Breaking the Willow

While staying at a mountain temple, Lin Wan saved a young man. He was handsome, gentle, and sweet.

She teased him a little, and his cheeks would turn red.

Lin Wan was delighted. She patiently coaxed him, until at last he couldn't resist and spent the night with her.

Liu Zhou had always thought he was Lin Wan's first love. After they'd been intimate, he assumed she'd be overjoyed if he married her.

But when he revealed that he was the heir apparent and asked for her hand, Lin Wan burst into tears. "A few days ago, Prince of Nan'an passed through here and took a liking to me. He wants me to be his princess consort. If I break the engagement, I'm afraid my entire family will suffer. My love, in the end, I have wronged you."

On Lin Wan's wedding day, Liu Zhou went to the feast, heartbroken. There he discovered that Han Qi, the Prince of Nan'an, looked almost exactly like him.

For a moment, Liu Zhou couldn't tell whether Han Qi was the one to pity, or whether he was.

Liu Zhou couldn't have Lin Wan, but he was her moonlight. Han Qi had her, but could only be a stand-in.

Later, Liu Zhou learned that Lin Wan had loved Han Qi since childhood. She'd only favored him because she'd mistakenly believed Han Qi had died on the battlefield. When Han Qi returned safely, she gladly married him.

It turned out Lin Wan had been lying to him all along. He was never her first love, and she had never been forced by circumstances. He was plainly Han Qi's replacement.

Even so, Liu Zhou still loved Lin Wan.

When Lin Wan finally realized that Han Qi was no longer the moonlight she'd once cherished, but a man of such poor character, she regretted her choice.

Looking back, she saw Liu Zhou still standing where he had been, waiting for her. This time, she would choose the man who truly loved her.

Theme: Perseverance can wear through stone