Jiang Tu, with the Tu meaning "a land laid waste by war."
Ever since he was old enough to understand, he had known he was a walking disaster, and that his very birth was a sin.
He carefully tried to please everyone, hoping for just a little warmth, but never received any.
When he was seven, he met someone. She dropped from the sky, asked who he was, shoved some candy into his hands, and told him not to tell anyone he'd met her.
She talked with him all night and watched the moon with him.
After that, he saw her once every year.
Each time she appeared, it was a delightful surprise.
He thought that if she could be just a little kind to him, that would be enough. Just a little.
Then she disappeared for three years straight.
He would rather believe she was dead than think she'd forgotten him.
*
Three years later, at a palace banquet, she presented treasures from the Western Regions and delighted the emperor. Bright and confident, she won the admiration of everyone in the hall.
Jiang Tu lowered his head and drank. When the banquet ended, he left in silence.
But she stopped him as if no one else were there, leaning close to his face. "You see your big sister and don't even say hello? So rude, aren't you? Hmm?"
Jiang Tu gazed deeply at the person before him, watching sunlight and moisture shimmer at the corners of her eyes and the tips of her brows. He answered softly, "No."
She suddenly smiled, then conjured up some new trinket as if by magic. "And here I went out of my way to bring you something nice."
The bitter ache of longing mingled with the warmth of the moment, bursting through him one pang at a time.
He couldn't help wanting more. He wanted her to be kind to him, and only to him.
*
The female lead is a powerful, beautiful, tragic hero, while the male lead is weak, pitiful, and helpless, and she protects him fiercely. He sways between angel and devil.
January 12, 2025
Theme: People can only help themselves
