Have Another Cup of Passion Wine

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[Defiant and resolute, patient and devoted, young master of a marquis's household

x Independent and stubborn, clever and mischievous, merchant's daughter]

Marriage first, love later | Second chance at love | The regret-and-redemption arc

Lu Xiyuan failed to run away from her wedding again.

With no other choice, she could only obey her father's wishes and marry Wen Chan, the sixth young master of the Dingyuan Marquis household.

Wen Chan had followed his father and brothers to battlefields since childhood, and at a young age had already earned many distinguished military achievements.

Born to a noble family and strikingly handsome, he was the first choice for marriage among the noble ladies of the capital.

Everyone sighed that Lu Xiyuan, a merchant's daughter of low status, had managed to soar to the branches and become a phoenix with nothing but a marriage contract. She'd gotten the deal of a lifetime.

But Lu Xiyuan thought this marriage was a losing proposition.

She was determined to calculate every last detail!

On their wedding night, Lu Xiyuan refused to drink the wedding cup with Wen Chan. Instead, she took out paper and brush and began calculating the terms of their future divorce.

"We were husband and wife, after all. It wouldn't be unreasonable for me to take half your wealth. When the time comes, we can part ways peacefully and go our separate ways."

With that, Lu Xiyuan spread out the contract on the table. The ink was neat, and she'd written down every possible gain and loss, along with each share of the property, stroke by stroke.

At this, Wen Chan's eyes didn't flicker, and he showed no emotion.

He simply turned away and left her with a casual remark.

"There's no need to go to all that trouble. If that day really comes, I'll leave with nothing."

*

The entire capital was waiting for Lu Xiyuan and Wen Chan to go their separate ways.

Lu Xiyuan was no exception.

On the day Wen Chan returned victorious, she specially prepared a table of fine dishes in their room and waited eagerly, as if their reunion after a brief separation were better than a new marriage.

Outside the red curtains, candlelight flickered. Having washed the scent of blood from himself, Wen Chan arrived full of anticipation, wondering what Lu Xiyuan would do to make up for the wedding night they'd never had.

The two sat opposite each other at the table. Lu Xiyuan picked up a wine cup and spoke with a bright smile.

"The situation is settled now, and the land is at peace. It's time for us to honor our agreement and go our separate ways as soon as possible."

To her surprise, Wen Chan's expression changed at once. He crushed the wine cup in his hand and, eyes red, demanded of her,

"Who said you could divorce me?"

Lu Xiyuan was baffled. Could Wen Chan really be reluctant to part with that mere half of his wealth? Since when had he become so stingy?

As her thoughts wandered, the two somehow ended up on the bed. Their clothes were scattered, and they had nothing left to hide from each other...

[Blurb screenshot dated 2025.06.30]

Theme: Everyone is responsible for the fate of the world