost his sight after falling off a cliff. All around him, he heard only dripping water and smelled the musty stench of rotting wood. He had no idea where he was. Suddenly, footsteps approached. Shen Ting asked in a low voice, “Who’s there?” A fishy-smelling hand gently brushed his face, accompanied by a soft laugh. “It’s me, Shen Lang.” Her filthy hand began to toy with the lips of the man who had always been so noble, the man no one dared to offend. Even though he clearly resisted, he still clung to the proprieties of an aristocratic household. How amusing. She leaned close with a sigh. “From today on, you’re my slave, and I’m your only master.” “You owe me this, Shen Lang…” - At first, Shen Ting wanted to kill Xun Jiu. No one had ever dared to offend him like this. Later, he couldn’t bear to be without her. If he saw her one time less, or kissed her one time less, it felt as if ten thousand ants were gnawing at his bones. Just as Jiu’er had said, he had been born to belong to her. [Reader’s Guide] The heroine treats the hero terribly, and she is not a good person. The hero develops Stockholm syndrome and is hopelessly in love. He can’t accept anyone but the heroine, and goes from a virtuous gentleman to someone whose moral compass is anyone’s guess… Includes a brother stealing another brother’s wife. One-on-one romance, both leads are virgins. The following is a preview of an upcoming novel Can an Honest Maid Make a Rich Heir Lose His Head? An earnest heroine x an arrogant, boyish hero. Older woman, younger man. During an assassination attempt, Zhu Mingyu and Xie Xun both fell off a cliff and became stranded in an uninhabited mountain range. Their social standing was worlds apart, as if separated by an impassable chasm. Xie Xun was the heir to the Duke of Rong’s title. His father came from a distinguished family of hereditary nobles, and his mother was the emperor’s only legitimate elder sister, a princess. He had been born into privilege. She, on the other hand, was the lowest-ranking maid in Xie Xun’s household, with a family background as lowly as dust. He barely remembered Zhu Mingyu. All he knew was that she was the woman his good friend was in love with. She was plain-looking, and he couldn’t understand his good friend’s taste at all. On the first day they were stranded, Zhu Mingyu accidentally fell into his arms. She panicked. His brows drew together in displeasure. “Stay away from me. I don’t want to get involved with Zhonghuai’s sweetheart.” She didn’t dare talk back. She could only nod in a panic, thinking she should stay as far away from him as possible. On the third day, she developed hypothermia and began to shiver. Seeing her lips trembling, he softened and took off her clothes to warm her. “I’m only saving you for Zhonghuai’s sake.” She was barely conscious and could only nod vaguely, swearing that once they got out, she wouldn’t say a word about it or ruin the young master’s reputation. On the twentieth day, during a thunderstorm, Zhu Mingyu was falling asleep when she felt something burrowing into her arms. She half-opened her eyes and saw that the face usually so carefree and willful was now tinged with red. “I’ve been afraid of thunder since I was a child.” Zhu Mingyu’s face flushed too. “…Mm.” Seeing her obediently answer, so honest and too timid to resist, Xie Xun felt he was being terrible. But… She was just too easy to bully. He wanted to kiss her senseless. As rescuers arrived, the two agreed to forget everything that had happened during those thirty days once they got out. From then on, they would go their separate ways. At first, they both did a good job of it. Until the day of the Duke’s birthday banquet. Xie Xun sat at the head of the table, watching his good friend tenderly brush a strand of hair from her face. His chest suddenly felt as if a fire were churning inside him, and he downed cup after cup of strong liquor. He thought he must be going mad. That night, Zhu Mingyu prepared her contract of manumission, planning to leave the residence the next day. Then she saw a shadow leap across the paper window beneath the gallery and recognized the person at once. She was about to run when a pair of cold, slender hands pushed open the door and yanked her into an embrace. His breath was familiar. His voice held both resentment and frustration. “Zhu Mingyu, you’d rather stay with a man who’s less handsome and comes from a worse family than I do, and you won’t even look at me?” Her eyes held nothing but fear and bewilderment. The hero is instinctively attracted to the heroine. The blurb is a mess. The first part is wilderness survival; in the middle and later parts, the hero becomes the other man for love, steals someone else’s wife, and gets a fiery pursuit-to-win-her-back arc. Theme: Pursue an extraordinary life