The Apple of My Eye

The top scholar? A career in government? All he wants is his precious pearl.

* A male lead with his head in the clouds

* Childhood sweethearts reunited after years apart

-

Shen Runyao, Princess of Suining, is breathtakingly beautiful.

Recently, rumors have spread that the princess has grown close to a poor scholar who came to the capital to sit the imperial examinations.

Though poor, the scholar has the talent to become the top scorer.

In front of others, he is aloof and untainted by worldly concerns, unmoved by wealth and immune to attempts to win him over with power.

But in front of the princess, he makes a point of showing her his frayed, faded cuffs and slender wrists. He puts on a pitiful look, then calls her by her childhood nickname in a warm, clear voice:

"Manman."

Shen Runyao's heart flutters. She silently compares his qualities to her standards for a husband.

He is clearly handsome and talented, yet she insists he is utterly ordinary, all the while secretly praying that he will fail the examinations.

-

Zhou Fengchuan, the new top scorer, is the son of an ordinary merchant family in Jiangnan.

Everyone who has read his essays says he is exceptionally gifted.

Only he knows that his abilities are average, and that he has reached this point through ten years of unwavering hard work.

The princess is his precious pearl. He loves her and longs for her. By disguising his diligence as innate talent, he has made his way to her side, step by step, asking only for her to look at him once.

But in the end, his precious pearl doesn't want an extraordinary man. She only wants someone ordinary and unremarkable.

So what if he has earned the title of top scorer? He doesn't care about the bright future ahead of him. All he wants is his precious pearl.

Theme: Happiness must be fought for!