Cool, gloomy male lead & cheerful, easygoing female lead
A slow-burn, gently sweet romance
Everyone said Cui Yuan was destined for success, and that if he entered government service, he would at least rise to the rank of a third-grade official.
Li Jinchao believed it without a doubt.
They had grown up together and been engaged since childhood. They went to school together, where Cui Yuan was always the prodigy in the eyes of his family and teachers, while she was treated like a maid who had tagged along to study.
Later, Cui Yuan became a licentiate at a young age, with a bright future ahead of him. She chose a path no one had expected, taking a master and shutting herself away to study martial arts.
During that time, she heard that Cui Yuan had passed the palace examination as its top candidate, was about to enter government service, and had become engaged to the daughter of a prominent family in the capital.
Thinking that their fates had run their course, she went to see him in person, bringing a letter to tell him she was willing to end their engagement.
But when she arrived in Changfeng City, she discovered that Cui Yuan had become a prisoner. With one leg crippled, he was being bought and sold like a slave.
She said nothing. She spent every last coin she had to rescue him, then took him back to the mountains to recuperate.
Cui Yuan had been used to a life of indulgence and lavish spending. Though he despised the place, he was dependent on her, so he had no choice but to keep his head down.
As time passed, he began to feel that staying by Li Jinchao's side would be far better than entering government service, if only she would let him.
Meanwhile, Li Jinchao, who had never liked practicing swordsmanship, now sent her sword flashing through the air every day, astonishing all her fellow disciples.
A year later, Li Jinchao took Cui Yuan back to Changfeng City to treat his leg.
That night, she stormed into the Cui residence with a sword, tied everyone up, and tossed them into the courtyard. She turned the sword around and rapped its hilt against the table, making a loud thumping sound.
She looked up, fury spilling out of her. "Come on. Let's settle the score."
Theme: Love yourself well, and someone will love you too.
