Just a Substitute for Fun, But the Sugar Daddy Takes It Seriously

Jiang Shu is a talented jewelry appraiser who enters a transactional relationship with Cheng Xiyu, a wealthy and powerful young man from a prominent military-industrial family. Three years prior, Jiang Shu’s mother fell into a vegetative state, leaving the young student with no means to afford medical care. Cheng Xiyu, who had recently taken over his family’s conglomerate, agreed to cover her mother’s treatment costs in exchange for her companionship. Jiang Shu believes she is his mistress, a role she accepts with quiet dignity, while Cheng Xiyu views her primarily as a substitute for his first love, Bai Yiyi, due to a striking resemblance marked by a small red mole on Jiang Shu’s eyelid. Their relationship is defined by this unspoken hierarchy: he provides financial security and a luxurious lifestyle, while she offers physical intimacy and domestic care, though Cheng Xiyu remains emotionally distant and often cruel, particularly when reminded of Bai Yiyi’s absence.

The core conflict emerges from the disparity in their emotional investments. Jiang Shu has gradually developed genuine affection for Cheng Xiyu, finding warmth in his rare moments of tenderness and the domestic life they share at his mansion. She navigates workplace challenges at Baili Jewelry, where she faces hostility from colleagues like Yu Meng and skepticism from department heads, yet she excels professionally, impressing Bai Shuxi, Bai Yiyi’s brother, who harbors his own interest in her. Cheng Xiyu, meanwhile, is consumed by business acquisitions and family tensions, particularly with his mentally unstable mother and his estranged father. He exhibits possessive behavior, such as jealousy when Jiang Shu interacts with other men, yet he consistently reinforces the transactional nature of their bond, never acknowledging her as a true partner. The tension escalates when Jiang Shu discovers that Cheng Xiyu has never once called her by her full name, realizing that her affectionate gestures and intimate moments were never meant for her personally, but were projections of his longing for someone else.

A key turning point occurs during a series of social gatherings and family interactions. At Gu Zhao’s birthday banquet, Jiang Shu encounters Gu Ting, a childhood friend of Cheng Xiyu who harbors unrequited feelings for him. Gu Ting attempts to assert her dominance and warn Jiang Shu about her place in Cheng Xiyu’s life, but Jiang Shu remains composed, internally accepting her role as a temporary comfort. Later, Jiang Shu reflects on her past, revealing memories of a boy from her youth who taught her to cook and brew wine, a connection she has lost touch with. This past relationship contrasts sharply with her current dynamic with Cheng Xiyu, highlighting her capacity for deep emotional attachment that she has not yet fully received in return. Cheng Xiyu’s mother’s deteriorating mental state and the family’s underlying secrets further complicate the environment, adding pressure to Cheng Xiyu’s life and limiting his emotional availability.

The story direction points toward an inevitable emotional reckoning. Jiang Shu’s growing realization of her deception leads to a quiet but profound shift in her demeanor. She continues to fulfill her duties as a girlfriend and employee, but her internal world changes as she acknowledges the futility of her hopes. Cheng Xiyu’s awareness of her feelings remains ambiguous; he enjoys her devotion but refuses to commit to a genuine relationship, caught between his unresolved feelings for Bai Yiyi and his growing, albeit suppressed, attachment to Jiang Shu. The narrative sets the stage for a potential rupture in their arrangement, as Jiang Shu’s professional success and emotional independence begin to challenge the power dynamics that have defined their relationship. The presence of Bai Shuxi and the unresolved history with Bai Yiyi serve as constant reminders of the barriers between them, suggesting that Jiang Shu may eventually seek a path toward self-preservation and emotional autonomy, forcing Cheng Xiyu to confront the consequences of his emotional avoidance.