Provoking My Brother

[Pretend siblings reunite after a breakup / possessive pursuit]

Shao Qingrong moved to the Jiang household with her mother after her remarriage, and once shared a forbidden love with her stepbrother, Jiang Shen.

He doted on her and protected her, treating her as his whole world.

Later, their secret affair was exposed. Jiang Shen was held down in the ancestral hall and punished by his family all night, while she turned around and accepted a marriage proposal from the Duke's household.

Jiang Shen thought she had simply found a better match.

On the day of her wedding, he dragged his still-healing body past the guards and blocked her path. His face was deathly pale, the corners of his eyes bloodshot as he stared at her. "Shao Qingrong, are you impossible to tame?"

Qingrong's eyes stung, but she didn't dare look back. Hardening her heart, she climbed into the bridal sedan.

The whole way, ten li of wedding finery stretched behind her. Eighty-eight sedan chairs rolled down the long street, laden with gold and jade, their splendor the envy of the whole city.

Sitting inside the bridal sedan, she clenched the red silk in her hand into a tight ball.

She had thought there would be nothing between them ever again.

But just two years later, her husband's family became embroiled in a corruption case, and the man who arrived with soldiers to arrest them was Jiang Shen.

-

The whole household was in a panic.

Her mother-in-law clasped her hand and pleaded mournfully, "Whatever else he is, he's still your stepbrother... A Rong, go ask him. For the sake of your sibling bond, perhaps he'll help us."

Her hand was squeezed until it hurt. Qingrong followed her gaze and looked up.

The man wore a black robe embroidered with golden flying fish, a leather belt cinching his slender waist. He looked down at her with a cold, distant gaze, nothing like the young brother who used to bring her candy with a smile.

Qingrong's heart ached. She lowered her eyes. "I'm not close to him. That won't work. I'll think of another way."

But Jiang Shen hated her to the core. How could he possibly let her find another way out?

-

That day, her mother-in-law brought her a bowl of sweet soup. She had barely taken two sips before falling asleep.

When she woke, she was lying on an unfamiliar bed, surrounded by bright red wedding candles that dazzled her eyes.

The mattress dipped beside her. Jiang Shen sat down, sweeping his robe aside, and tossed a divorce agreement in front of her. "So this is the fine family you chose. They handed you over to me."

Qingrong's face went deathly pale.

She tried to get up and leave, but he seized her and dragged her into his arms, gripping her waist and holding her tight. "You owe me a wedding night. Today, you'll pay it back."

The man's crisp, cool scent overwhelmed her. Qingrong's breath caught, pain and scorn in her eyes. "It's been two years, Lord Jiang, and you still feel like having a wedding night with me? Aren't you worried I can't be tamed?"

Jiang Shen paused and gave a low, derisive laugh. "That doesn't matter."

The curtains fell, shutting out the moonlight.

Heat spread through the cramped bed curtains. He leaned down, his burning breath brushing her ear as his voice turned fierce and low:

"If you won't be tamed, I'll *tame you."

Reading notes:

- The male lead has never been with anyone else. Happy ending.

- The heroine marries someone else and saves her former husband for reasons involving hidden truths and misunderstandings. Both leads are caught between love and hate, but in truth, they are devoted to each other.

- Contains coercive elements. Please don't read if that's not for you.

Theme: Face your feelings