The One Everyone Hates Always Wants to Escape

[Bottom-focused / both devoted to each other / two male leads / melodrama / from universally disliked to universally adored] (Major rewrite)

“An empty shell grew a soul because of you.”

“A heartless person grew a heart because of you.”

“We'll be together forever.”

Zhu Shujun was an arrogant, despicable wretch who made everyone sick. Selfish and ruthless, he fought for everything, carving his way through the world in blood. He was the universally loathed outcast, covered in dust. No matter what he did, it was wrong and contemptible.

He envied his senior brother, whose calm forgiveness only made Zhu Shujun look all the more insignificant. He resented his master, who always kept his distance and sided with outsiders, leaving Zhu Shujun to stare at his back.

His senior brother was the untouchable moonlight in everyone's heart. And him? A vengeful ghost for everyone to curse. Zhu Shujun thought he still had someone he loved, until his wet nurse died.

His whole world came crashing down. He wanted to follow her into death. Pain and hatred mingled, darkening him further.

He was tired. He became like deadwood, his heart already dead, and his body ought to follow.

Zhu Shujun cast aside all his pride and turned to jump into the lake.

When Zhu Shujun was pulled from the water, he had become mute.

Bai Zeli was the pride of everyone around him: virtuous, kindhearted, and beloved by all as the “Senior Brother.”

He had an irritating junior brother who was sharp-tongued and ill-mannered, cared nothing for cultivation, and was instead obsessed with pills.

Bai Zeli wanted to sneer at him for being so pathetic, but he truly thought he would go on living like that forever...

(The senior brother is the top because he's the most unhinged. The overall tone is very oppressive.)