A Gem by My Side

[Revising in progress. An additional ten thousand words of interaction between Zhan and Rong, and Tan and Rong. Pirated copies are chaotic and incomplete, with major plot points missing and too many typos. Please support the official version. I am not responsible for errors or omissions in pirated copies. Be sure to read the content warnings below the blurb before starting.]

Lin Zhan did not like his sister-in-law.

She was the woman his older brother had married while posted to the borderlands. Unlike the refined young ladies of the capital, she wasn't pretty, was dull-witted, and came from a lowly background. She was a crude woman who slaughtered pigs for a living.

His brother, on the other hand, came from an aristocratic family. He was upright, handsome as the moon, and had already taken an important government post at a young age. His future was boundless.

They were a terrible match.

Lin Zhan was certain this woman had used despicable means to make his brother marry her.

After his brother's assignment ended and he returned to the capital, the family planned to arrange a new marriage for him. Yet that pure-hearted man had actually defied his elders, taken the woman by the hand, and declared that she was his lawfully wedded wife, the only one he would ever have.

Lin Zhan scoffed in disdain. She must have put some kind of spell on his brother.

She had gone from a pig butcher to a scholar's wife, soaring from a humble branch to become a phoenix. Lin Zhan believed her greedy, despicable nature would eventually show itself.

As his sister-in-law, she naturally looked after him. But Lin Zhan disliked her and opposed her at every turn. She always lowered her eyes and never got angry, as if all his teasing were merely childish behavior.

Lin Zhan disliked her more and more, yet she kept appearing in his hot, damp dreams.

*

In the second year of her marriage, Lin Zhan's older brother died. He watched his sister-in-law cry until she nearly fainted, then stepped forward to support her and comforted her softly. "Sister-in-law, even though my brother is gone, you still have me."

*

Lin Tan was gravely injured and unconscious. When he woke, he had lost some of his memories. His younger brother brought a young woman to see him and said, "Brother, this is my fiancee."

Lin Tan smiled gently, but his brother's fiancee kept her head down, afraid to look at him.

She was slow and timid, yet as resilient as a little flower that could not be broken.

From the first moment he saw her, Lin Tan, a man as flawless as jade and always proper and composed, decided to steal his younger brother's fiancee away.

*

A cool and refined aristocratic young master x a naturally absentminded, honest woman x a gloomy mad dog who refuses to admit what he feels

Content warnings (please read): Let me emphasize this right at the start: Do not insult the heroine because you feel sorry for one of the male leads. Both male leads love only her. Don't choose one for yourself and then complain; the more you insult him, the more I feel sorry for him, thanks. This is a one-woman-two-men romance. The heroine and both male leads have clean minds and bodies. Both male characters are male leads, so they both have plenty of scenes. The blurb is told from the two male characters' perspectives because that gives it the right feel, but the main story is still told from the heroine's perspective. The heroine only begins a romance with the younger brother after the older brother fakes his death and their marriage ends. The heroine really is an honest, simple person. She's dull and timid, and very meek at the beginning (please pay attention: people will bully and look down on her, but she'll change their minds through her own abilities. She's just a guileless young girl who can't be calculating, a sweet and honest person. Please don't be too harsh about the personality of a girl who's only in her teens. If that's not for you, don't read). Later, she wavers. Sorry, I'm trash, I like seeing honest people get bullied. It's extremely melodramatic, with amnesia, a dead husband coming back from the dead and fighting her current partner, and other such dramatic plotlines. My tastes are terrible, so please steer clear if this isn't for you. This is a story written to indulge my personal tastes (emphasis, emphasis). If you don't like this sort of thing, please don't force yourself to read it. P.S. Once again, if you've read my previous story, please consider carefully before reading this one. This heroine is very different from the previous heroine. As the blurb says, she's meek and honest, and that's the core of her personality. Even if she changes later, she won't become a particularly brave or independent woman. Her ideas are old-fashioned and traditional, and she wavers. If you like pure, one-on-one romance with clean characters, don't read (emphasis). The heroine won't choose just one of them; she'll take them both. If you only like one particular male lead, don't force yourself to keep reading. Please don't insult the heroine, please don't insult the heroine. If you can't stand it, just exit using the top-left button. You don't need to tell me you're dropping the story. She's just an honest person. What did she do wrong? I told you she's honest, so there will definitely be meek and frustrating scenes where an honest person gets bullied. Please prepare yourself before continuing, ahhhhh! It's really just a melodramatic, third-rate story indulging my tastes. If you have strong moral standards, please don't read.

Theme: The past cannot be changed, but the future is still ours to shape.