*A serene, laid-back heroine x an extremely jealous husband
In the third year after she married Xu Yan in her older sister's place, the Xu family rose from ruin and regained its standing among the nobility.
People eager to curry favor came flocking, but everyone treated Madam Xu with a curious reserve.
Everyone knew how humiliating this marriage had been. The Xu and Shen families had arranged a betrothal when they were children, but after the Xu family fell on hard times, the Shen family fawned on the powerful and looked down on the fallen, sending away their legitimate daughter and foisting a daughter born to a concubine in her place.
How could a wife he had met for the first time on their wedding day compare with a childhood sweetheart he'd known for years?
The Xu family had been down on their luck before, but Xu Yan was now rising swiftly through the ranks and could make his own decisions. However you looked at it, this was an utterly mismatched marriage.
Rumors spread, and the Xu family's attitude grew increasingly complicated as the Shen family's legitimate daughter returned to the capital. Shen Zhi paid it no mind.
Until the day she saw her elder sister stop Xu Yan, tears in her eyes.
"There were reasons for what happened back then. Now that I'm back, can you honestly say you've forgotten me?"
Her fingers clung to his sleeve, and Xu Yan, usually so reserved and taciturn, lowered his eyes and invited her inside.
*
After three years of marriage, Xu Yan was reasonably satisfied with his wife.
In their youth, when misfortune struck, his wife had silently stayed by his side. They treated each other with respect and lived in harmony.
Even now, with a hundred things keeping him busy and several days passing without his return, his wife would only quietly blow out the candle that had burned through the night. She never said a word.
There were a few minor matters to deal with at present, but none were worth mentioning. He was very happy with things as they were.
Until one summer, while they were escaping the heat, Xu Yan was held up by the Shen family's affairs and couldn't get away.
After working through the night to finish them, he hurried to spend the day with his wife. Then he heard her friend laughing by the pond:
"Looks like your marriage is going to be a disaster."
"Why not go to your stepbrother? Or find Jiang Sui? He hasn't married anyone since you did, and for the past few days he's been standing outside the villa all dressed up, waiting for someone."
"Is it because your husband is such a good man that you can't bear to divorce him?"
What stepbrother? What man all dressed up? Xu Yan felt dizzy and braced himself against a pillar, instinctively listening for his wife's reply.
His wife was sensible and always knew her place. She wouldn't joke about something like that.
He held his breath for several seconds. She rested her head on one hand and idly stirred the water, replying as if it were nothing:
"Him?"
"He's not much. He's like a block of wood. He can't even kiss properly, let alone..."
His ears rang. Xu Yan clenched his fingers until they turned white, nearly crushing his bones.
From then on, on countless nights, Xu Yan would lift her by the crook of her knees, his nose brushing past her damp skin, and ask hoarsely, again and again, "Did I get the kiss right this time?"
"Tell me again, who am I not as good as?"
*Blurb screenshot taken on 2025.8.11
Theme: Keep learning and improving to stay competitive
The Bride's Maid
The Evil God Haunts My Dreams
After I Went Blind, They All Said He Was My Boyfriend
After My Fiancé Brought Home His Savior
My Childhood Friend, Who Died Young, Won't Leave Me Alone
After He Stole His Wife, Her Husband Came Back to Life
My Fake Brother Seduced Me
They All Hope His Wife Is Two-Timing Him