[A bold and passionate official's daughter VS a cold, secretly deranged hypocrite]
Synopsis:
Shang Yao came from a family of minor officials, yet fell for the heir of the Duke of Yuan's estate at a banquet.
One glance was all it took for her to decide she would get close to him.
She brought the young man tea, sewed him wrist guards by hand, and even trained hard at archery so she could win a colored-glass inkstone at a competition and give it to him.
Shang Yao thought her efforts might move him, if only a little.
Then she accidentally discovered the truth: every carefully chosen gift she had sent him had been discarded like worthless trash.
Even so, she didn't give up.
After an accident, the young man was drugged. Shang Yao rushed to help him without hesitation, but he shoved her away harshly.
His usually detached eyes were now full of undisguised disgust, as if she were some shameless, despicable nobody.
"As expected of a minor official's daughter. These low-class tricks are all you're fit for." His words crushed every hope she had, and her heart plunged into an icy abyss.
The young man coldly ordered her to leave and never appear before him again.
Shang Yao agreed. She returned home through the freezing rain, whereupon she fell ill and remained bedridden.
As she lay in bed, despondent, her childhood sweetheart returned from his travels. He often visited her, treated her with tender care, and even had a matchmaker approach her with a marriage proposal.
Shang Yao decided to try accepting this gentle, steady affection.
--
Ji Qingwei was born the heir of the Duke of Yuan's estate, raised in luxury and accustomed to a cold, aloof disposition. He had always disdained romance, until a radiant young woman stumbled into his lonely life.
He saw through all her clumsy attempts to please him, convinced she was only trying to climb the social ladder. So he ordered his servants to destroy her gifts, lest they offend his eyes.
When he was accidentally drugged, he blamed her without asking what had happened. Assuming her unrequited love had driven her to desperate measures, he plotted against her without scruple.
In a fit of rage, he sharply ordered her to back off and commanded her never to appear before him again.
After that, the young woman truly kept her distance. Whenever he was around, she avoided the place entirely. Even when they met face-to-face, she lowered her eyes and hurried past without a word.
He should have been pleased, but for some reason, an inexplicable irritation took root in his heart, shattering the composure he had maintained for so long.
Later, a young man appeared at her side. The girl who had once devoted all her enthusiasm to him now gave all her tenderness and consideration to someone else.
Ji Qingwei watched, and in that moment learned what it meant to feel resentment. Obsession and jealousy surged wildly within him, leaving him with only one thought: those beautiful eyes should see no one but him!
--
He confined her in a lofty tower, keeping her with him night after night.
The young woman, eyes brimming with tears, told him that she and the other man loved each other and begged him to show mercy.
The young man gripped her chin, each word icy: "If your love is truly so deep, I'll erase every memory you have of him, and every memory he has of you. You'll forget each other forever, with nothing left between you!"
Reader's guide:
1. One-on-one romance, both leads are each other's first, happy ending.
2. The male lead is genuinely deranged and awful. He will not be redeemed.
3. Still features coercive pursuit and plenty of melodrama. Proceed with caution.
4. Strong male lead, weak female lead. Written to indulge the author's kinks.
5. Synopsis revised on July 13, 2026, and saved as a screenshot.
Core message: Love and hate openly, and live as yourself.
