What makes a bond between two women in Fate Chooses You (佳偶天成) more gripping than the central romance? It is not the love story of Lu Qianqiao (陆千乔) and Xin Mei (辛湄) that keeps viewers on edge, but the quiet, fierce friendship between Xin Mei and her junior sister, A Sheng (阿笙). A Sheng escapes from a nightmare father who used her as a test subject for poison. She wanders alone until she finds warmth in Xin Mei, a cultivator who becomes her protector, teacher, and emotional anchor. This article explores how trauma shapes A Sheng, how small acts of kindness rebuild her, and why her desperate attachment to Xin Mei almost breaks the couple’s happiness.
A Terrifying Father
A Sheng’s father, Xia Xuanzi (夏玄子), hears a prophecy that one of his children will become a god. Obsessed with power, he fathers countless children across the land, always killing the mother after birth. He keeps only sons. Daughters are discarded. But A Sheng survives her first breath by sheer luck, a fluke he never expected. Her childhood becomes a prison of fear.
Inside that prison, Xia Xuanzi forces her to swallow poisons and strange herbs meant for Gu (蛊) — a dark art of insect-based magic. He does not care if she lives or dies. Every night, she curls up shaking, waiting for the next dose. Her half-brothers learn cruelty from him, and home becomes a place with no kindness. So she runs away, leaving behind the Xinxie Manor where she was born, heading toward the capital with nothing but rags on her back.
On the road, hunger and cold become her only companions. She sleeps in ditches and begs for scraps. Yet compared to what she fled, even street life feels freer. But freedom does not mean safety. Gangs of older children rob her. Adults shove her away. She learns to keep her eyes down and never ask for help — until one day she sees a young woman eating noodles at a small shop.
A Gentle Rescue
That woman is Xin Mei. A Sheng stands at a distance, just staring at the steaming bowl. She does not approach or speak. Xin Mei notices the small, dirty figure and understands the child’s pride. Instead of offering charity directly, she pays the owner for another bowl and asks him to give it to the girl as if it were his own kindness. A Sheng eats slowly, tears falling into the soup.
After that meal, A Sheng follows Xin Mei like a shadow. She never steps inside Xin Mei’s gate, never knocks on the door. She simply sits on the doorstep every morning, waiting. And every day, Xin Mei brings out a plate of food or a warm bun. No questions. No pity. Just food placed quietly beside her. That rhythm becomes a new kind of home for A Sheng — one without screams or poison.
Then Xin Mei leaves the capital to return to Xinxie Manor. A Sheng waits three days before realizing she will not come back. Despair crashes over her. She wanders the streets again, but this time something is different — she has tasted gentleness, and losing it hurts worse than any beating. Two months pass. Then Xin Mei returns to the capital, searching for the little girl. A Sheng hears about it from street gossip.
The Fear of Losing
A Sheng decides to play a small trick. She hides for two days, watching Xin Mei ask shopkeepers for news of a girl her age. Then she stages a scene — appearing suddenly with fake tears, bruises painted on her arms, claiming bullies have attacked her. Xin Mei’s heart breaks at the sight. She takes A Sheng back to Xinxie Manor immediately, promising never to leave her behind again.
At the manor, A Sheng discovers she has a natural talent for cultivation. She learns spells and swordsmanship quickly, reaching the Jin Dan (金丹) stage — a solid core of golden energy — in just a few years. But no amount of power erases her nightmares. She wakes screaming most nights. Xin Mei sits beside her bed, telling stories in a soft voice like a mother would, until the child falls asleep again. That care becomes A Sheng’s entire world.
When Xin Mei falls in love with Lu Qianqiao, A Sheng feels a stab of panic. Not jealousy of romance — but terror of losing her only family. She sees him as a threat. At their first meeting, she pretends to be weak and sick, begging Xin Mei to take her back to the manor immediately. During the farewell hug between Xin Mei and Lu, she tugs at Xin Mei’s sleeve, urging her to leave faster. Later, she admits to herself: she would curse anyone who harms her师姐 — her senior sister — even without hesitation.
Lu Qianqiao understands the depth of this bond. He knows he cannot force A Sheng away. So he starts planning small ways to earn her trust — bringing her favorite snacks, asking for her advice on cultivation techniques. The story ends not with A Sheng disappearing, but with three people learning to share space: A Sheng clinging to Xin Mei, Lu trying to steal private moments, and endless playful fights over who gets to sit next to her at dinner. It is messy, imperfect, and deeply human.