Zhang Ruojin was once the beloved legitimate daughter of the marquis’s household. After a palace disaster, she was forced to become a daughter of the concubine branch.
Her once-loving father and brothers turned against her, her stepmother disliked her, and her sisters tormented her. In the end, she was abandoned at the bitterly cold Zhilan Convent to live or die on her own.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ruozhu, a daughter of the concubine branch who had once been lowborn, took everything that belonged to her.
They all treated that girl like the apple of their eye, lavishing her with affection. They even bribed bandits, hoping to ruin Zhang Ruojin’s virtue and cut off her last chance of survival when the poison inside her flared up.
At death’s door, Zhang Ruojin recalled the miserable first half of her life, all of it caused by caring too much about family.
Desperate for a man to help her dispel the poison, Zhang Ruojin thought, This time, I want no family ties. I just want to live.
So, in her panic, she stumbled into a man’s arms and kissed him of her own accord, doing everything she could to entice him.
The devastatingly handsome man struggled to stop her wandering hands, his breath unsteady. His voice was stern: “Miss, please behave with dignity.”
With her eyes hazy from drink, she threw him onto the bed and murmured, “I don’t want a title. I’m just borrowing something from you to stay alive.”
Lu Rui: ...
After a night of passion,
Zhang Ruojin came to her senses and dismissed it as a chance encounter, giving it no further thought.
But Lu Rui couldn’t forget the taste of her. He swore to search heaven and earth until he found her.
