=Bound by the Cause
[Headstrong, Eccentric Lady × Gentle, Dependable / Two-Faced, Domineering Subordinate]
[Brilliant in Both Letters and Arms, Cold-Blooded, Ruthless Control Freak × Accomplished, Cunning, Scheming Hypocrite]
Animal motifs: Cow cat × Maine Coon, ring-necked snake × black vulture, orchid mantis × Barbary sheep
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Unofficial histories tell the tale in only a few words, and it's impossible to know what's true. Two thousand years ago, there was a villain guilty of every kind of evil. His name was recorded as General Dongfang.
Zhu Wei didn't believe in ghosts or gods, and certainly didn't think the subordinate her father had foisted on her had anything to do with a historical figure.
So when her obedient subordinate inexplicably became someone else, and she herself was haunted by a notorious, enigmatic, powerful male ghost...
Zhu Wei: I need an expert in the supernatural, fast! I'll pay top dollar to keep me alive, deal with this ghost, and avert disaster!
...In short, Dongfang Xiu was still here.
With no other choice, Zhu Wei was forced to stay by his side, as the ghost pursued her in a bizarre way.
There was no way to verify their old grudges and past enmities, and their supposed love from a previous life felt more like a lie with some ulterior motive.
Like two players facing off over a board, they seized every opening and deployed every trick, determined to prove who came out on top.
Zhu Wei: ?
Dongfang Xiu: ∧v∧
#Help, how do you treat a ghost's split personality?
#What do you mean, ghosts are full of lies? That's just a reasonable embellishment.
He defied the world and courted death, bearing countless sins and a reputation cursed for generations, all because he was led astray by the cause. Life and death were ruled by fate, and he became a laughingstock for all eternity. In the end, everything came to nothing. The memories of his past were too precious to relinquish. Given another chance at life...
Zhu Wei was determined not to let him lead her around anymore!
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[Notes]:
(1) The male lead is physically and emotionally pure in both lifetimes. Zhu Wei has many unrequited admirers. In her previous life, she disguised herself as a man and had an imperial consort.
(2) Content warning: Both leads were villains in their previous life! They schemed at every turn and left countless debts of sin.
(3) The present-life story is in volumes 1, 3, 6, and 7; the past-life story is in volumes 2, 4, and 5. Volumes 1 and 5 are from the male lead's perspective, with some parts of volumes 4 and 7 from his perspective too.
Theme: What is never forgotten will surely echo back.