Dingguo

"Dingguo" is an alternate-history rebirth web novel by the author Fopo, first serialized on Zongheng Chinese Network (some sources record it as serialized on the Zhangyue platform), also known as "Hold You in My Arms." The protagonist, Su San, was in his previous life a business titan who dominated the commercial world and also wielded influence in politics; he dies amid the machinations of power but unexpectedly is reborn into the fictional "Feng Dynasty," an alternate dynasty that corresponds to no actual period in Chinese history. The rituals, laws, poetry, and street life of this time-space resemble ancient China, yet form an entirely new history of their own. After rebirth, Su San initially wants only a leisurely, comfortable life: composing poems at gatherings, running a small shop, and associating with family and friends. But with the knowledge and skills of his previous life, he repeatedly reveals his brilliance in literary gatherings, commercial battles, and the court, and ultimately cannot truly stay aloof. As the times grow chaotic and the atmosphere of a troubled age presses in, the expectations of those around him intertwine with his own ambitions, and he must choose between "embracing the beauty" and "securing the realm." The book unfolds along multiple threads—poetry and literary gatherings and street life, business operations and family feuds, power struggles and battlefield campaigns—and concludes with Chapter 147, "Blooming Flowers and Full Moon." It is a fast-paced alternate-history novel that blends literary elegance with the warmth of everyday life.