Concealing Her Grace

A sweet, clever liar x a dark, obsessive madman The first time Ruan Yao saw Pei Zhang at the mountain temple, she was trapped in the woods by a heavy snowfall. The man before her was refined and gentle, with an extraordinary bearing. He was the most renowned young nobleman in all of Luoyang. Snow clung even to her lashes, and her eyes glistened with tears. "I... My shoes and socks are soaked through." The gods and Buddhas looked on from above, while her heart was impure and her body full of desire. - Pei Zhang was famous throughout the land from a young age. His life ought to have been as flawless as white jade. He had no desire to become entangled with a woman whose identity was unclear. Until one day, under the bright sky and a red plum tree, he saw her smiling as she coaxed another man. They leaned close together, almost embracing. He watched them from the shadows for a long time. What exactly was this thing called love that people spoke of? He didn't know. But he wanted to tear away her soft, alluring facade and see her insides, to find which part of her had bewitched him so completely. - When Ruan Yao was imprisoned in the pagoda, she once questioned him, unable to bear it any longer. "I don't understand love. Does Xie Lang?" Pei Zhang gave a faint laugh. He lowered his eyes and gently stroked the chains around her ankles. His gaze suddenly turned sinister, though his voice remained soft and mild. "If it were me, I'd look for you for a year, then another two, five, or ten. If you died, I wouldn't stop until I saw your flesh and blood." Falling blossoms have no intent, yet the flowing water cannot leave. 1. SC. The male lead is devoted to the female lead in both body and heart. Neither character is perfect. 2. A forced-possession trope, with a slow build. 3. The characters' values do not represent the author's. Theme: Never submit to a fate you don't want.