[A sunny, oblivious little ray of sunshine x a world-weary beauty on a pedestal]
Liu Ying was born into a noble family. She had everything she could want, and with her beauty, cleverness, and extraordinary talent, she was pursued by countless young men from aristocratic families.
But in the second year after she came of age, her father, Marquis Xuanping, "sold" her off to a pig-headed man.
She ran away, wandering through the wilderness and rural villages, until she had spent all her money and was left homeless.
That was when she met a down-and-out scholar, sick nearly to death, who wrote so beautifully that his calligraphy could make him famous throughout the land.
Liu Ying's eyes lit up. "Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"
Xie Jin: ?
He hurried off. "I'm leaving."
Liu Ying had never met anyone so ungrateful. She moved in next door to him without a second thought.
"Are you taking me as your disciple or not? If you don't, I'll break down your wall."
Liu Ying finally got her wish, but one day she happened to hear Xie Jin confiding in an old friend: "The master-disciple relationship will inevitably be troubled by the rules of society."
So his feelings for her had never been those of a teacher for his disciple.
But Liu Ying was a bookworm, with her heart set on only one person: Xie Chiyun, the greatest literary talent in the land, who had died young.
After much deliberation, she packed up her things, took the little savings Xie Jin had, and ran away again.
One snowy day, Liu Ying stood at the gates of the Imperial College, pretending to be her eldest brother. She paid her respects to Heaven, Earth, and the sages, and watched as a familiar-looking, sickly man emerged from a crowd of admirers. He was skin and bones, and probably didn't have many days left to live.
From her classmates' conversation, Liu Ying learned that the man was named Xie Jin, courtesy name Chiyun. He had survived his ordeal and returned to the capital!
"Miss Liu says she's in love with me?" Xie Jin asked with a strange, profound smile. "I'm curious: are you in love with the Xie Chiyun in your heart, or the Xie Jin you've been with day and night?"
[Reading Guide]: Both leads are virgins. One-on-one romance. The angst is only for the male lead. Our girl is guaranteed a happy ending.
If you're interested, dear readers, please add this to your collection
Theme: Write mountains and rivers into being
