Bandit! No Kissing Allowed in Acting!

Yu Huishui is a frail but brilliant scholar who has been raised as a foster son by the wealthy Fu family. Despite his delicate constitution, he possesses a photographic memory and has already passed the county and provincial examinations, becoming the youngest recommended scholar in his region. The Fu family, who treat him as their own, are preparing to send him to the Capital City for the prestigious palace examination. During a private conversation with Old Master and Madam Fu, Yu Huishui learns a shocking truth about his origins: he is the sole survivor of the Yu family, which was falsely accused and executed during a political upheaval twenty years prior. He was smuggled to safety as an infant and entrusted to the Fus. This revelation leaves him feeling rootless and anxious as he prepares for his journey.

While traveling to the Capital, Yu Huishui’s caravan is ambushed by bandits on a snowy mountain road. The bandit leader, Zang Liujiang, is a nineteen-year-old former orphan who rose to lead a group of bandits that have since transformed into a protective community for local villagers. Zang Liujiang spots Yu Huishui in the forest earlier that day and becomes instantly infatuated, mistakenly believing him to be a beautiful young woman due to his fair skin, delicate features, and unbound feet. When the bandits attack, Yu Huishui, hoping to protect his sworn brothers Fu Cong and Fu Ming, voluntarily offers himself to be taken. Zang Liujiang, interpreting Yu Huishui’s nervousness as shy affection, agrees to take responsibility for him.

Upon reaching the stronghold, the misunderstanding deepens. Zang Liujiang assumes Yu Huishui is a bride sent by fate and insists they marry immediately to preserve his honor, despite the lack of formalities. Yu Huishui attempts to explain that he is a man, but Zang Liujiang, fueled by alcohol and stubbornness, refuses to believe him, convinced that the bride is simply playing hard to get. The wedding ceremony proceeds with the entire village watching. During the ritual, Yu Huishui tears off his veil to reveal his male identity, causing shock among the guests. However, Zang Liujiang, unwilling to admit defeat or lose face, decides to keep Yu Huishui as his wife regardless, arguing that the villagers have already witnessed the union.

Locked in the bridal chamber, Yu Huishui negotiates a truce. He explains that he must take the imperial examination in the spring and requests to stay at the stronghold until then, after which Zang Liujiang can claim they divorced. Zang Liujiang agrees, primarily because he is determined to keep the handsome scholar by his side. The two begin to navigate their unusual living arrangement, with Zang Liujiang treating Yu Huishui with a mix of possessiveness and genuine care. He hunts wild wolves to provide for his new wife and shows concern for his well-being, while Yu Huishui is forced to adapt to the rugged mountain life.

As they spend more time together, the initial hostility and confusion give way to a complex bond. Zang Liujiang reveals that his bandit group has evolved into a legitimate community that protects the villagers from wolves and other dangers, challenging Yu Huishui’s preconceived notions about him. Meanwhile, Yu Huishui discovers that Zang Liujiang’s father left behind a well-stocked library, which becomes a point of connection between the scholar and the bandit. The story follows their developing relationship as they balance their differing worlds, with Yu Huishui preparing for his exams while Zang Liujiang tries to win his affection, all against the backdrop of a turbulent political landscape and the looming imperial examination.