[Forbidden Romance Between In-Laws] [Love by Force] [Classic Angst]
Shi Nian hated Li Ke with all her heart.
Everyone praised his noble character and impeccable manners, and said he treated his late elder brother's orphan and widow with the utmost kindness.
Everyone called him the gentlest head of the Li family, but only Shi Nian knew
that beneath that mild exterior lay a monstrous obsession, buried for years and willing to stop at nothing.
His elder brother died, and the restraints collapsed.
Defying all propriety, he used his power to force his widowed sister-in-law, who had nowhere to turn, to remain by his side.
Shi Nian could only hate herself for being blind. How had she ever been softhearted enough to save a poisonous snake like him?
She wanted to devour his flesh and drink his blood.
*
One day, Shi Nian fainted.
Li Ke asked, "How is Sister-in-law feeling?"
The old matriarch wept bitterly. "She's with child. If she can bear a son, it will bring comfort to your elder brother's spirit in heaven."
That night, rain poured in torrents.
Li Ke sat by the bed and gently caressed her belly. In a soft voice, he said, "A Nian, we're going to have a child."
Shi Nian slapped his hand away and said coldly, "It's a bastard. It must not be allowed to enter this world."
Li Ke's hand paused. His smile only grew wider as he picked up his little niece, woken by the thunder, and threatened her coolly:
"Yao'er, take good care of your mother. She's carrying your younger brother. Your life depends on him staying alive."
Shi Nian's straight back immediately slumped.
*
At the start of winter, Li Ke held his wedding.
By coincidence, Shi Nian went into labor. After a day and a night of pain, she gave birth to the child he had longed for.
At midnight, blazing flames lit up the residence.
Li Ke cast aside all dignity and hurried over, rushing into the fire. Beneath a fallen beam, he saw two bodies.
One large, one small.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the snow that filled the sky. His hair turned white overnight, too.
Ignoring everyone's protests, he held the bodies in his arms for days, refusing to bury them.
Everyone said, "He's gone mad, he's gone mad..."
*
In the ninth year of Xianhe, Li Ke declared himself emperor and named his elder brother's son heir.
When the news reached Yizhou, someone brought it up. Shi Nian paused slightly as she scooped tofu, then smiled and said, "What do royal affairs have to do with ordinary people like us?"
In the middle of the night, someone slipped into her room, caressed her face, and whispered in her ear, "A Nian, what did you say it had to do with you?"
[Reading Guide]
1. Classic angst: love by force and a groveling pursuit to win her back
2. The hero is trash (don't blame the author, feel free to blame the hero)
3. The heroine is seven years older than the hero. Older woman/younger man romance. She has no romantic experience; he does.
Theme: Be self-reliant and strong
