[Alluring, Clear-Headed Female Lead x Patient, Scheming, Insecure Male Lead]
[Historical Romance + Quality Fiction + 1v1 + Both Leads Are Inexperienced + He Chases Her After Losing Her + Palace Intrigue + Intense Push and Pull + Prepare for Him to Fall Hard + Mutual Scheming + Overwhelming Possessiveness]
Su Qingqiu is the legitimate daughter of the prime minister's household, a cherished jewel adored by everyone. With her elder brother watching over her and her parents doting on her, she lives a pampered yet clear-eyed life. Well versed in the ways of surviving at court, she initially seeks a promising partner with whom she can climb to the top. Of all the princes, she settles on the third prince, Lu Yunshu, who seems to have no one to rely on but is secretly sharp-edged.
Maintaining the poise of a princess, she flirts with him at every turn, alternately drawing him in and holding him at arm's length. She thinks she has him in the palm of her hand, but Lu Yunshu has long been hardened by the intrigues of the deep palace. He takes her calculated advances for a scheme and coldly pushes her toward someone else. "The princess is noble and distinguished. He is the one worthy of you."
Su Qingqiu has always been clear about love and hate, and never wastes her warmth on someone who gives her the cold shoulder. Since her sincerity has been rejected, she simply takes back her affections and seriously considers that "backup option."
[He does seem pretty decent.]
That move completely shatters Lu Yunshu's carefully maintained facade. The prince, who has endured for years and never even lost his composure when his mother died, corners her beneath the palace wall, his eyes red and his voice obsessive and feverish. "Su Qingqiu, you want to choose someone else? Did you ask me first?"
At first, she does everything she can to lure him into her trap. Later, he lets down his guard and relentlessly pursues her. What began as a game of scheming ultimately draws them both into true love amid the whirlpool of political intrigue.
