The thing Xie Shu regretted most in his life was agreeing to pretend to be a couple with the crown prince.
He is Prince Jingwei, a prince of a different surname raised in the palace by the emperor. In the eyes of the world, he is wild, willful, and reckless. No one knows that he is the sharpest blade of the underground organization Han Chan, codenamed Night Owl.
Xiao Chengji is the crown prince of the current dynasty, gentle, modest, and seemingly harmless. The court and the people alike believe he is weak and easily bullied, destined to achieve nothing. Yet no one knows that the founder of Han Chan is none other than this seemingly gentle heir to the throne.
To bring down Prince Rong, whose power dominates the court, and secure the crown prince's position, the two devise a secret plan: pretend to be lovers in public, feigning indulgence in romance and neglect of their true ambitions to lull their enemies and conceal the undercurrents at court.
They agreed it was only an act, over as soon as the show was done, with neither owing the other anything.
But as the performance went on, Xie Shu began to panic.
He grits his teeth and bears his old injuries without a word, yet the crown prince will pin him to the bed with a cold expression. His tone is stern, but his fingertips touch the wounds with the utmost care. When Xie Shu is trapped in a deadly predicament amid a sea of flames, the crown prince throws aside his sword and rushes in without regard for his own life, carrying the battered Xie Shu out of the fire. Afterwards, his hands tremble so badly he can barely hold a waterskin.
Again and again, Xie Shu reminds him to keep his distance: "You're taking the act too far, Your Highness."
Xiao Chengji merely gazes at him in silence.
Only later does Xie Shu finally understand: the game was false, the intimacy was an act, but the quiet devotion and willingness to risk his life were always real.
It was supposed to be a charade to deceive the world, but the crown prince went and fell in love for real, and now refuses to bring the performance to an end.
