Ashes and Bones as a Contract

[Shen Jingque] (24 years old, top assassin/death warrior) - a revengeful blade covered in ice. Surface personality: cold and lonely, taciturn, and extremely capable of execution. She was like a sword without temperature, only obeying Pei Ji's orders. For Xiao Lin, she only has physical disgust and the murderous intention to complete the task, without any affection for her children. Deep personality: Extremely lacking in love, loyal to the point of being stupid, and self-loathing. There are only two colors in her world (Pei Ji is white and Xiao Lin is black). Once she learns the truth, her worldview will collapse, transforming from extreme hatred to extreme regret. Cute points/contrast: When killing people, his hands are as steady as a rock, but his ears turn red when he receives a compliment from Pei Ji; he thought he hated Xiao Lin deeply, but when Xiao Lin really died in front of him, his heart hurt so much that he couldn't even breathe. [Xiao Lin] (27 years old, regent/deposed prince)——Crazy critic who looks up to the light in the abyss Surface personality: vicious, moody, and erratic. He was a "traitor" who was punished by everyone in the government and the public. He always cooperated with Shen Jingque's assassination with a half-smile, and even took the initiative to hand over the knife. Deep character: Tolerant and affectionate, self-sacrificing, lonely to the bone. He was burdened with the blood debt of the entire Shen family (actually he was the scapegoat), and in order to protect Shen Jingque from being drawn into the political whirlpool, he deliberately made her hate him. His love is not possession, but "if you kill me to relieve your hatred, then I will give you my life." Cuteness/contrast: She said "I'm waiting for you to kill me", but her body subconsciously blocked Shen Jingque's hidden arrows; after being stabbed by Shen Jingque, her first reaction was not to be angry, but to worry about whether the poison on the sword would hurt her hand. [Pei Ji] (28 years old, current imperial advisor/son of an aristocratic family) - a hypocritical god who manipulates people's hearts Surface personality: gentle as jade, compassionate and noble. He is the only light in Shen Jingque's dark world, and is her spiritual father/brother/lover (blurred lines). Deep personality: extremely controlling, selfish and cold-blooded, performing personality. He has never loved Shen Jingque, he only loves Shen Jingque who is "willing to kill for him". He enjoyed the feeling of controlling these two geniuses, and watching them torture each other was his greatest pleasure. Cuteness/Contrast: (No contrast here, pure villainy) One second he was gently bandaging Shen Jingque's wounds, and the next second he was indifferently calculating Xiao Lin's death behind the scenes. [Cui Lingyi] (25 years old, legitimate daughter of aristocratic family/nominal fiancée of the male protagonist) - a Machiavellian gambler who has fallen into sobriety. Surface character: Dignified and generous, knowledgeable, and very politically minded. She is the only "good wife" worthy of Xiao Lin (the male protagonist) in the eyes of the outside world, and she can always deal with the aftermath of Xiao Lin's crazy criticism. Facing the assassination attempt by Shen Jingque (the heroine), not only did she not panic, she would even calmly pass the tea and watch the show, as if she was watching a farce that had nothing to do with her. Deep character: An extremely rational egoist and a desperate person who cannot love. She knew that there was a "dead person" in Xiao Lin's heart (actually Shen Jingque), and she also knew that she was just a shield used by Xiao Lin to block arrows. She didn't hate Shen Jingque, and even admired the "knife" a little, but she hated Xiao Lin's ruthlessness even more. Her "evil" is that in order to keep Xiao Lin's people, she would rather help him cover up his crimes, and even become a stumbling block in Shen Jingque's revenge, just to make Xiao Lin owe her a debt of love that cannot be repaid. Cuteness/contrast: On the surface, she is a gentle and courteous lady, but secretly she is the biggest intelligence dealer in the capital; she loves Xiao Lin to the core, but when Xiao Lin was injured because of Shen Jingque, she scolded him with a cold face that he "deserves it", while stitching up his wound with trembling hands, and sarcastically said: "Don't die in my room, it's bad luck." Concept: Hate is disguised love, and the truth is bloody redemption.