Shang Yan transmigrates into the body of a villainess in a harem novel titled "The Flowing CEOs, the Unchanging Heroine." The original Shang Yan was a troublesome character who bullied the male lead, Huo Yunjian, and tormented the female lead, Lin Yuan, ultimately meeting a tragic end where she was imprisoned and abused to death by government colleagues. Upon waking, Shang Yan finds herself in the middle of a chemistry exam, a nightmare for someone with no academic background. She scores twenty-eight points and returns home to face her strict adoptive father, Shang Yuanlin, who is already in a foul mood due to the anniversary of his deceased wife. The confrontation escalates when Shang Yan retorts sharply, shocking her family with her newfound rebelliousness. Her stepmother, Ning Wanyun, attempts to mediate but is rebuffed by Shang Yan, who sees through her feigned kindness.
Shang Yan resolves to avoid the original plot entirely. She understands that her four brothers and her twin brother, Shang Yi, are destined to fall for Lin Yuan, leading to their downfall. To prevent this, she decides to keep her family away from the protagonists. Her relationship with Shang Yi, who is cold and aloof in the original story, begins to shift when she initiates contact. After a minor incident in the school cafeteria where Shang Yi pays for her meal, they begin walking home together, confusing their peers and sparking rumors on the school forum. Shang Yan uses this proximity to monitor Shang Yi, hoping to prevent him from meeting Lin Yuan.
Meanwhile, Shang Yan discovers she has broken a rare cloisonné enamelware piece worth hundreds of millions, incurring a massive debt. With only twenty thousand yuan in her account, she seeks a quick way to earn money. Using her technical skills, she obtains an invitation to Guangming Casino, an exclusive underground gambling den. There, she encounters three young men from powerful families: Cui Heyuan, Wei Yansi, and Xie Heng. Shang Yan proceeds to the roulette table and bets her entire stack on a single number, black thirty-three. Against all odds, she wins, doubling her chips. She continues to play, winning another round by betting on red thirteen, accumulating over thirty million yuan. Her boldness and success attract the attention of the casino patrons and the observers in the VIP room, particularly Xie Heng, who suspects she is not an amateur but a skilled player. Shang Yan leaves the casino with her winnings, having secured the funds to pay for the broken artifact while maintaining her goal of living a carefree, wealthy life away from the novel's tragic storyline.
