The Boyfriend Who Never Meets

Xie Tao got a boyfriend. They have never met. He would send her many things, snacks she had never eaten before, expensive-looking gold and silver jewelry, wine brewed from the first snow, tea boiled with plum blossom dew, and books of strange tales she had never read. She could imagine what his life must be like, as poetic and picturesque as an ancient painting. Because of him, Xie Tao’s life fundamentally changed. She no longer had to work several jobs because he didn’t allow it. Her life was no longer strained because he always sent her real gold and silver. But she didn’t know that every WeChat message she sent him was transformed into a sealed letter and sent to another time and space. There, it was a chaotic era of changing dynasties. The man she fell in love with was the most stunning blank space in this world. One day, Xie Tao mustered the courage to video call her boyfriend. ??? My boyfriend is so handsome, wah wah wah! His eyes are so beautiful! His eyelashes are so long! His skin is so fair! But wait? Why is he wearing ancient robes and sporting an ancient hairstyle?! At that moment, the young nobleman in her phone screen, dressed in bright brocade, wearing a gold crown and jade belt, with long, dark hair, had eyes like amber and a gentle smile, calling her “Tao Tao.” —Modern, soft, poor girl with no money X Ancient, smart, rich, and powerful national advisor