Jiang Mi, an ordinary woman with no connection to the wealthy Qi family, finds herself transmigrated into the body of Qi Zhuyan, a fictional character from a male-oriented web novel she had briefly read. In the story, Qi Zhuyan is a fraudulent heir who pretends to be the long-lost daughter of the Qi family patriarch to fight for inheritance against the legitimate illegitimate son, Qi Huaizhou. The original character meets a tragic end in prison, but Jiang Mi arrives at the critical moment when she is confrontating Qi Huaizhou in a coffee shop. Her body initially speaks words of hostility and insult on its own, but she regains control just as Qi Huaizhou prepares to pour coffee on her. In a desperate attempt to survive, Jiang Mi dumps the coffee on herself and claims it was an accident, trying to de-escalate the situation.
Jiang Mi quickly realizes she is in a dangerous position as a cannon fodder villainess destined for death. She attempts to flee the Qi family entirely, declaring her loyalty to Qi Huaizhou and her intention to leave once her duties are fulfilled. However, she is intercepted by Su Rongbing, the woman who hired the original Xia Mi to pose as Qi Zhuyan. Su Rongbing forces Jiang Mi to continue the charade, threatening to expose her as a fraud if she refuses. Jiang Mi is also confronted by her adoptive family, the Xias, who had sold her into this arrangement for money. She discovers that her adoptive brother Xia Fan was never actually ill, and her family has squandered the funds on luxury goods. In retaliation, Jiang Mi hires bodyguards to destroy their property and cut off contact with them.
Back at the Qi family estate, Jiang Mi navigates a hostile environment filled with suspicious relatives. She discovers that Qi Huaizhou is not merely a business rival but is suffering from a serious, hidden illness and is being poisoned. Despite his initial distrust and cold demeanor, Qi Huaizhou begins to notice Jiang Mi's strange behavior. She stops playing the arrogant villainess and instead shows genuine care, bringing him candy and a hot water bottle when he is unwell. This confuses Qi Huaizhou, who suspects she is plotting something but cannot determine her true intentions.
The situation becomes more complicated when Qi Huaizhou uses Jiang Mi as a shield to reject a marriage arrangement with a famous actress, Meng Huazi, whom his father had chosen for him. He introduces Jiang Mi as his girlfriend, calling her "Mimi," which creates a web of lies that neither can easily escape. Jiang Mi helps him maintain this facade to protect herself from Su Rongbing and to gain favor with Qi Huaizhou, hoping to avoid her canonical fate. Meanwhile, Su Rongbing remains a constant threat, manipulating events from the shadows and plotting to eliminate Qi Huaizhou's influence over the family inheritance. Jiang Mi must balance her desire to survive, her growing understanding of Qi Huaizhou's plight, and the intricate political maneuvering within the Qi family as the patriarch's health continues to decline.
