[Main story complete]
Bai Yuanjia, the junior disciple of Tianxuan Sect, has been hopelessly in love with his senior brother for eight years. But when he confesses at his senior brother’s wedding ceremony, he is slapped in front of everyone and expelled from the sect.
Qi Yunzhao, young master of Yuxian Pavilion, emerges from seclusion only to learn that Jiang Yu, his childhood sweetheart, has married someone else: Bai Yuanjia’s senior brother.
In a corner of the wedding venue, the two rejected souls meet. They save each other in a moment of danger and set off together to recover from their wounds.
As they rely on each other for warmth and survival, an ambiguous affection quietly takes root.
Then a letter from his senior brother summoning him back shatters their peace. The hope that flares in Bai Yuanjia’s eyes fans the jealousy growing wildly in Qi Yunzhao’s heart.
Nurtured by evil energy, Qi Yunzhao’s inner demon takes hold. He sets a deadly trap, luring Bai Yuanjia into drawing his senior brother into a perilous place with the promise of “working together to break up the match.”
When Bai Yuanjia sees through the scheme, he takes a sword meant for Qi Yunzhao.
The inner demon spirals completely out of control! Qi Yunzhao takes Bai Yuanjia by force.
At last, through the pain, Qi Yunzhao realizes that what he felt for his senior brother was only an obsession...
[Reader’s Guide]
1. A lovesick, completely unhinged yandere whose heart demon has him in its grip, and who falls into darkness out of devotion (Qi Yunzhao) x a softhearted yet resilient recipient who first gives his love to the wrong person, then grows and finds clarity (Bai Yuanjia).
2. A little clash between two strong characters, with all the angst and melodrama of a tragic romance. They go from tending each other’s wounds to loving and fighting each other, from coercive love driven by a heart demon to mutual salvation.
3. Please note: The pursuer uses the recipient at first, setting a trap to kill his rival. There is forced love later on, a heart demon plot, a groveling pursuit after the breakup, and a (fake) substitute trope. But only a little of each! In the end, the recipient will come to understand his own heart, and the pursuer will pay the price and learn how to love someone properly.
4. The romance is the focus, with the plot taking a back seat. It’s a short story, so there isn’t much plot. Expect a fast-paced, emotionally satisfying ride.
