Yun Zhaozhao, the orphaned daughter of a wealthy merchant family, lives in the Grand Tutor’s Manor under the care of her aunt, Madam Yun. She is betrothed to Pei Yan, the revered Grand Tutor, known throughout the capital as a cold, ascetic sage devoid of worldly desires. For three years, Pei Yan has treated Yun Zhaozhao with icy indifference, causing her to dread the marriage. Her nightmare begins when she dreams of being stripped and thrown into the street by Princess Chang, a fate that ends with her leaping from a cliff. A voice in her mind identifies itself as System 009, warning her that she is a cannon-fodder side character in a novel and that this tragic death awaits her in one year unless she binds with the system.
Yun Zhaozhao initially dismisses the system as a hallucination, confident that her cousin’s coldness makes it impossible for Princess Chang to envy her. However, her perspective shifts dramatically when she discovers she can hear Pei Yan’s inner thoughts. While outwardly maintaining his saintly, detached demeanor, Pei Yan’s mind is consumed by obsessive, possessive desires for Yun Zhaozhao. He finds her fragrance intoxicating, fantasizes about physical intimacy, and secretly collects items she has touched. This revelation terrifies Yun Zhaozhao, who decides to flee back to Jiangnan to escape the engagement. The system intervenes, granting her superhuman strength and limited mind-reading abilities in exchange for staying.
Armed with her new powers, Yun Zhaozhao navigates the treacherous social landscape of the capital. She exposes a theft within the manor by reading the inner thoughts of the culprit, Granny Wang, thereby gaining her aunt’s trust and Pei Yan’s attention. During a shopping trip with Pei Yan, she confronts her former friend Pei Yuzhu, who had been using Yun Zhaozhao for her wealth. Yun Zhaozhao physically overpowers Pei Yuzhu and her accomplice, shocking onlookers with her unexpected strength. Pei Yan, witnessing her ferocity, responds with protective affection, buying her expensive jewelry and fabrics while suppressing his own volatile desires. Their relationship begins to thaw as Yun Zhaozhao realizes Pei Yan’s cold exterior hides a deeply devoted, albeit obsessive, suitor.
The central conflict intensifies with the arrival of Princess Chang, who has long coveted Pei Yan. Upon seeing Yun Zhaozhao with Pei Yan, the Princess becomes determined to destroy her rival. The system reveals that the timeline has accelerated; Princess Chang now knows of Yun Zhaozhao a month earlier than in the original story, leaving Yun Zhaozhao with only one month to live. The system offers two choices: break off the engagement or stay close to Pei Yan, who can protect her. Yun Zhaozhao refuses to run, choosing instead to face the threat directly. Meanwhile, Pei Yan’s family, the Pei Duke Manor, conspires with Princess Chang to annul the engagement. They summon Yun Zhaozhao to apologize to Pei Yuzhu, but she refuses, leading to further family hostility. Pei Yan confronts his family, using psychological tactics to dismantle their schemes and asserting his authority. He secretly monitors Yun Zhaozhao, entering her room at night to watch her sleep, driven by a need to possess and protect her. The story follows Yun Zhaozhao’s transformation from a fearful victim into a confident woman who uses her wit and newfound strength to survive, while Pei Yan’s hidden obsession becomes the key to her salvation against the political and personal threats surrounding them.
