Springtime on the Couch

In her previous life, Shi Wenzhu honored her betrothal and married into the Lu family, becoming the wife of Lu Mai, eldest grandson of the family's senior branch. She cared for her husband, tread carefully in the grand household, managed the home, and wore herself out, all in the hope that she and her husband could treat each other with respect. But all her love earned her was Lu Mai sending her to be buried in a desolate grave.

Reborn, she wanted no more of her sharp-tongued, ungrateful mother-in-law's bullying or Lu Mai's schemes. She was done with a life that felt like a plunge into the abyss. She resolved to sever all ties with Lu Mai and send him to a living hell where he would be torn apart alive.

The Lu family had a fifth uncle: the legitimate son of the Marquis of Jingyuan and the powerful commander of the Wuyi Guard. At thirty, he was still unmarried and alone.

On a snowy day, snow turned her black hair white. Warm tears fell onto the gilt lettering as she knelt, her voice trembling but firm. "Uncle, I absolutely will not marry you."

The man's features were cold, his voice emotionless. "Do you understand that this marriage isn't something you can simply accept or reject as you please?"

"I... I'll marry you."

It had been a chance encounter, but that frail yet unyielding figure was branded into Lu Xuan's heart. He reached out and pulled her up from the mud, his breath scorching. "Once you've decided, there's no turning back."

Everyone said Lu Xuan was ruthless and cruel. Only Shi Wenzhu had seen the burning passion he kept hidden in the depths of the night.

He cleared every obstacle from her path, sheltered her beneath his wings, and in private gave her all his tenderness and possessive devotion.

But when she discovered that he had been plotting to take her by force from the very beginning, Shi Wenzhu was finally afraid and fled in the dead of night.

Yet amid the swirling snow, he stopped her with his embroidered spring sword. Its flash gleamed against the snow, and possessive desire surged in his eyes. "Shi Wenzhu, you shouldn't have run."