The Dead Snow Melts •1•

Qing Xiashu spends enough time caring for those around him that he doesn't realize how much he clings to someone just slightly more stable. Against his better judgment he leans into someone the world warned him not to.

His errors are clear enough.

Between the adoption of his daughter and the way he's compelled to hover over his sister, Yin Liming is a breath of fresh air. A man who is either unconcerned by the rigid rules of the world or entirely ignorant to them.

Yin Liming, as kind as he appears comes to expose his own rage.

Qing Xiashu ignores it. He ignores the glaring red flags. Past a few bumps he relishes in the proximity forced by the Eastern trials.

He craves the shaky tranquility and there is little surprise that it doesn't last. He has no one to blame but himself when things devolve from a relatively quiet disagreement between friends to an explosive clash of royal powers.