Spring Does Not Cross in Broad Daylight

My ongoing novel "Spring Blossoms from Ashes": The heroine fakes her death, and the hero goes mad with love! Please add it to your favorites!

[Why was he the one who fell in love first, yet in the end he was the one telling me to let go?]

"Chen Zhou, when the next snow falls, forget me."

In high school, everyone in the class knew Chen Zhou liked Xu Luo. Everyone except Xu Luo.

One evening during study hall, Chen Zhou crouched beside Xu Luo's seat to bring her something to eat.

Just then, the teacher walked in. To avoid being seen, Chen Zhou quickly crouched down.

But the teacher spotted him at a glance and teased him.

"Chen Zhou, what are you crouching down there for? Are you going to propose to Xu Luo?"

The whole class burst into laughter.

Only Chen Zhou's ears turned bright red.

*

At midnight, as the New Year's bells rang, Chen Zhou whispered in her ear.

"I like you."

Fireworks burst open and the crowd roared. Xu Luo didn't hear him clearly.

"What did you say?"

Chen Zhou smiled and rubbed her head.

"I said... Happy New Year."

"Our love made no promises, and in the end, our feelings sank like a ship."

"The story ended with neither Xu Luo nor Chen Zhou in it."

◎ Short story / bad ending

◎ Blurb posted on December 30, 2022

My ongoing novel "Spring Blossoms from Ashes"! The heroine fakes her death, and the hero goes mad with love. Brother's-wife romance.

For the first sixteen years of her life, Qi Jingci followed the rules to the letter. Everyone said the Huai'an Prince's Manor's county princess was elegant and gentle, the model of a noblewoman.

She always thought she'd spend her whole life following the rules, until she met Yan Hengzhou.

Prince Jing, Yan Hengzhou, was the true power behind the imperial court. He held absolute authority, and even the emperor was his puppet.

Ever since meeting Qi Jingci, he had noticed that the young woman seemed to treat him differently.

Chance encounters, deliberately created moments of intimacy: no matter how coldly he treated her, Qi Jingci would only lower her eyes in hurt and softly call, "Your Highness..."

He thought he'd seen through all of Qi Jingci's little tricks and schemes.

Unfortunately for her, he had no interest in any of them.

-

War broke out at the frontier. Yan Hengzhou was made regent, and he volunteered to lead the campaign. But on his way back, he heard that the Huai'an Prince's Manor had rebelled, and the emperor had ordered the entire family executed.

The usually calm and self-controlled Prince Jing went mad. In a single night, he uncovered the truth: his political enemies had framed them.

That night, word spread that the candles in the emperor's Funing Hall had burned all night. At the next morning's court session, the palace ran red with blood.

A light rain fell all night.

No one knew that when he raced back from the frontier, he searched an unmarked mass grave all night, but could not find the young woman who had said she would marry him when he returned victorious.

-

The officials all felt that the regent was no longer as calm and self-controlled as before. He had grown somewhat cruel.

They only dared to whisper among themselves that it seemed to have something to do with the county princess of the Huai'an Prince's Manor, whose family had been executed a few years ago.

But the regent was so unpredictable, his moods so changeable, that they didn't dare say much. They could only speculate in whispers.

At the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, the regent sat below the dais, drinking alone, seemingly lost in thought.

Gradually, his vision blurred. He set down his wine cup, then raised his eyes and froze, staring at the seat of honor.

In a hoarse voice, he asked the eunuch beside him, "De Xi, who is that woman beside the emperor?"

De Xi looked up, puzzled, at the beautiful and alluring woman beside the emperor on the dais, then respectfully replied,

"Your Highness, she's the consort the emperor just ennobled a few days ago. She's risen three ranks in half a month. It seems she's greatly favored!"

But Yan Hengzhou could no longer hear anything. He looked at the familiar face on the dais, currying favor with the emperor.

With a crack, the cup in his hand shattered.

Theme: Spring comes in its own time, and at last, we will meet again