When Yun Yi first approached Shen Zhuo, her intentions weren't entirely innocent.
The man never spoke of his background, but he wore fine jade and purple robes, carried himself with distinction, and even his casual guards were highly skilled. He clearly came from a wealthy family.
He could help her escape her misery.
Before she met Shen Zhuo, she was bullied in a brothel and forced to abase herself, picking through other people's leftovers to eat. After she met him, he bought her freedom and furnished a spacious home for her, with fine clothes and food in abundance.
Then the truth came out, and he learned why she'd approached him.
“Miss Shen, I am already promised to someone. Please don't waste your time on me.” Behind the long desk, Shen Zhuo sipped his tea with cool indifference, not even lifting an eyebrow.
He would never look at her with such gentle, tolerant eyes again.
Yun Yi could only suppress the ache in her heart. It was true that she'd wanted him to save her from misery, but it was also true that she loved him.
Unfortunately, they were worlds apart, and she wanted to preserve what little dignity she had left.
To Shen Zhuo, the Crown Prince, this was just a minor incident during a visit in disguise.
But when she turned and walked away without looking back, it felt as if a piece of his heart had been torn out.
He resented her for pretending, then not keeping up the act to the end.
Not long afterward, they met again in the capital. She was now surrounded by many admirers and had become the daughter of an official.
In front of a cosmetics shop, the bright, lively girl filled his eyes with her every smile and gesture. She outshone all the peonies in Chang'an and seemed to have escaped the shadows of her past.
Back then, she had only had eyes for him, calling him “young master” at every turn, as if he were her heaven and earth.
At her side was a strikingly handsome young man who followed her everywhere, carrying her sachet in one hand and her face powder in the other, eager to please.
“That's the young master of the Zhou family, the Vice Minister's son. I hear he's about to be betrothed to the Shen family's fourth young lady,” his attendant murmured.
Shen Zhuo's face turned icy. He gave a silent, mocking laugh.
Three days later, word reached the Shen family that their fourth young lady was to enter the Eastern Palace as a consort.
☆ Bright and sweet heroine × domineering Crown Prince. The hero is stubbornly holding back and putting on airs at first, then loses control and seizes her for himself.
☆ Both are virgins; a sweet romance centered on the couple.
Theme: Break down barriers and truly understand one another. Don't judge people by appearances.
