A.N: BTW, what're your thoughts on love at first sight?

The show was over. But Yushang seemed to stay in a daze, his sights still looking at the retreating back of the male with blooming flowers. It was at this moment, Jinrei came running to him, "Yushang, they are selling him!"

Yushang looked equally confused as Jinrei continued talking. To sum up everything, the male from earlier got sold to a wealthy merchant by the trainer. As if Yushang's world had just suffered an earthquake, he stood up and ran towards the direction Jinrei showed.

As soon as he reached, he saw something that broke all the remaining strings of his tolerance. The male was undressed and chained in heavy shackles. He was being dragged into a large iron-made cage. Before they could put him in the cage, Yusheng stormed in and knocked them off, directly laying them flat in one go. The owner came outside cursing the noise and saw a youngman, causing havoc.

"Hey, brat, what do you think you're doing? Go somewhere else to fight!" He spat out with anger.

Bai Yushang didn't move a bit and said with a cold tone, "Release that person, right now!"

"Who are you? He's been sold off, many want him, if you want him too, give me a better prize !" The owner spat out with a disgusting smug expression.

Bai Yushang regretted not bringing his seal on this trip instantly, but he had to save the male no matter what, "Fine, tell me the price, I'm buying him."

What he never noticed, the male in shackles flinched in terror and uncertainty about the future.

Getting his money, the disgusting owner shouted with pleasure, "Hey, Kylan, don't be shy to serve him with all you have! He really paid the most to have you!"

Those very words became Kylan's chains, they bit onto his heart. His very own father sold him off like some bread to some stranger he just met. His world shattered as he witnessed the betrayal.

This was how Bai Yuan's parents, Bai Yushang and Kylan, met and following the events Kylan had his heart shut for a long time. But when he realised his mistake and started to understand Bai Yushang's love, it was too late. The incurable disease he caught in his childhood worsened during his pregnancy. But he wanted Bai Yuan to be born, knowing that he won't be there for long to stay beside the man who tried his best to make him feel loved, but he was blinded by hatred and anger so much that he never noticed. Fate had always been cruel to him. If not, why did he pass away a few weeks after baby Bai Yuan was born?

Bai Yushang couldn't get over the grief of losing his other half, even though his love took a long time to get reciprocated. And when it all started to go off right, fate took Kylan away from him.

***

After that day, Feng Mian made her grand appearance in the Palace as the envoy from the neighbouring country. As she greeted the Emperor and Empress first and then started greeting the princes one by one, a man leaned on his armrest carelessly with a smug face, "Nice to meet you again, Mian Mian."

Feng Mian looked carefully and when she finally recognised him, her cheeks burnt red with embarrassment. She whispered, "So you really are the third prince? I apologize for the rudeness."

Wang Jinrei was amused, " I really like that arrogant attitude of yours. We'll see each other more in the future. Take care."

Jinrei flashed a smile and Feng Mian tsked in reply.

Little did she know, when Jinrei said about meeting more in future, he actually meant it.

Wang Jinrei and Feng Mian had a gorgeous wedding ceremony and later an adorable crown prince, Wang Yiheng. But miseries didn't leave Wang Jinrei alone, too.

By some unfortunate turn of circumstances, his one brother died on his way from a sea voyage, and another one suffered an heart-attack a few months later. Eventually, he was crowned as the new monarch of the empire. To gain more power, he had to establish a political marriage with Qian Shiyu, a distant cousin of Bai Yushang who belonged to the nobility.

Wang Jinrei would have been able to overcome all the sorrows if destiny had stopped there. But no. It stopped after taking away Feng Mian too. Wang Yiheng was only 3, when his mother passed away during the labour of Jinrei and Mian's second child. Hugging the fair child tightly who looked just like her mother, Jinrei broke down into tears. Wang Yiheng stood outside the chamber playing with his wooden sword, waiting for her mother to come and join him. But instead, loud cries came to hear, and his heart thumped.

He was going to go inside when a pair of slender hands pulled him up in a tight embrace. He looked at Qian Shiyu and then turned to look back. Qian Shiyu ticked her fingers to draw his attention, "Ah-Yiheng, what a good boy you are, let's play together. Your mother will join us soon."

Little Wang Yiheng hummed and played with Qian Shiyu. He waited patiently as he was told. Hours passed, days passed away, and months fell into years. His mother never came to join them. Gradually he realised, she was never coming back. However, she had placed a great responsibility on him. He now had a very important member to take care of. Wang Yiheng hold the small hand of his little sister, Wang Mo-er, as she giggled and flashed her toothless gums at him.

With the help of queen mother Qian Shiyu, Wang Yiheng started walking the path to be the next monarch and fulfill his duties of an ideal elder brother to Mo-er. By the time of his coming-of-age, he was already perfectly performing his duties as the youngest commander of the army.

As Jinrei's best and closest subordinate, Bai Yushang never left Yiheng's side during wars and trained him with all he knew. Again, Jinrei also passed away at an early age. Bai Yushang felt completely broken as his last close person left him so early. He retired from official duties and shut himself entirely, forgeting the world behind. Forgeting to the point that he had a son to take care of. His indifference lead Bai Yuan to all the miseries and bullying.

Oneday, after the coronation of Yiheng as the ruling Emperor, the Queen Dowager came to meet him and proposed Yiheng's marriage with Bai Yuan. He agreed and thus Bai Yuan and Wang Yiheng tied the knot with a large celebration. Fate really played the worst cards with him and his dearest ones.

Not for once it came to Bai Yushang's mind that if he had lost his love of life and best friend, there was Bai Yuan who lost both parents at the same time, with no one to rely on, he tolerated every nasty thing that came to him. Like a marionette, he agreed to anything his father said to him. Just with a hope that he would take a look at him and ask how he was doing. He silently bore all the bullying, criticisms for being a male with female reproduction system, having a mother with low birth origin, having a lustrous body that made males salivate for him, many more what not mean comments. He even agreed to marry Wang Yiheng, but instead the matter got twisted into, him desperately wanting to marry the emperor and gain power. He didn't understand why was everyone being like that to him, what did he do wrong to get treated so harshly.

Seriously, what did they actually do to deserve such fates…