The Strategist Is a Sickly Beauty

Sickly beauty strategist X genius germaphobe strategist Xie Huayu became famous at a young age, renowned above all others for his literary talent and looks. After a sudden upheaval, he withdrew to Fuyu Mountain and shut himself away from worldly affairs. After him, Ji Wenyuan rose to prominence and was hailed as a "prodigy who snatched the laurels." Xie Huayu became the man scholars said had been robbed of the laurels. Later, the world fell into chaos. At Huo Jing'an's invitation, Xie Huayu became his strategist, helping him bring peace to the realm. By a twist of fate, he and Ji Wenyuan became colleagues. Xie Huayu thought Ji Wenyuan, the chief strategist at their lord's side, was sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and unbearably difficult to deal with. Ji Wenyuan thought their lord's new strategist, Xie Huayu, was frail and sickly, with a face like carved jade, and of little use. They were convinced they were incompatible, and were constantly at each other's throats, neither willing to yield. Their lord was caught between them, tearing his hair out as he tried to keep the peace. When they finally got together, Ji Wenyuan awkwardly confessed, "The first time I saw you, I thought your eyes were as dark as lacquer and your face as fair as piled jade..." Xie Huayu sneered at this. "So calling me a fox spirit back then really wasn't just my imagination." Ji Wenyuan: "..." Don't ask. He regrets it, that's all. Ji Wenyuan first saw Xie Huayu in a courtyard. The man sat beneath a tree, dressed in a loose black robe with wide sleeves. He was as pale as a handful of snow that might melt at any moment, yet his beauty was utterly striking. At the time, Ji Wenyuan suspected their lord had been so bewitched by Xie Huayu's looks that he kept asking him to come out of retirement. Later, he learned that the one who had been bewitched was himself. Love breeds worry; love breeds fear. He loved Xie Huayu's ability to plan and win from a thousand miles away. He worried over his frail, ailing body and feared he might sleep forever, leaving them unable to spend their lives together. Reading Guide: 1. A story about a sickly beauty falling in love with a little germaphobe. 2. Their lord is a doting, motherly figure who feels a loving elder's affection for the two of them. 3. After helping their lord end the chaos, the two will retire from public life and travel the land hand in hand. Theme: Wealth and honor must not corrupt the soul; wind and snow must not obscure one's aspirations; hardship must not extinguish one's original resolve; adversity must not break one's pride. In life, one should remain true to oneself.