In the turbulent years of the Republic, cold mists shroud Beiping.
Lin Jinshu travels north with her mother, adrift like duckweed, with her heart dwelling beneath an old moon. Gentle on the outside yet resilient within, clear-eyed and devoted, she clings to a promise made in her youth. Living under another's roof, she hides her pride and the stirrings of her heart, enduring each step in silence.
Yu Shi'an commands the fortunes of Beiping's industries. Warm and composed, he keeps his unfathomable depths well concealed. To the outside world, he is decisive and ruthless, never overstepping his bounds. Only toward Lin Jinshu does he harbor a possessive, obsessive devotion, quietly building her a cage of security and locking it with tenderness.
He never says he loves her. He only shields her from storms, silences the gossip, and takes care of every last detail. She doesn't dare to love him, trapped between her first promise and the life before her, each flutter of her heart bringing boundless guilt.
No matter how brightly the old moon shines, it cannot outshine a peaceful life in the here and now. They meet in turbulent times: he is her salvation, and she is the one exception he has ever made.
Theme: In turbulent times, nothing is ever truly complete, and the heart can rarely have everything. She is bound by an old promise from her youth; he is steadfast in his devotion to the present. It isn't that the old moonlight shines too dimly, but that someone is willing to trade a lifetime of peace for her to let go of the past and embrace a restrained, enduring love of her own free will.
