Twenty-year-old Luan Xie was a burst of energy, the kind of person who could light up a room just by walking into it. He was always on the move, wandering around his kingdom with an infectious laugh and a mischievous glint in his eye. Life was a game to him, and he played it with enthusiasm and a carefree spirit.
He spent his days with friends who adored him, sharing jokes and playing pranks that often left them in fits of laughter. His favourite target was his older brother, the one person he looked up to more than anyone else. Luan Xie admired him deeply and, in his own playful way, showed that admiration by constantly finding new ways to get under his brother's skin.
Whether it was hiding his brother's scrolls or sneaking up on him during a meeting, Luan Xie's antics were never mean-spirited. They were a reflection of the close bond they shared, a relationship built on trust, love, and endless teasing. To Luan Xie, life was good, and the future seemed full of promise.
But even in those joyful moments, there was a part of Luan Xie that was deeply aware of his responsibilities, of the weight that would eventually fall on his shoulders. Yet, for now, he was content to be the younger brother, the prankster, the cheerful prince who believed that as long as his family was by his side, nothing could ever go wrong.
Until he met Ye Rou.
Ye Rou was the young master of a noble family, refined and enigmatic, with a reputation that preceded him wherever he went. There was an air of mystery about him, a kind of quiet intensity that drew people in, even if they didn't quite understand why.
Luan Xie, the prince who lived life with such carefree joy, was immediately captivated by Ye Rou. He had never met anyone like him before—someone who seemed so different from the other nobles, so intriguing in ways that Luan Xie couldn't quite put into words.
Their first meeting was unremarkable on the surface—an introduction at a royal gathering, a brief exchange of pleasantries—but to Luan Xie, it was the beginning of something he couldn't have anticipated. Ye Rou's eyes met his, and in that instant, Luan Xie felt a pull, a connection that went beyond the formalities of their positions.
As they spent more time together, Luan Xie found himself drawn to Ye Rou's quiet strength, his sharp mind, and the way he carried himself with such calm confidence. Ye Rou was everything Luan Xie wasn't—reserved where Luan Xie was outgoing, composed where Luan Xie was impulsive. And yet, that contrast only made Luan Xie more fascinated by him.
Their relationship grew slowly, built on shared conversations in hidden corners of the palace, stolen glances across crowded rooms, and the kind of understanding that didn't need words. Luan Xie, who had always been so full of life and laughter, began to feel something deeper, something more profound than he had ever felt before.
But with that growing attachment came uncertainty. Luan Xie had always been so sure of himself, so sure of his place in the world, but Ye Rou made him question everything. His feelings for Ye Rou were intense, confusing, and all-consuming, leaving Luan Xie both exhilarated and terrified.
For the first time in his life, Luan Xie was faced with something he couldn't laugh off, something that made him vulnerable in a way he had never been before. And as much as he tried to deny it, to push those feelings aside, he couldn't stop thinking about Ye Rou, couldn't stop wanting to be close to him.
Ye Rou became a constant presence in Luan Xie's thoughts, a force that disrupted the carefree life he had always known. And as their bond deepened, Luan Xie began to realize that his feelings for Ye Rou were more than just admiration or infatuation. It was something far more dangerous—something that would change the course of his life forever.
Stolen glances soon gave way to sneaky meetings in the shadowed corners of the palace, where formality melted away, leaving only the raw connection between them. In those quiet moments, away from the prying eyes of the court, Luan Xie and Ye Rou allowed themselves to be vulnerable, to explore the feelings that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long.
At first, it was just a brush of fingers as they passed each other in the hallway, or a lingering gaze that said everything their words couldn't. But as the days turned into weeks, their meetings became more frequent, more intense. They found solace in each other, a shared understanding that grew into something neither of them could ignore.
The first time they kissed, it was a tentative thing, born out of a night spent talking until the moon hung high in the sky. Luan Xie had been the one to close the distance between them, his heart pounding in his chest as he leaned in, his lips brushing against Ye Rou's in a way that was both cautious and desperate. When Ye Rou responded, pulling Luan Xie closer, it was as if the floodgates had opened, unleashing a torrent of emotions they had both been trying so hard to contain.
From that moment on, their stolen moments became even more precious. They met in hidden alcoves, behind closed doors, anywhere they could find a sliver of privacy in the bustling palace. The tension between them was electric, their connection undeniable. What had started as simple curiosity had evolved into something much deeper, something that both thrilled and terrified Luan Xie.
He was a prince, destined for a life of duty and responsibility, and Ye Rou was the young master of a noble family, bound by the same expectations. They both knew that what they were doing was dangerous, that if anyone found out, the consequences would be severe. But in those moments, when it was just the two of them, none of that mattered.
They explored each other in ways that went beyond the physical, learning each other's hopes, fears, and dreams. Luan Xie found himself opening up to Ye Rou in ways he never had with anyone else, sharing parts of himself that he had always kept hidden. And Ye Rou, in turn, revealed a vulnerability that lay beneath his composed exterior, a side of him that Luan Xie had long suspected existed but had never seen.
Their intimacy was a refuge from the world around them, a place where they could be themselves without the weight of their titles hanging over them. But even as they grew closer, a nagging fear began to take root in Luan Xie's heart. He knew that their secret couldn't stay hidden forever, that eventually, they would have to face the reality of their situation.
Yet, in those stolen moments, with Ye Rou's lips on his and his hands tracing the lines of Luan Xie's body, all of that seemed distant. The world outside could wait. For now, all that mattered was the connection they shared, the love that had blossomed in the most unlikely of places.
Little did Luan Xie know, Ye Rou was there to turn his life upside down.
The man who had once held him close in hidden corners of the palace was also the one who, with calculated precision, unravelled everything Luan Xie held dear.
Ye Rou's plotting began subtly, small actions that seemed inconsequential at first. A word here, a suggestion there, all carefully designed to sow seeds of doubt and discord among the people closest to Luan Xie. He whispered lies into the ears of the court, and the once-loyal advisors who had stood by Luan Xie's side began to question his every move.
Luan Xie, blinded by love, didn't see it coming. He was too caught up in the intensity of his feelings for Ye Rou to notice the cracks forming in his world. The man he had trusted, who had shared his most intimate moments, was systematically tearing apart everything he had worked so hard to protect.
The worst blow came when Ye Rou turned Luan Xie's own family against him. He manipulated Luan Xie's younger brother, filling his head with venomous lies, convincing him that Luan Xie had betrayed him, that he was the one who had revealed his deepest secrets. The bond between the brothers, once unbreakable, was shattered beyond repair.
But the most devastating act of all was the murder of Luan Xie's older brother—the one person Luan Xie had admired more than anyone in the world. Ye Rou executed his plan with cold, ruthless efficiency, making sure that the blame fell squarely on Luan Xie's shoulders. When the body was discovered, all evidence pointed to his older brother's wife, who later on lied that it was Luan Xie who made her do that. Luan Xie found himself suddenly alone, with no one to defend him.
In the span of a few short weeks, Luan Xie's life was turned upside down. He went from being a beloved prince to a pariah, accused of crimes he hadn't committed, shunned by the very people who had once sworn to protect him. The kingdom he had known his entire life became a place of nightmares, with every familiar face twisted in hatred and suspicion.
Luan Xie's heart, once so full of love and hope, grew cold and hard. The betrayal cut deeper than any physical wound, leaving scars that would never fully heal. Ye Rou had not just taken away his family and his kingdom—he had taken away Luan Xie's trust, his belief in love, and in the goodness of the people around him.
In the end, Ye Rou's deception was complete. Luan Xie, once a cheerful, energetic prince who loved his kingdom and his people, was left broken and alone, a shadow of the man he had once been. And as he stood in the ruins of his life, the full weight of Ye Rou's betrayal pressed down on him, turning the love he had once felt into a deep, unrelenting hatred.
The man who had been his everything had destroyed him, leaving Luan Xie with nothing but the bitter taste of revenge on his lips.
But revenge was not easy to come by. Ye Rou was determined to bring Luan Xie down thus he made his men hunt him down. The attack was brutal and relentless. Luan Xie was left severely injured, his body battered and broken. He suffered from significant memory loss due to repeated damage to his body.
Luan Xie was found on the brink of death by Zhong Qing, who took him in and saved his life.
Luan Xie struggled a lot to piece together fragments of his past together. His memories slowly returned but the fight was far from over—he had lost his ability to read and write. Zhong Qing had offered to teach him, but Luan Xie refused. That lost skill of him would remind Luan Xie of his revenge and fuel his determination even more.