The Pei family's adopted son, Pei Yibai, was known for being “cold and aloof.”
Until one day, he went out alone and returned holding a young woman's hand with the right hand he usually kept on his sword.
The woman wore a veil over her face and coughed every few steps, as if standing for another moment might kill her on the spot.
Holding a token of proof, Pei Yibai faced the family head's dark expression and explained, “This is my long-lost fiancée.”
Under the varied gazes of those gathered, the old family head turned coldly and swept away.
From then on, everyone in the Pei family knew that another person had moved into Pei Yibai's courtyard: his “beloved.”
Everyone was intensely curious about her, but as they spent time with her, they finally discovered the truth:
She wore a veil because her face had been ruined beyond recognition. She coughed every few steps because of an old illness that had left her frail and sickly.
Curiosity turned to mockery.
As the days passed, the woman acquired a new nickname: “parasitic vine.”
*
Zhu Guanlan lost her memory in an accident.
When she came to, an unfamiliar man was sitting beside her.
He didn't seem to mean her any harm, and since staying alive was what mattered, Zhu Guanlan decided to trust him for now.
He said his name was Pei Yibai.
He said they had known each other before and were friends.
After a pause, he added, “Come back with me first. My family situation is complicated, so we'll have to pretend we're engaged.”
So Zhu Guanlan nodded again, accepted the role of his fiancée, and stepped through the Pei family's gates.
She had thought she could live a quiet, uneventful life from then on. Who could have guessed the Pei family would be another den of danger?
Despite yielding at every turn, an accident three years later shattered their old life all the same.
So they fled.
The bad news: the journey was full of hardship, and they had to keep hiding.
The good news: at last, Zhu Guanlan recovered the memories and power she had lost for so long.
One night afterward, Zhu Guanlan gazed at the sword that had not been drawn in a long time and thought seriously:
With so many enemies, who should I go after first?
Pei Yibai: “I told you she wasn't a parasitic vine, but none of you believed me.”
[Three updates a week]
1. The male lead is secretly in love with her and keeps his feelings hidden in the early chapters.
2. A Chinese-style monster setting, with lots of original worldbuilding.
Theme: Strive for self-improvement.
