They first met by the riverside, where Lu Mingyuan helped Zhaoyue fish her phoenix pendant out of the water. Their fingertips brushed, and his ears turned red. When they met again in the capital, he shoved Su Qingyao aside and declared, “She’s the one I’m going to marry.” On the night of the lantern festival, he shielded her from Xiao Che and murmured, “I’m the only one who gets to give you a lantern.” But on the day his family rebelled, he stood armored in the enemy camp, and when she pointed her sword at his heart, he turned aside. At last, beneath the city tower, he drew his sword against his own father to protect her. As he fell, he said, “Zhaoyue, in our next lives, let’s be ordinary people.” The dragon-and-phoenix pendant was still incomplete, and the one who loved him would forever be stranded on that snowy night.
