Shen Shu believes she has been blessed with three great fortunes in life:
Loving parents, a kind older brother, and a devoted childhood sweetheart.
Even after learning at fifteen that her older brother wasn't actually her brother by blood, she still respected and cherished him.
While he was away with the army, she wrote to him every day about what she'd learned, eaten, and done for fun, and he wrote back to every letter.
She longed for him to return soon, so he could witness her happiness as she married the man she loved.
Three years later, her older brother returned on the day of her wedding.
But instead of joining in the joy and laughter, he whisked her off to the Eastern Palace, insisting that from then on, he would be the only one in her eyes, because he refused to be just her brother.
*
While fleeing for his life, Ji Heng accidentally saved a little girl. He later grew up in the Shen household, naturally taking on the role of her older brother.
The girl had suffered a serious illness when she was little and didn't remember that she hadn't really had an older brother. Once she recovered, she followed Ji Heng everywhere, calling him "Brother."
Ji Heng loved her dearly. But everyone around him loved her too, and she was especially close to her childhood sweetheart, who had grown up alongside her.
He often thought that if only there were no one else around, Shen Shu might treat him differently.
But he never got to see that day. Instead, a carriage from the palace came to take him back.
He was gone for three years. Shen Shu grew closer and closer to her childhood sweetheart. In the army, he forced himself to endure the pain and agreed to attend her wedding, then lay awake night after night in the endless darkness.
After another victorious battle, he succeeded in taking his place in the Eastern Palace, but all his immense power could never fill the void that belonged to Shen Shu alone.
He accepted the invitation to her wedding. The moment he saw the red silk, the jealousy and resentment that had been growing day and night for three years poured out of him.
Why wasn't he the one who got to be happy?
He didn't want to hold back anymore. He didn't want to be just her brother.
"Look at me, Shen Shu. Look at me. From now on, you can only look at me."
[Reading Guide]:
Not related by blood; male lead is sexually inexperienced.
Theme: My brother became the crown prince, drove away my childhood sweetheart, and became my husband.
