[Chen Chao / Mu Pei / The Virtuous Queen of Han / The Four] Warm Sun on Lantian, Jade Gives Off Smoke

.tdtitle{background-color:#F0B88E;border-bottom-color:#F0B88E;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-width:1px;padding:3px 5px 0;}.readtd{background:#FDFCFD;border:1px solid #F0B88E;}.sptd{background-color:#F0B88E;text-align:center;}.cytable td{border:1px solid #F0B88E;font-size:12px;padding:5px 3px 3px;}.cytable{background:#FDFCFD;border-collapse:collapse;}.controlbar{background-color:#FDFCFD;border:1px solid #F0B88E;}"Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, lost in the dream; the king entrusted his longing to the cuckoo. A pearl in the vast sea weeps beneath the moon; jade in the warm sun of Lantian rises like smoke." -- The more dazzling the world becomes, the more easily I lose my way. -- Life is a dazzling confusion. "Our lives are not glamorous at all, yet every day we do glamorous things and make glamorous excuses. Why do people envy us?" "Our lives are not bright at all, yet every day we face the sun and drive away the darkness. Why do people envy us?" On the night Pei Donglai saw Li Mu off as he went to war, the streets were packed with people and the lanterns had just lit up. The army marched out of Chang'an in a mighty procession. As the city gates slowly closed, Pei Donglai could no longer see him. They had weathered storms together. They had parted and reunited. In the end, they never met again. "I want to be a great general like that too! I want to make a name for myself across the land!" Pei Donglai, following the farewell procession back to the Court of Judicial Review with a blank expression, stopped in his tracks. Two very small children. "Then I'll become a great poet and go with you! You fight, and I'll write poems!" When you are young, even your fantasies are perfect, dazzling enough to shine. It turned out that only our ideals were within reach, warm and comforting. It turned out that only our dreams were so difficult to achieve. It turned out that only our dreams left us one unbridgeable step away from them. That step is called fate. It turns out the dreams closest to you hurt the most. When Li Mu was young, he had only one dream. "I just want to find someone I love. Even if we live an ordinary, unremarkable life, that would be wonderful." The hatred between nations and families, the risking of one's life to save another, all of it only took him further and further from his dream. Otherwise, why would he have saved Li Shimin without hesitation? Eventually, he fell in love with the partner who understood him without a word. He wasn't very patient. He always thought his life wasn't glamorous enough, and wondered why he had to look radiant and admired by everyone every day. But he loved him all the same. Li Mu said he wanted to take Pei Donglai back to that remote hometown, to the little house where his parents were hiding. He wanted to return victorious from the campaign, then live a quiet, ordinary life, cut off from the world. "Yes, you're right," Li Mu said, looking at Pei Donglai. "We were never glamorous to begin with. As long as we live an ordinary life, that's enough." But after going to war, you never came back. "I want to be a great hero too! I want to live that well!" "Let's do it together!" "All right!" Pei Donglai gently wiped away the blurred double image before his eyes, only then realizing he had been walking into the wind all along. From now on, he would walk this road alone, dazzlingly. There would never again be anyone beside him to share an ordinary life. You can only walk this road with me as far as here, [It turns out we once met, and once made a promise.] [If our vows were true, take off your armor and watch the autumn moon and spring flowers by my side.] Before you jump in, a few things to know: 1. Pairing: Chen Chao crack pairing [Li Mu x Pei Donglai]. The Jinjiang version should have Di Pei too, XD. I know this pairing is unpopular on Jinjiang, so I'm just treating myself to some sweet moments, XDDDD. 2. The ending is actually happy, though the blurb always makes it sound like a tragedy... It's also been updated on Tieba, so come follow it, XDDDDD. 3. Please let me know if you repost the TXT or anything... Though this story probably isn't very popular. [I got nervous after my old stories were reposted before.] 4. Probably one update a week, one update a week... For anything else, see the image version... Ways to get in touch...