Moonlit Dreams in Qincheng

Alternate Republican-era setting / devoted younger woman × restrained officer / strong leads / slow-burn mutual pining / lost and found Pei Xinyan is the youngest chief of staff in Qincheng. Rational and cool-headed, she never lets emotions sway her, and has never needed anyone’s company. But after an assassination attempt on her, she has no choice but to accept her mother’s arrangement and let Ning Yan protect her. Ning Yan is taciturn and stubborn, and not good at expressing herself, but she always appears when Pei Xinyan needs her. It is only later that Pei Xinyan gradually realizes Ning Yan’s attention to her seems to have quietly crossed the line between subordinate and superior... A little scene: Pei Xinyan rushes toward Ning Yan without hesitation. Ning Yan turns her head slightly, signaling for her not to come closer. Almost unable to breathe from the pressure around her neck, she keeps her eyes fixed on Pei Xinyan. Pain and suffocation have made her gaze heavy, but she stubbornly looks at her and uses the last of her clarity to say: “Stay back.” Pei Xinyan catches her and steadies her. Only then does she truly see the extent of Ning Yan’s injuries. Blood runs from the side of her face down her jaw, her military uniform is soaked through at the shoulder, and her collar is in disarray from the struggle. Pei Xinyan raises a hand to wipe the blood from her face, but in the end only brushes her cheek lightly. The warmth of the blood sticks to her fingertips, and Pei Xinyan’s breathing suddenly falters. “Ning Yan...” Pei Xinyan lowers her eyes to her hand, then quickly looks away. This is Ning Yan’s duty. She was injured on a mission, and as her superior, Pei Xinyan naturally has to check her wounds. She would do the same for anyone else. She runs these thoughts through her mind and decides there is nothing wrong with them. Theme: We spend our whole lives becoming the people others expect us to be, until we meet someone who helps us see ourselves again.