Josei
Spring Out of Confusion
I’ve been stalking my husband’s mistress.
She lives a glamorous life-she resides in a villa in an upscale neighborhood, drives a car worth millions, and is a pampered heiress.
Even when she’s out on a date with my husband, she has to be home by a certain time.
“I’m sorry, my father is very strict,” she would say.
To defend my marriage, I secretly took some photos and sent a message to that strict father of hers.
“Did you know your daughter is someone’s mistress?” It took a long time before he finally replied. “I know.” “I’m the one she’s cheating on.”
Annual Report of the Imperial Harem
I am the most indolent concubine in the Imperial Harem.
The Emperor is currently reading my Annual Slacker Report.
“This year, your name tag was flipped nineteen times. Of those, you were intercepted thirteen times. You actually served in the bedchamber six times, during three of which the Emperor couldn’t perform.”
“This year, you knelt over a thousand times. You called the Noble Consort a ‘bitch’ over ten thousand times, but the number of times you actually said it to her face was zero.”
“Do you remember the Mid-Autumn Banquet?”
“The talent you performed was balancing a pot of wine on your upturned backside, which resulted in half a month’s stipend being docked.”
“This year, your rank and salary have seen no change from last year. In fact, this situation has persisted for three years now.”
“Your keyword for this year is ‘Trash.’ Please keep it up next year.”
Oh no. Am I about to be slacked all the way into the Cold Palace?
A Love Forged in Resentment
I met someone named Chen Ye.
Everyone says he is loyal, kind, and a rare good person in this world.
But I think he is vulgar, hypocritical, and the most despicable and shameless scoundrel in the world.
Yet I kind of like him.
The Wealthy Couple
Li Xiuyi was my fiancé.
Yet, at his own birthday banquet, he announced that he was marrying another woman.
Everyone turned to look at me, their eyes filled with uncertainty.
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, I was the first to start clapping.
I even presented a ring as a blessing.
“I wish you a long and happy marriage, and may you be blessed with a child soon.”
The CEO’s Runaway Bride
I had been married to the heir of the Jiang Group for two years, and during that entire time, he had treated me with nothing but cold indifference.
Then, in the middle of the night, I got out of bed to use the bathroom when he suddenly grabbed my hand.
I turned around to find the man before me with the corners of his eyes flushed a faint red, his voice trembling.
“Shen Tingwan, are you trying to leave me behind again?”
The Younger Man I’m Not Supposed to Love
At thirty-five, I experienced a cliff-drop divorce.
In truth, it wasn’t entirely without warning.
I am a police officer and Liang Xu is a prosecutor; in the eyes of others, we were a match made in heaven.
Late one night, Liang Xu turned off the light, climbed into bed, and spoke slowly.
“I feel like my life right now is nothing more than a pool of stagnant water.”
After that, he changed careers to become a lawyer, specializing in litigation for the wealthy.
We changed houses, and we changed cars.
The day our son started elementary school, he asked me for a divorce.
“Even though we have sex once a week, it feels like a routine chore.
“Perhaps you should try someone else, too.”
And I really did.
But then Liang Xu lost control of his emotions, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently.
“You’re a cop and he’s a crook! Can you please wake up?!”
With a swift counter-move, I pinned his arm behind his back.
“I got used to drinking lukewarm water, so now I want to taste some strong liquor. He’s rich, handsome, and young-what could he possibly want from me other than myself?”
Soaring Crane
When I married Pei Miao, everyone praised our union as a match made in heaven. Our honeymoon bliss lasted less than three months before I discovered he had a soulmate. Pei Miao cherished and adored her, even setting up a private residence for her outside our home. When I confronted him, he coldly rebuked me: jealousy was unbecoming of a virtuous wife. So I learned to be magnanimous, until I too stepped beyond the boundaries of marriage and forced him to taste the same pain he had given me.
Jinhua
After fifteen years of marriage, Meng Ye had taken a mistress-a flamboyant young woman he kept on the side.
Cradling her pregnant belly, she stormed into my presence to demand a formal title.
“You’re a fading beauty with one foot in the grave, and you haven’t even produced a son to see you off. What right do you have to cling to the position of Madam?”
Amused, I looked past her at Meng Ye and asked, “Well? You tell her. What right do I have?”
He didn’t dare answer. He knew that if I, a Tiger Woman of a General’s Family, ever lost my temper, his little girl wouldn’t even dare to cry out loud.
Endless Green in the Deep Courtyard
I waited bitterly for Qu Huang for three years, only to receive a letter of divorce.
When the message arrived, I was still wiping down his bedridden mother.
It was March, and the late spring cold had returned, yet I was drenched in sweat from exhaustion.
My hands shook so badly I could barely take the thin silk letter the attendant handed me.
“Where is my husband?”
“The young master has already arrived in the front hall.”
I sighed, set down the damp towel in my hand, and smoothed back the stray hair at my temples.
“Very well. I’ll go with you.”
Good Girl Gone Wild
It was the fourth year of my relationship with Fu Jingsen.
He had grown tired of my dullness and lack of change.
A young, trendy girl had successfully seduced him, leaving him infatuated.
Yet, he told his friends,
“It’s just a little fling to try something new.”
“When it comes to marriage, of course, you still choose a Good Girl like Shen Ci.”
With the wedding fast approaching, everyone urged me to consider the bigger picture.
However, Chen Xu, the most notorious playboy in our social circle, stopped me. “Hey, Good Girl, do you dare to be rebellious for once?”
At the wedding three days later, Fu Jingsen stared at the hickey on the side of my neck. He was so furious that he couldn’t even hold his bouquet steady.
I gave him a faint smile.
“Just trying something fresh. Why are you so angry?”
“Only after trying it did I realize how boring you actually are. You don’t have nearly as many tricks as he does.”