[One-on-one | Sweet romance | Both are inexperienced]
[Ruthless, truly unhinged man x delicate, frail crybaby]
Because Jiang You was sickly, she was raised on a country estate from a young age. Everyone in Western Chu knew Jiang Rou, the eldest legitimate daughter of the celebrated Pingnan Earl's mansion, but no one knew there was a younger daughter named Jiang You.
Then one day, Jiang You accidentally found a gravely wounded man.
Though no one knew where he came from and her maids urged her not to get involved, Jiang You had always loved beautiful things, and he was simply too handsome...
After some hesitation, she decided to keep him by her side and nurse him back to health with medicine every day.
One day, as usual, a matron from the mansion bullied and intimidated her, telling her that her father had given her marriage to the Crown Prince to her elder sister.
The Crown Prince was one of the few people in her memories who had ever been kind to her. Jiang You couldn't help it: tears misted her eyes, threatening to fall.
Suddenly, the haughty matron standing in front of her fell to her knees. A pebble struck the ground with a sharp crack, making Jiang You jump.
Jiang You turned toward the sound and saw the man walking over, his eyes cold. He sneered, "That sanctimonious waste Shen Che isn't worth your tears."
Then he tossed her a bloodstained dagger. "If someone bullies you, kill her. Do you know how to kill someone?"
Jiang You: ...
She had never even killed a fish. How could she possibly kill a person?!
Though the man was gloomy and cold-tempered, with him around, no one dared bully her anymore. He was always fierce with her, but he would gently wipe away her tears.
Jiang You liked him.
Until one night, he suddenly disappeared. Jiang You searched everywhere but couldn't find him. Before long, she came of age and was brought back to the mansion to discuss marriage prospects.
*
No one could have imagined that the dynasty would fall, the Prince of Zhenbei would kill the emperor and seize the throne, and the Crown Prince would be deposed. The Pingnan Earl's mansion, related by marriage to the former Crown Prince, became a house of prisoners in an instant.
Jiang You stood outside the mansion, waiting for the guards who would escort them into exile. But the guards never came. Instead, the new emperor's procession arrived. She stole a timid glance at the sovereign, whose cold, piercing gaze overlapped with the face in her memories.
She trembled and stumbled backward. "Y-you, don't come any closer!"
The man crouched slowly and effortlessly scooped her up in his arms, unconcerned that the mud on her clothes might stain his robes.
She struggled and sobbed with hurt. "Wah... I... I hate you! Y-you left... and didn't want me anymore!"
But the lofty emperor didn't care that her tears were soaking the front of his robe. He gently wiped them away. "Stop crying, or I'll wipe out the entire Pingnan Earl's mansion."
The chill around him gradually faded, and a trace of tenderness crept into his voice.
*
To outsiders, Shen Chi was a battlefield hero and the exalted Prince of Zhenbei.
He despised everything in the world. When he was attacked, he had lost the will to live, never imagining that a frail girl would save him. When that delicate, sickly girl was attacked, she was foolish enough to run back and say she would take him with her.
She could barely keep herself alive, yet she wanted to save a stranger. How ridiculous.
Shen Chi had thought his heart was barren and cold, like a deserted island. But the delicate crybaby had barged in and begun to dance across it.
He could kill anyone in the world, but he couldn't bear to see her cry.
Theme: To be determined
