What's So Wrong with Being a Childhood Sweetheart?

The first time Song Qingyi met the legendary Xue Jingyu, he was perched sideways on a peach tree, tossing a faceful of blossoms at her. In a flippant voice, he asked, "Where'd you little runt come from?" The young Miss Song had never been treated like that before, and her eyes filled with wounded tears. She tearfully complained to the System: He's so mean. Can I just not play with him? The System looked at the child in distress and coaxed her: No, good girl. You have to play with him. He's going to be a great villain someday. You need to find a way to get on his good side if you want to survive. So Song Qingyi wiped away her tears, swallowed her pride, ran over to the tree, and grabbed Xue Jingyu's dangling leg. Then she shouted to the System, "Look, I'm holding on! Can I stop playing with him now?" Xue Jingyu, desperately clutching a branch so he wouldn't fall: ??? The System, watching her nearly cripple the future villain: ... * Xue Jingyu couldn't stand Song Qingyi, the clingy little crybaby who was always following him around. He thought he'd escape her sooner or later. Later, his true identity came to light, and he became the honored heir, Xie Jingyu. On the day he returned to the capital, everyone smiled and congratulated him. Only Song Qingyi clung tightly to his waist, tears streaming down her face as she begged him not to leave. He pulled himself free and didn't look back. One night, on a whim, he climbed onto the palace wall, ignoring the servants' cries and pleas for him to come down as he gazed across the towering imperial palace. Beneath the bright moon, he somehow remembered the Lantern Festival, when the streets had been as bright as day. He had leaned over the wall and urged Song Qingyi to sneak out and see the lanterns. She'd said it wasn't right, but gazed up at him from below with longing eyes. In the end, she couldn't resist reaching out and asking him to pull her up. She'd looked up at him, moonlight sparkling in her eyes like stars. Only now did he finally dare admit that he had fallen for her back then. But from that day on, no one would ever again rush into his arms with a smile and call him A-Yu. * When the System first realized its bound partner was a young child, it was devastated. It could only comfort itself with the thought that she was at least the villain's childhood friend. If she befriended him while he was still young, completing the mission would be a piece of cake. Later, it witnessed Song Qingyi's many attempts to get on his good side: At their first meeting, she nearly knocked the future world-destroying villain out of a tree. Every time she cried, she clung to him and soaked him in tears. She was also stubbornly determined to report him for stealing someone else's pears... The System asked itself three despairing questions every day: Did Song Qingyi cling to him the right way today? Did the villain get so mad he died? Is there any hope of completing this mission? The System gave up: Getting Song Qingyi to cozy up to him? Hilarious. No chance. System: Holy crap, she actually pulled it off!!! [Highlights] 1. A childhood-friends, everyday-life story. The male lead is away for a while midway through. 2. Each other's first love. The male lead is two years older than the female lead. Happy ending. 3. Set in an alternate history, with countless original elements. Don't nitpick the history. Hope you enjoy the story. Coming soon: After I Used and Dumped the Crown Prince Pairing: A beautiful, scheming noblewoman and a possessive, lovesick Crown Prince Jiang Li was born into the Marquis of Xuanping's household. Her birth mother died young, and with so many sisters in the family, she had little support in the estate. She had no choice but to plan her own marriage, and after careful consideration, set her sights on the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had not had an easy life. He'd been confined in the Cold Palace for ten years before finally seeing the light of day, and even after that, people continued to look down on him. Jiang Li thought that if she stayed by his side now, she'd surely earn a high position later. So she carefully planned her approach: She gave him fine clothes and fruit, pleaded for him whenever she could prevent a punishment, and when she couldn't, stayed by his side, playing the smiling, kindhearted girl next door who'd grown up with him. Most important of all, she always looked at him with affection and delight. Her plan was going perfectly, but the Crown Prince never asked for her hand. With no other choice, Jiang Li hurriedly switched targets and soon won the heart of the Marquis of Wu'an's heir. On her wedding day, armed guards in black armor suddenly surrounded the marquis's estate. The wedding music stopped, and screams of panic filled the air. The long-absent Crown Prince slowly entered the estate, radiating fury, his eyes bloodshot and a bloodstained imperial jade seal in one hand. He pulled Jiang Li, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, into his arms. With his other, clean hand, he gently stroked her hair, his expression utterly deranged. "A-Li looks beautiful in her wedding dress. It would be even better if I were the only one who got to see her in it." The stench of blood filled Jiang Li's nose. She trembled in his arms but couldn't break free. The new emperor, who had murdered his sovereign and seized the throne, leaned close to her ear, his voice soft and intimate: "You were kind to me because you wanted to be empress, weren't you, A-Li?" "Keep deceiving me, and you can be empress starting now." - Theme: Cherish everyone who accompanies you as you grow