Wen Fu spent over a decade devoted to Lu Chenyi, from childhood sweetheart to arranged marriage. She endured his coldness, his obsession with his first love Shen Qingli, and his public infidelities, believing her devotion would eventually earn his love. The marriage was a facade maintained for family alliances, with Wen Fu playing the role of the perfect, submissive wife while Lu Chenyi secretly maintained a relationship with Shen Qingli and fathered a child with her.
The turning point came when Wen Fu was involved in a severe car accident that left her near death. During her hospitalization, she discovered photographic evidence that while she fought for her life, Lu Chenyi was vacationing with Shen Qingli and their son at a seaside villa, wearing a matching couple ring. This revelation shattered her illusions. She realized her three years of marriage had been a cruel joke, and her sacrifices had meant nothing to a man who had never truly loved her.
Upon recovering, Wen Fu made a decisive break. She moved out of the Lu family villa, taking only her personal belongings and dowry items. She refused to continue cooking for Lu Chenyi, serving soup to him, or maintaining the subservient role she had played for years. When her brother threatened to cut her off from the Wen family if she pursued divorce, she severed ties with her family as well, recognizing they valued her only as a political tool to maintain business connections with the Lu family.
Financially trapped with all her bank accounts frozen by Lu Chenyi as a control mechanism, Wen Fu hit rock bottom. She was reduced to playing guzheng at an upscale club for modest income. It was during this vulnerable period that she encountered Shi Yanbai, Lu Chenyi's ruthless business rival and the most powerful man in Jiangcheng. Shi Yanbai had been experiencing vivid dreams about Wen Fu for months, dreams that felt like memories of a past life. When he saw her working in the club, his obsession intensified.
Shi Yanbai offered Wen Fu a deal: divorce Lu Chenyi and become his lover, and he would provide financial support. Wen Fu refused, maintaining her dignity despite her circumstances. However, their interactions revealed a complex dynamic. Shi Yanbai was fascinated by her transformation from a submissive wife to a woman willing to stand up for herself. He witnessed her slap Shen Qingli in public when the boy pushed Wen Fu to the ground, and he saw her slap Lu Chenyi for defending the adulterous couple.
Meanwhile, Wen Fu's best friend Su Ying revealed that her web novel, which Wen Fu had helped rewrite with plot ideas that felt like memories from a past life, had become a massive hit. The Shi Group offered twenty million yuan for the adaptation rights, far more than the Lu Group's eight million offer. Su Ying credited Wen Fu's creative input, though Wen Fu insisted the work was entirely Su Ying's.
As Wen Fu pursued divorce proceedings, Lu Chenyi grew increasingly panicked. He had always viewed her as dependent and incapable of surviving without him. When she refused to return to the Lu household and threatened to expose his affair to his grandfather, the family patriarch, Lu Chenyi realized he was losing control. His anger masked a deeper fear that Wen Fu might actually succeed in leaving him.
Shi Yanbai orchestrated events to ensure the divorce became permanent, using his resources to undermine Lu Chenyi's attempts to reconcile with Wen Fu. He moved into the apartment across from Wen Fu's, maintaining constant proximity. Their relationship evolved from antagonistic to something more complex, with Shi Yanbai's possessiveness growing as he watched Wen Fu rebuild her life independently.
The story follows Wen Fu's journey from a woman who had lost her identity in service to an ungrateful husband to one who reclaim her autonomy. Through financial hardship, public humiliation, and emotional confrontation, she discovers strength she never knew she possessed. Shi Yanbai's obsession provides both danger and opportunity, as his interest in her seems connected to the dreams that have plagued him and the plot ideas that flow through Wen Fu as if remembering rather than inventing.
The narrative sets up a confrontation between the two powerful men, with Wen Fu caught between them. Lu Chenyi's realization that he may have taken Wen Fu for granted contrasts with Shi Yanbai's intense, almost supernatural fixation. As Wen Fu establishes her independence through streaming and her writing success, the power dynamics shift, leaving Lu Chenyi desperate and Shi Yanbai determined to claim what he perceives as his destiny.
