The beloved legitimate daughter of the Shen family and the novel's heroine. She was engaged to Huo Xizhou since childhood, and they were deeply in love. Shen Nanxi stole her fiancé, causing scandal. In the original story, Shen Ziyan lives happily ever after with a successful career, three children, and a rich loving husband, while the original Shen Nanxi suffers bitterly.
