After Our Divorce, My Childhood Friend and I Got a Happy Ending
和离后我和竹马HE了
by White Nightdaynight (白夜daynight)
Synopsis
An early work. Read with caution.
Blurb:
Qin Xiangsi is the eldest princess of Dongqi, blessed with a life of wealth and splendor and beloved by both the emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager.
At sixteen, she fell in love at first sight with the Prince of Xiling.
She followed him thousands of miles to a foreign land, all for the chance to spend her life with him. Years of sincere devotion earned her nothing but an apology from the prince, who then turned around and married someone else.
After three years of a marriage in name only, Qin Xiangsi finally came to her senses. Whoever wanted to be the prince's consort could have the job. She didn't want it anymore.
On the day of the Prince of Xiling's wedding, the hall was full of guests. At the auspicious hour, just as the bride and groom were about to bow to each other, everyone expected Qin Xiangsi to be hiding in her room, weeping in secret. Instead, she walked in with a cold laugh and gave the newlyweds a grand present.
She casually tossed down a divorce agreement and walked away with a carefree flourish.
*
Jing Yan is the third prince of Xiling, a gentle, refined man with impeccable manners. Countless people have fallen for him.
Qin Xiangsi was just one of them.
He thought he had done everything he could for her, and that nothing could stand in the way of his pursuit of power.
Years later, beneath bright spring skies in the capital of Dongqi, a familiar face appeared among the crowds. In red robes atop a white horse, she rode with carefree abandon, vivid and radiant.
Jing Yan felt as if he had crossed into another lifetime. Almost without thinking, he asked, "Who is she?"
A nearby commoner answered, "The emperor's younger sister, the Princess Mingyue."
*
Shi Wudu, the young general of Dongqi, is handsome and accomplished. Matchmakers have beaten a path to his door, only to leave disappointed, without exception.
Outsiders say the young general has no interest in women. They don't know that Shi Wudu has given his heart to just one person, and can no longer see any other woman.
He watched her fall in love with the Prince of Xiling at first sight, watched her throw herself into the prince's arms, and watched her leave for a distant land.
He guarded the frontier for three years. Thousands of miles away, the woman he loved was nowhere to be seen.
Shi Wudu thought he would spend the rest of his life wandering among the living like a ghost, until autumn leaves swirled and a figure appeared beyond the frontier, overlapping with someone from his memories.
In that moment, Shi Wudu's long-frozen heart began to beat again.
*
After returning to Dongqi, Qin Xiangsi went back to being the eldest princess. She spent her days keeping her grandmother company, and her free time feeding birds, admiring flowers, caring for the younger generation, and trading barbs with her childhood friend. Life was easy and comfortable.
That was until her elder brother decided to find her a husband. Qin Xiangsi had no desire to marry and was at a loss, so her childhood friend volunteered to act as bait. They would pretend to be engaged to get her out of the immediate bind, then break off the engagement once things had settled down.
Qin Xiangsi finally agreed, and their engagement was announced to the world.
Only later did she realize that her childhood friend had never intended to break it off.
*
Modern romance pre-release: "Hard to Hide"
Blurb:
The first time Yun Ze saw Jiang Wan was on a chilly, drizzly day.
The girl stood by the pool, her slender figure seeming fragile and breakable in the cool evening breeze.
Someone draped a coat over her shoulders. It carried a faint, woody fragrance, fresh and clean.
Jiang Wan turned around and met a pair of deep-set eyes.
Her heart, sunk to the bottom, began to beat again.
Yun Ze was tall and slender. He lowered his eyes to look at her, a gentle smile on his lips. "It's cold outside. Keep warm."
Yun Ze learned from his parents that Jiang Wan's parents had died in a car accident, and that she would be living with them from then on.
"Take good care of her. Treat her like your little sister," his mother reminded him.
Yun Ze said nothing, but his gaze kept straying to the quiet girl.
*
Not long afterward, Jiang Wan transferred to Yun Ze's school.
She was quiet and well-behaved, yet had a face that drew everyone's attention. Her arrival on campus caused quite a stir.
A friend who had a crush on Jiang Wan found out she was living at Yun Ze's house and asked if he could put in a good word.
Yun Ze answered without hesitation, "No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm her brother."
Jiang Wan was waiting for them to walk home together after school. Hearing that, her budding hopes sank to the bottom.
*
One day, Yun Ze ran into Jiang Wan at the mall with someone who was courting her.
Facing Yun Ze's stormy expression, the suitor asked Jiang Wan awkwardly, "Who is this?"
"My brother," Jiang Wan answered briskly.
Not long afterward, Yun Ze cornered Jiang Wan in the stairwell, pinning her against the wall.
Outside the door, her suitor was looking for her.
His eyes were bloodshot, but he held himself back and lowered his voice. "Jiang Wan, tell him I'm not your brother."
[Unrequited love becomes mutual, both hearts find their way to each other, and they are each other's one and only]
*
Pre-release: "Summer Invaded"
Blurb:
The first time Yun Xia was alone with Wen Heng was the day her grandfather died. Her brother, Yun Ze, was busy with the funeral and couldn't get away, so he asked a friend to pick his little sister up from school.
The fifteen-year-old boy had his right hand in his pocket and a cigarette between his lips. He leaned lazily against the school gate, reckless and arrogant, the sort of person even little kids would steer clear of.
Yun Xia was no exception.
"Xiaxia, your brother asked me to take you home," the boy said with a roguish grin, watching the timid girl try to run away.
The second time Yun Xia was alone with Wen Heng was years later, at her engagement party.
Friends and relatives offered their congratulations one by one. He alone stood away from the crowd, his gaze fixed on the smiling girl in the middle of it, his long, narrow eyes glinting with something unreadable in the dark.
Her fiance went to the restroom and took forever to come back. Yun Xia went to look for him, but Wen Heng suddenly pulled her into the stairwell. The scent of red wine lingered around her nose, and he stood close enough to make her feel tipsy.
The third time Yun Xia was alone with Wen Heng was the day news of her fiance's affair spread everywhere.
The most prominent photo on the trending list showed her fiance kissing someone in the hotel hallway on the day of the engagement party.
When Wen Heng found Yun Xia, she was sitting all alone on the stone steps. Cool rain slid drop by drop from the edge of a black umbrella. He looked down into her eyes and said, "Xiaxia, I'll take you home."
The male lead is seven years younger. His unrequited love comes true, while the female lead falls in love after marriage.
Theme: Cherish the person by your side.
