Drunken Childhood Sweetheart

[A charming, lively young lady from a prestigious family x a dashing young general]

Ye Changge has a childhood sweetheart, a young man.

In other people's eyes, he's a promising young talent, full of spirit and lofty ambition.

In hers, Ran Yu is just a brat who likes to tease her, then awkwardly make it up to her.

She always thought she couldn't stand him, until she fell into a feverish sleep and had a dream.

She dreamed that Ran Yu died.

After she married someone else, he died on a battlefield surrounded by enemies.

The dashing young general, pierced by arrows, killed himself and spilled his blood on the frontier to avoid being captured alive by the enemy.

Ye Changge woke from the dream, her sobs rousing Ran Yu, who was keeping watch outside her door.

The young man who usually feared nothing nearly stumbled in his panic.

Remembering Ran Yu's fate in the dream, Ye Changge secretly resolved to be more patient with him.

But Ran Yu stared at her red, swollen eyes and gave a mild click of his tongue.

"Can't you hold back your tears? If my father sees you, he'll beat me again."

He was still as irritating as ever. She angrily hurled a pillow at his face.

In the days that followed, Ye Changge and Ran Yu continued to bicker and play around as usual.

Just as she was about to put the nightmare behind her, the dream's revelation that Ran Yu would be chosen by the princess as her consort came true.

Only then did Ye Changge realize that her dream had foretold the future.

She decided to change the final outcome and, against her own feelings, urged Ran Yu to marry the princess.

But she hadn't expected her actions to anger Ran Yu. He ignored her for days.

Then an out-of-control horse nearly hit her in the street. Ran Yu appeared just in time and rescued her amid a flurry of shouts.

He had finally given in to her. Ye Changge expected him to immediately make another sarcastic remark to hide his true feelings.

But she suddenly realized that the person holding her was trembling.

"You idiot. If I become the princess's consort, I won't be able to look after you."

*

That night, Ye Changge quietly slipped out of her room.

The young man climbed over the wall and carried her up to the roof to look at the moon.

Resting her head on Ran Yu's broad, sturdy shoulder, she summoned her courage and asked tentatively:

"If one day you go to war, could you remember that I'll be waiting for you, and not push yourself too hard? Promise you'll come back alive?"

Ran Yu looked surprised at first, then turned to gaze at her, his eyes shining.

He grinned, showing the pointed tips of his canines, and spoke with his usual arrogant confidence:

"If you wait for me, I'll return victorious to see you."

Ye Changge froze for a moment. So in the dream, he never came back because she hadn't waited for him.

[Reading Guide]

1. This story is set in an imaginary historical world. Please don't scrutinize it for historical accuracy.

2. The leads' names come from Xie Lingyun's "Song of Longing."

3. Happy ending, both leads are virgins. I just want to tell a sugary-sweet story about childhood sweethearts, one spirited and the other proud and brave.

4. The first version of the blurb was posted on May 1, 2023. Final revision: May 21.

Theme: Cherish the people you have now