Ruan Yu was adopted from an orphanage at age six by Lu Yuan and Ruan Zhen, a couple renowned for their artistic and business success. From childhood, she was isolated from the outside world, denied formal schooling, and subjected to rigorous physical grooming by her adoptive mother. The true nature of her adoption was revealed on the eve of her eighteenth birthday when Lu Yuan drugged her and delivered her to a wealthy client, President An, as part of a business transaction. Ruan Yu fled the hotel room and collapsed in the arms of Li Xuzhou, the CEO of Huayang Empire, who took her to his suite and protected her. However, the failed transaction ruined the deal, and Lu Yuan, furious at the loss of profit and the damage to her carefully cultivated asset, imprisoned Ruan Yu in a hidden room in their villa for three years, starving her and cutting her off from the world.
During her imprisonment, Ruan Yu survived only through the secret kindness of Ruo Yan, a maid who smuggled her food and offered emotional support. Lu Yuan eventually released Ruan Yu from the room with a new directive: she must seduce Li Xuzhou to secure the Xiangshan project for the Ruan family, using Ruo Yan’s disabled family as leverage to ensure compliance. Ruan Yu agreed and was sent to the Li residence, where she was one of several young women invited by Li Xuzhou’s mother to compete for his affection. Upon arrival, Ruan Yu, severely malnourished and traumatized, consumed an excessive amount of food at breakfast, catching the attention of Li Xuzhou, who recognized her immediately despite her changed appearance.
Li Xuzhou, who had searched for Ruan Yu for three years, was devastated by her frail condition and the signs of abuse she bore. He secretly arranged for her to receive medical care, abundant food, and a comfortable living space, while publicly maintaining a cold demeanor to avoid frightening her. His parents noticed his unusual behavior and concern. When Li Xixi, a rival suitor and daughter of a subordinate, accused Ruan Yu of assault after being pushed away from her provocations, Li Xuzhou exposed Li Xixi’s theft of company documents and had her father arrested for corporate espionage, effectively removing the threat.
Ruan Yu, unaware of Li Xuzhou’s true feelings, believed she was merely a tool for his mother’s matchmaking and her own family’s greed. She struggled with her trauma, finding comfort only in Li Xuzhou’s presence and scent, which reminded her of the night he saved her. Meanwhile, Lu Yuan contacted Ruo Yan, instructing her to manipulate Ruan Yu from within the Li household. Ruo Yan sent messages to Ruan Yu, feigning distress and asking for help, planting seeds of doubt and guilt. The story follows Ruan Yu’s attempt to navigate her new environment while hiding her true mission, Li Xuzhou’s efforts to heal her physically and psychologically without overwhelming her, and the looming threat of her adoptive family’s schemes to control her fate once again.
