Pick The Second Male Lead

01.19 - Lin Heng

Meixiang had thought to poke at the female lead's hurt ego without thinking of the consequences. This was supposed to be Liu Jiaying's story. Zhao Meixiang, after all, is just a minor character - a small little villain. By infuriating the female lead, Meixiang again changed the course of each character. Liu Jiaying, who was once a pure woman with good morals, is now blinded with jealousy and rage. Being provoke by a seemingly, unimportant character, Liu Jiaying's pride was hurt. Seeing the man who was supposed to be her best friend - a man who was supposed to love her, love another, was unacceptable. Even if she originally did not love Lin Heng, Liu Jiaying did not want him to love anyone else either. It was her right as the main female lead character to obtain both the main and second-male lead characters' hearts.

So what does the female lead do when her position is threatened? She does everything she could to reset what belonged to her. Zhuang Yi belonged to her. Lin Heng belonged to her. Zhao Meixiang is an unforeseen butterfly that dared to enter Liu Jiaying's flower garden. Plot and schemes ensued. Liu Jiaying waited until she has a chance to get rid of Zhao Meixiang. But her patience grew thinner by the day as her desperation to escape the strict, stuffy palace life grew each passing day. Every time she sees Lin Heng and received unfriendliness or indifferent attitude from him, Liu Jiaying gets angrier at Zhao Meixiang. She firmly believed that Meixiang was the reason to her current predicament. She was sure that once Meixiang disappeared, everything will be back to normal. Lin Heng will be warm and kind to her again which then result in Zhuang Yi loving her once more.

Months passed by when Liu Jiaying finally reaching the breaking point at Zhuang Yi's announcement that he'll be taking a concubine, a daughter of a third rank Baron. Which female lead would allow her man to bring another woman into their home? Zhuang Yi was originally supposed to love Liu Jiaying. He wasn't supposed to take concubines or love another woman. But while Liu Jiaying was busy plotting and scheming, she lost sight of Zhuang Yi. Liu Jiaying had neglected her husband - thus in turn, her husband turned to someone else. That was the true nature of the so-call game of love. Liu Jiaying had been too confident with herself - to self-absorb to realize her mistake. Instead, she push the blame to another - Zhao Meixiang.

A crazed woman is a deadly woman. Liu Jiaying lost her sanity completely when she saw Zhao Meixiang. At the celebratory ceremony of Zhuang Yi and the Marquise's daughter union, Liu Jiaying bitterly was forced to attend - forced to watch as her husband took another wife. When Lin Heng entered with Zhao Meixiang, whatever left of her sanity was lost at the sight of Lin Heng's affectionate manner toward Meixiang. Before anyone could stop Liu Jiaying, the crazed woman with a dagger in her hand, plunged forward. Lin Heng was first to react and covered Meixiang's body with his own. Whether it's her self-consciousness or instinct, Meixiang grabbed Lin Heng and turned. Screams echoed throughout the ceremony hall while Zhuang Yi commands guards to subdue the laughing Liu Jiaying.

"Meixiang!" Lin Heng shouted painfully as the dagger had plunged deep into Meixiang back.

"Heng-ge..." Meixiang eyes were filled with unspoken sorrow, as if she was not ready to leave. "Heng-ge.."

Tears fall as Lin Heng shouted for Meixiang to keep her eyes open.

"Heng-ge... please..." Meixiang used the remaining strength she had to speak. "Please take care of my father..."

Eyes closed, the soul drifted away, leaving behind the cold body.

"Meixiang!" Lin Heng clutched onto his beloved cold body, shouting out painfully. "No! Meixiang!"

The crowd watched in sadness and tears. Many of the guests knew how much Lin Heng had love he have toward his wife. Not much was known of Zhao Meixiang, but those who do, saw her as a graceful, kind woman. To have been killed suddenly like this, everyone was shocked - even more so that the murderer was the fourth prince's own consort.

"She's finally gone!" Liu Jiaying laughter brought chills to everyone heart. "Heng, we can finally be together"

Everyone was shaken by Liu Jiaying's words and quickly understood why she had killed Zhao Meixiang. In the end, it was because she was in love with the Prime Minister's son, Lin Heng.

"Quickly" Zhuang Yi was not only embarrassed, he was mortified at what his own wife had done to his best friend's beloved. "Take her away and lock her up in prison!"

Zhuang Yi had long notice Liu Jiaying change of heart, but he did not believe she would go through such extent to have Lin Heng. His best friend had rebuff her, rejected her many times and yet the woman was persistent. The reason why Zhuang Yi finally decided to take a concubine was because he could no longer tolerate his own wife feelings for another man. He wanted to give her the same pain she had given him. He didn't expect that she would take her anger out on an innocent person like Zhao Meixiang.

"No! Heng! Save me Heng!"

Even while she was dragged away, Liu Jiaying still believed Lin Heng would save her. But all she saw was an empty shell of a man, looking on blankly at the woman lying in his arms. Confused, she watched as Lin Heng's tears fall onto Zhao Meixiang's cheek. Her heart ached with jealousy as the man kissed the flower mark under Meixiang's closed right eyes.

"No! Heng! Please look at me!"

But Lin Heng did not look away from Meixiang. In death, the beautiful woman still consumed his entire soul. In death, memories of Zhao Meixiang still burn deeply in his heart.

In Lin Heng's memory, a small girl sat underneath the wood pavilion, surround by plum blossom trees. With an elbow on the wooden table, her chin was prompt on the back of her hand while other hand was gently tapping on the table. Her eyes were closed with a quiet smile on her face as if she was lost in a soundless song of the wind...