Little Lingxi

[Angst and Regret + Faked Death]

The servants all said she had been well cared for by Shen Zhen.

He brought her home to the Shen family from the battlefield in southern Xinjiang, and taught her how to dress, read, play music, and write poetry.

Then, on the day she came of age, Shen Zhen taught her the ways of the bedchamber.

The young girl sat in the curtained bed, her face flushed, obediently listening to Shen Zhen's gentle instructions.

It was not until dawn that the man brushed away the tears at the corners of her eyes with his finger. With a sigh, he coaxed her softly:

"Lingxi, be good. Go keep Prince Xiao company for one night, just like this, all right?"

Shen Lingxi felt a chill creep down her back.

That night, Prince Xiao's residence was filled with music and dancing. She sat amid the decadent melodies, stiffly playing the little tune Shen Zhen had taught her.

She endured Prince Xiao's greedy gaze roaming over her, endured him pretending to be drunk before getting up and pulling her into his arms.

Nearby, Shen Zhen sat among the guests, his expression calm. He silently raised his wine cup, as though he had not seen Shen Lingxi's pleading look.

It wasn't as if she had never begged Shen Zhen.

In the deserted back courtyard, she had once clung to his waist, crying and begging him to take her back to the Shen residence.

His broad sleeves fluttered in the breeze. Amid the bewitching night, she heard his icy voice: "I've kept you all these years. Tonight, it's time for you to repay me."

That night, the long hours dragged on. For the first time, he did not take her home.

That was also the night Prince Xiao's residence went up in flames.

They say Shen Zhen's carriage suddenly turned back halfway through its journey. By the time he returned to Prince Xiao's residence, the back courtyard had burned to a blackened ruin.

Everyone saw the usually composed head of the Shen family step down from his carriage in a daze. He stared at the charred corpse being carried toward him, then suddenly buckled at the knees.

A carefully tended sachet fell from his waist.

The lingxi grass embroidered on it was still lush and green.

At first, Shen Zhen had brought Lingxi home as part of a scheme of his own.

But as he plotted and planned, he ended up scheming away his entire life.

[Highlights]

Both leads are each other's first, happy ending, one-on-one romance

He gets his moment of cruelty, then faces a long road to winning her back. The heroine fakes her death, and the hero pursues her.

Theme: Love