[Over-the-top melodrama with two reborn leads + brothers competing for the heroine in a battle royale + a touch of coercive romance] (Outline complete, full manuscript in progress)
[Unaware she's adored by everyone VS aloof, obsessive beauty on a pedestal]
In her previous life, Xie Chaoying was a jinx.
Her family fell into ruin, her father and brothers died, and she married into the Duke's mansion with a marriage contract in her arms. Not long after, her husband disappeared while investigating a case, leaving no trace of his remains.
The whole city saw her as a harbinger of disaster and kept their distance. Then, to everyone's surprise, Lu Yunhe, her husband's younger brother, a cold and noble man who had risen to the highest ranks of court, bowed before her in public and held out his hand.
"My duty as an elder brother is not yet fulfilled." His voice was calm, yet his words shook the world. "From this day on, I will take on the responsibilities of both branches of the family and care for my sister-in-law in my brother's place."
After that, Lu Yunhe treated her with courtesy and respect. With no way to repay him, she could only draw close to him, awkwardly but willingly, beneath the red gauze curtains.
When passion swept her away and her eyes shimmered with tears, she called to him softly, instinctively: "My lord..."
Before she could finish, his kiss fell on her brow and eyes. The man who was so proper and distant by day murmured against her neck, "Call me that again... my lady."
Xie Chaoying obediently called him again: "My lord..."
She granted his every request, though he wanted nothing from her outside the bedroom and was always distant and aloof.
With no father, mother, or husband, Xie Chaoying was like a drifting weed. She could only devote herself to raising the children and do her best to manage the household, finding in that a sliver of belonging.
In the end, before the emperor's decree ordering Lu Yunhe to marry arrived, she took her own life, knowing when to leave.
By the time Lu Yunhe found her, it was too late. He could only hold her tight, weeping bitterly and regretting everything. Xie Chaoying called him "my lord" once more, but before her eyes appeared the face of her late husband, Lu Huaiqian.
When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the time before her wedding. The woman in the mirror had cloudlike hair and a lovely face, tears glistening in her eyes.
In this life, she would save her late husband, Lu Huaiqian. In this life, she would no longer drag Lu Yunhe down.
-
In his previous life, after Xie Chaoying closed her eyes, Lu Yunhe sat in silence for three days, bereft of any will to live, then followed her in death.
When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the day Xie Chaoying had originally come to his door with the marriage contract. But in this life, she didn't come.
Lu Yunhe saw through everything and knew she had been reborn. He was secretly delighted, but then he watched her risk everything and exhaust herself trying to save her brother.
The joy of seeing her again in this life was instantly swallowed by a more overwhelming bitterness and jealousy. A thought came to him:
Why not just let his brother die one more time?
Reader's guide:
Happy ending, sexually inexperienced male lead, love-triangle battlefield
2026.1.8
Theme: Let the clouds clear and keep to the righteous path in your heart
