Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation (Female-dominant)

The Tormented Heart of a Rejected Husband (Second male lead)

Throughout the novel, Yan Jiyue, the ex-husband of the female protagonist Su Mu, displays a inner conflict in his feelings towards her. On the surface, he appears cold, arrogant and disdainful of Su Mu after their arranged marriage and subsequent divorce. However, beneath this facade lies a man desperately yearning for Su Mu’s affection and approval.

Yan Jiyue’s emotions swing wildly between love and hate, desire and revulsion. When Su Mu first enters the Yan family, he treats her with open contempt, viewing her as beneath him. Yet as Su Mu proves her capabilities and rises in status, Yan Jiyue finds himself increasingly drawn to her strength and competence. His pride prevents him from admitting these growing feelings, leading him to lash out cruelly at Su Mu instead.

The arrival of Xie Yi as Su Mu’s devoted attendant ignites a raging jealousy in Yan Jiyue. He is tormented by the sight of Su Mu showering Xie Yi with the care and affection he secretly craves for himself. This jealousy manifests in vicious attacks against Xie Yi, as Yan Jiyue tries desperately to drive a wedge between him and Su Mu.

When Su Mu finally divorces him, Yan Jiyue is devastated, though he tries to hide it. He oscillates between wanting to win her back and wanting to destroy her out of spite. His attempts to sabotage Su Mu’s reputation reveal the depth of his conflicted emotions – he cannot bear to see her succeed without him, yet also cannot bring himself to truly harm her.

Ultimately, Yan Jiyue is a man at war with himself – torn between his pride and his love, unable to reconcile his desire for Su Mu with his need to feel superior to her. His tragedy lies in his inability to humble himself and openly pursue the woman he loves before it’s too late.

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Male lead’s POV

In the beginning, when Su Mu saves Xie Yi from a miserable life as a slave, he feels immense gratitude towards her. As a mixed-blood person from the frontier who has suffered abuse and humiliation, Su Mu’s kindness is like a ray of hope piercing through his dark world. Xie Yi decides to repay her grace by being a devoted servant, learning to cook Chinese dishes and practicing embroidery to please her.

As Xie Yi spends more time with Su Mu, his feelings evolve from pure gratitude to deep affection and even romantic love.

But at the same time, Xie Yi is plagued by a strong sense of inferiority. The “yin” (lewd/adulterous) branding on his chest is a constant reminder of his shameful past. Even though Su Mu removes the mark for him, Xie Yi still feels unworthy of her, believing that his lowly background makes him an unsuitable match. He oscillates between the desire to stay with Su Mu forever and the guilt that he is sullying her reputation.

When malicious rumors spread about Su Mu keeping Xie Yi as a lover and abandoning her husband, Xie Yi is heartbroken. Out of his selfless love for Su Mu, he volunteers to leave or even be sold again to protect her name and career prospects.

Su Mu’s firm refusal to cast him away moves Xie Yi to tears of joy. Her staunch support and acceptance despite his flaws give Xie Yi the courage to face slander together with her. Xie Yi’s love becomes fiercely possessive – he wishes to monopolize Su Mu’s attention and cannot stand the thought of her with any other man, especially her ex-husband Yan Feiyue.

In the showdown against the Yan family’s vicious scheme, Xie Yi silently vows to protect Su Mu at all costs, even if it means getting his own hands dirty. This resolution demonstrates Xie Yi’s growth from a passive, self-loathing victim to a proactive guardian of his beloved.