Divorce first, love later / Secret marriage
At eighteen, Jiang Shiyu began sneaking out of Pei Zhi's room in the middle of the night.
At twenty-one, Jiang Shiyu took the place of the woman Pei Zhi loved and became his wife. She knew that he chose her not only because she'd spent so long with the Pei family, but also because she was bland and harmless, wouldn't get jealous, and wouldn't interfere with his life.
To him, she'd always been an invisible, safe presence.
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After they married, Pei Zhi rarely came home and seldom contacted her.
Most of their interactions took place in bed. He had a strong sex drive and was controlling and cruel, but he never denied her the physical intimacy owed between husband and wife.
In the final year she allowed herself to love him, while he was at his most passionate, Jiang Shiyu steadied her breathing and calmly said, "I want a child."
Pei Zhi got out of bed, his expression indifferent. "You really know how to ruin the mood."
He wouldn't have a child with someone he didn't love.
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After the divorce, Jiang Shiyu moved out of the Pei family home and began rebuilding her life and career from scratch.
She still didn't care about most of the world's ideals. She was doing well, living by her own unwavering standards and shining onstage.
She was willing to accept new suitors, but dating never went smoothly. The younger men seemed unreliable. They started out passionate, then gradually disappeared, and finally sent her a message:
Sis, you're married. You should love your husband and be faithful to him!
She couldn't make heads or tails of it. Then she returned to the Pei family home to pick up her things, and the man who'd followed her inside locked the room.
Pei Zhi closed in on her, pressing her into a corner. "After all these years, have I treated you well?"
Jiang Shiyu said, "The Pei family owes me a kindness."
Kindness, not love. Pei Zhi's expression darkened. "Then remarry me and have my child."
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When he had her, he received her love without realizing it, thinking it was only natural.
After losing her, he thought of her every night and finally realized that everything he'd wanted was her.
P.S. An arrogant man who is always chasing novelty and never stays for anyone x a cute, easygoing woman who quietly wins people over and inspires the most intense love and hate.
Both are virgins / happy ending.
Theme: Open the door to a wider world for her.
