Sang Zhi was born with skin as fair as snow and smooth as jade, but she was timid by nature and had a stutter.
Following an accident, she ended up in a compromising situation with Pei Xiyue, her elder sister’s beloved. Forced to separate from the woman he truly loved, Pei Xiyue was convinced that Sang Zhi had intentionally schemed against him. Relying on a verbal marriage contract, he brought her into the Pei Mansion.
He treated her with nothing but mockery and ridicule, even taking her out to be teased by his friends. Sang Zhi tried to explain herself numerous times, but her efforts always came to nothing.
One day, after being abandoned once again, Sang Zhi was dejectedly preparing to walk back on her own. Suddenly, a carriage pulled up beside her.
A pale, slender finger lifted the curtain made of Yuhua brocade, revealing Pei He’an sitting inside. He looked as pure as moonlight and as beautiful as a painting, resembling a Bodhisattva perched high upon the clouds. As he raised his hand, his sleeve fell back slightly, inadvertently revealing the Bodhi wristlet around his wrist.
“Suisui, come up.”
At first, when Pei He’an heard that his younger brother was mistreating his new wife, he merely reprimanded him out of duty.
However, that helpless sister-in-law seemed immensely grateful. She would carefully hold a food box in her hands, stuttering out her goodwill. Her eyes, when looking at him, were as bright as the stars, and the tiny mole near her lip would flicker in and out of sight as she spoke. That crimson speck swayed before his eyes like a drop of cinnabar.
In an instant, his composure crumbled.
Later, he happened to hear his brother mention that the timid woman was clamoring for a divorce. Pei He’an steadied his brother, hinting that this was merely her tactic, while simultaneously playing the “good guy” in front of his sister-in-law. He comforted her with gentle words and used despicable means to lure her in.
It wasn’t until that poor sister-in-law came to him again with tear-filled eyes that he spoke:
“Suisui, you are wonderful. It is San-lang who is not worthy of you.”
“San-lang committing such a mistake is, in a way, my responsibility as his elder brother. I have also failed you.”
“I am willing to make amends in San-lang’s stead.”
On a bone-chilling winter day, Sang Zhi’s bed was filled with a scent that did not belong to her. The cold fragrance of cedar tightly enveloped her, as if intending to saturate her entire being.
A low voice echoed in her ear, persistently questioning her:
“Suisui, how much longer must we keep hiding?”
“Am I really so unfit to be seen in the light?”
Sang Zhi’s body trembled slightly, but she could not utter a single word.
Notes:
1.
The female lead is not a virgin; the male lead is.
2.
The male lead is 10 years older than the female lead.
3.
There is no emotional relationship between the characters while the prior marriage remains valid.
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