Back to the Tyrant's Youth

Regent Wang Lin Qi died, but he never expected the person who came to the mass grave to collect his body to be the tyrant he had fought against his entire life.

By then, the tyrant had already lost the throne. Dressed in plain white mourning clothes, he nearly blended into the snowy landscape.

Coughing, he bent down and picked up Lin Qi, whose body lay abandoned in the wilderness. The moment he stood, crossbowmen who had long been lying in wait riddled him with arrows.

The tyrant crumpled softly, collapsing into Lin Qi's stiff arms.

Bright red blood fell onto Lin Qi's face. He had clearly been dead for a long time, yet at that moment he felt a grief so wrenching it seemed to tear his heart apart.

Idiot.

*

When he opened his eyes again, Lin Qi had returned to the day he was selected to be the Crown Prince's study companion.

Everyone knew that Crown Prince Qi Wenyan was pampered and reserved, keeping others at a great distance. He wore a cold expression year-round and never took the initiative to befriend anyone. He and the sociable Lin Qi were complete opposites.

A month ago, Lin Qi had won first place in a polo match. At the emperor's command, he had been seated beside Qi Wenyan at the banquet afterward.

The banquet lasted two whole hours. Whenever Lin Qi spoke to him, Qi Wenyan only nodded and didn't say a single word. He was so dull that Lin Qi had nearly fallen asleep.

So in his previous life, Lin Qi had simply defied the imperial decree. His father had beaten him twenty times with a whip and carried him to the Eastern Palace.

But this time, Lin Qi accepted the decree and rushed to the Eastern Palace so eagerly that he didn't even have time to pack.

Qi Wenyan was reading by the window. Hearing footsteps, he looked over, but said nothing, as distant and taciturn as ever. Yet Lin Qi had fought against him for an entire lifetime in his previous life, so he could tell that Qi Wenyan was happy.

He had even deliberately waited here, since the spot faced the entrance and anyone who came in would see him at once.

Lin Qi's lips curved into a broad smile. "Your Highness, were you waiting for me?"

Qi Wenyan shook his head reflexively.

Lin Qi pretended to sound aggrieved. "So you weren't waiting for me. I thought Your Highness might miss me, so I accepted the decree and hurried over. It seems I was just imagining things."

Qi Wenyan pressed his lips together, seeming unsure how to respond.

Lin Qi said, "Since Your Highness doesn't like me, I'll go back."

"Don't..." Qi Wenyan finally spoke. He looked a little nervous, nothing like the tyrant who used to fly into a rage at the slightest provocation. "I... I don't... don't dislike you."

Lin Qi had always been bold. "Then, since Your Highness likes me, you have to take responsibility for me."

"..."

A smooth-talking, relentlessly forward pursuer, gong, x, a stammering shou who's secretly much darker than he lets on (and will get better).

They dote on each other.

Theme: May we all have the courage to begin again.