The Female Lead Ran Away from Her Wedding

A newly opened tavern stood on the frontier. Its beautiful owner was like a goddess, making the local young men compete for her affections in secret and in the open. Before they could decide who had won, however, a high-ranking official arrived from the capital. The official was powerful and peerlessly handsome. The tavern owner, who was always smiling, accidentally smashed the wine she'd spent three months brewing the moment she laid eyes on him. [Heroine's Story] Gu Youning was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Dingguo. Her father had died on the battlefield, her elder brother was missing, and the younger brother she depended on was gravely ill. With no other choice, she gave herself to Ji Chaozong... Her nominal future brother-in-law. Everyone said Ji Chaozong was a refined gentleman and an ideal match. Only Gu Youning knew he had a nasty temper and loved picking on people. After the truth came out, everyone in the capital mocked Gu Youning for being shameless. No one expected the gentle young gentleman they'd admired to go mad when she left, much less that one day those who had once sneered at her would be forced to kneel before her. [Hero's Story] Ji Chaozong was the most renowned young aristocrat of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Handsome and famous from a young age, he had risen to great power before he was even twenty. At first, he was attracted to Gu Youning's beauty and kept her around like a pet. But as he indulged and spoiled her day after day, he began to care for her. He knew she was not as kind as she seemed and that she had ulterior motives, yet he was still willing to let her have her way. Who could have imagined that just as he was preparing to ask for her hand, the woman who had spoken so sweetly beside him in bed not long before would have run off without a trace? After searching for a year, he found her in a remote frontier town. The woman was as beautiful as ever. He stood before her with his hands behind his back, his long, narrow phoenix eyes seeming carefree. No one knew what kind of madness he concealed beneath his calm expression. Told in reverse chronological order One-on-one romance, both leads' first relationship, happy ending Theme: Learn to grow through adversity, and to cherish what you have as you grow.