Spring Colors Between the Clouds

Jiang Jiao had a secret: she was not the Jiang family's daughter, but a substitute.

Three years earlier, she had been a government courtesan, beaten and abused at will. Fortunately, Xie Yun rescued her and brought her back to the Jiang residence. She was obedient and compliant, playing the part of a substitute without complaint.

In public, Xie Yun treated her as a younger sister. In private, the two of them shared a lover's intimacy. He would touch the corner of her eye, his gaze complicated, and gently call her, "Jiaojiao."

She loved Xie Yun and thought she would be with him forever. But when the real Miss Jiang returned, Jiang Jiao's identity was exposed, and she was thrown out of the family home.

That day, the cold rain fell on her face, chilling her to the bone. She watched with her own eyes as Xie Yun held the real Miss Jiang close and affectionately called her "Jiaojiao."

So in his heart, his Jiaojiao had always been someone else.

She touched her slightly rounded belly and decisively chose to leave.

*

Xie Yun believed he did not like Jiang Jiao. His intimacy with her was merely a way to toy with her.

Afterward, whenever he saw the moisture shimmering in the girl's eyes and red marks covering her pale neck, he could not help sneering.

How could he possibly like such a foolish woman!

So when the real Jiaojiao returned, he wanted nothing more to do with Jiang Jiao.

Yet when he saw Jiang Jiao coyly acting spoiled in another man's arms, he could no longer resist the stirrings in his heart.

He would take her back and lock her away,

so she would be his Jiaojiao alone, forever.

*

That night, Jiang Jiao was wearing her wedding dress when the deranged Xie Yun dragged her into the warm bedchamber. His fierce gaze swept over her as he tore all her clothes to shreds. "Be good, Jiaojiao. I've already claimed your body. Who else do you think you're marrying?"

1. The heroine is not a virgin, but the hero is.

Theme: Everyone is equal