The Grand Banquet

"What is your name?"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Jiang Yuyan turned warily, her gaze sweeping toward its source.

She saw a young scholar in elegant robes, his features refined, his demeanor cultured. He stood not far away, watching her with a gentle smile.

"Who... who are you?" Jiang Yuyan asked hesitantly, her voice tinged with unease.

Zhu Youji observed the delicate and timid girl before him, finding it difficult to reconcile her with the ruthless, calculating woman etched in his memories.

A thought surfaced in his mind—something he had once read in a past life.

How does one craft a protagonist?

Give them a tragic childhood, fill their journey with regrets, grant them friends who pull them back from the edge, and leave them with a glimmer of hope.

And how does one create a villain?

Take away that last glimmer of hope.

Jiang Yuyan's life had followed this blueprint to perfection.

If she had received Jiang Liushi's love, she might never have reached that fateful end.