In her past life, Lanyin was praised by everyone as a virtuous and exemplary wife, but she ultimately met a tragic end, falsely accused of adultery and divorced.
She was driven out of her home by Xiao Ye, abandoned by her own family like worthless trash, and in the end, she watched helplessly as Xiao Ye and her younger sister flew off together, while she perished alone in a fire, suffering a lonely and miserable death.
Reborn to the third year of her marriage to Xiao Ye, just as the newly widowed Gu Qing was brought home by Xiao Ye, the delicate woman wept incessantly, while her usually cold and silent husband grew frantic with worry. Looking at the pair before her, Lanyin suddenly felt it was all rather ridiculous. All her tragedies stemmed from this unfair marriage.
If that was the case, then she no longer wanted it.
After the divorce, Lanyin bought houses and shops, living a flourishing and prosperous life. Meanwhile, Xiao Ye gradually grew unaccustomed to the change. But when he mustered the courage to seek out Lanyin, he saw her walking and laughing together with Qi Yubai, the rising star of the court.
It was the first time he realized that Lanyin could also smile so radiantly.
Lanyin had always followed the rules and never wronged anyone. If there was anyone she owed, it was Qi Yubai from her past life, the man falsely accused of adultery with her. He could have risen even higher, but was dragged down by her. Unexpectedly, after the divorce, she gradually grew closer to him.
Qi Yubai was cold and solitary, but Lanyin, who had been walking alone in the darkness, felt a long-lost warmth and affection from him. He told her, “You are not unworthy of love. You just hadn’t met the right person before.”
*
Qi Yubai, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was cold and restrained, like a snow-covered pine on a cold mountain or green bamboo under the moonlight. He was the ideal man in the hearts of all young women, yet someone they admired from afar, too intimidated to approach. Everyone thought that a man like him, an unattainable flower on a high peak, would never bow for a woman in his lifetime.
Unexpectedly—
On a snowy day, as a group of people walked through the snow in search of plum blossoms, before they could even see the flowers, they caught sight of him standing with Gu Lanyin, who had recently divorced. Amid the falling snow, his umbrella tilted mostly over her, snow gathering on his shoulders, while his usually cold and indifferent eyes held a faint smile.
Qi Yubai had lived two lifetimes and secretly loved Gu Lanyin for both.
In this lifetime, since he had finally taken her hand, he would never let go.
