A Pear Blossom Branch

[On hiatus. I'll definitely finish it later.]

Pampered young lady x wolf-dog young general

Chu Xue is a famous talented young woman in Yunjing.

She grew up surrounded by everyone's love.

Not a single person she's met in her life has ever disliked her.

When Chu Xue was seven, she entered the imperial palace as a companion to the princess and met ten-year-old Xiao Yunxuan.

According to rumors, Xiao Yunxuan, the second son of the Governor-General of Yunqi, had a terrible temper. Unlike her, he was a notorious wastrel in Yunjing, good for nothing but play.

As a well-behaved young lady, she naturally wanted to stay far away from the rumored wastrel.

But the rumors didn't seem to be true.

When Chu Xue was thirteen, Xiao Yunxuan left for Baili Plain, a thousand miles away. He was gone for five long years.

When they met again, she was no longer the girl she'd once been, and Xiao Yunxuan was no longer the boy he'd once been.

The court was full of treacherous schemes, and everyone had their eyes on the throne.

As for her... everyone saw her as a convenient tool for ascending the throne, and no one ever asked what she wanted.

But she refused to let others control her fate like that.

She heard Xiao Yunxuan say, "Ah Xue, do whatever you want. No matter how many obstacles lie ahead, I'll clear the way for you."

Chu Xue understood.

She had found a path toward her own future. Once she set foot on it, there would be no turning back.

Reader's guide:

1. One-on-one romance, both leads are sexually inexperienced, and the ending makes them soulmates. I'm not sure if that counts as a happy ending, but I think it does.

2. This is an alternate-history setting, always has been. Alternate history!

3. No female rivalry, not even a little. There will be none at all.

4. The leads become soulmates in the end. No marriage, no children. Don't read if that's a dealbreaker.

5. The heroine meets the hero when she's seven, and they grow up together. They part when she's thirteen and reunite when she's eighteen. The romance begins after they reunite.

Theme: Never bow to fate.