Secretly in love, then finally together + the second male lead's road to regret and redemption + sweet romance + a touch of political intrigue
SC, mutual healing, a gentle and devoted hero, and a purely sweet romance with no angst
Shen Wangshu has been in love with her childhood friend, Lu Jingguang, for years.
When the Shen family suddenly falls into ruin, the childhood friend she is engaged to rushes over and says the best he can offer her is the position of a concubine.
Shen Wangshu breaks off the engagement on the spot and cuts all ties with him.
Lu Jingguang sneers. She really doesn't know what's good for her. Now that the Shen family has fallen, who in the whole capital would dare marry her besides him?
Who could have guessed that right after the engagement is broken, Xie Linzhi, the newly acclaimed top scholar, would come to ask for Shen Wangshu's hand in marriage?
Lu Jingguang regrets it. He swallows his pride to try to win her back, and even resorts to underhanded tactics to force her hand.
To everyone's surprise, Xie Linzhi turns out to be the long-lost only son of the immensely powerful Princess Regent. The emperor dies, the princess takes the throne, and the Shen family is exonerated. The truth also comes to light about how, five years ago, Xie Linzhi stole someone else's identity and claimed to be the one who saved Shen Wangshu...
Shen Wangshu asks the top scholar why he wants to marry her.
Xie Linzhi says, “I've been waiting all this time, waiting for you to give up on Lu Jingguang and turn around to look at me.”
She understands. It turns out the top scholar likes her a little.
Only later does she learn that it isn't a little, and it isn't just liking her. He loves her deeply.
It's okay, it's pretty good-looking, and it has a happy ending.
A simple and complete story, the plot seems cliché, but some of the expressive details are quite unconventional.