Hua Changle is the biological daughter of the Changan Marquisate, raised apart from her family after a childhood trauma left her with rumors of impurity. Her parents favor their adopted daughter, Hua Zhiyu, who shares Changle's birthday but receives all the familial affection and social recognition. Changle lives alone, enduring public mockery and familial neglect, while her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Third Prince Wei Shuye, gradually shifts his devotion from her to a woman named Lin Xinyan.
On the day of Hua Zhiyu's Hairpin Ceremony, which coincides with Changle's fifteenth birthday, Qi Feirou—the Marchioness—personally forces Changle to attend, demanding she apologize to Wei Shuye for allegedly insulting Lin Xinyan. Changle arrives in plain attire, having been deliberately slighted, and confronts Wei Shuye, who accuses her of deliberately scalding Lin Xinyan with hot broth. Changle denies the accusation, but Wei Shuye demands an apology, revealing his complete loss of faith in her.
Inside the Marquisate, the hierarchy is stark: guests praise Hua Zhiyu's grace and talent while whispering about Changle's notorious temper and rumored past. Hua Zhiyu manipulates the situation by inviting Lin Xinyan to the banquet and pressuring her to apologize to Changle, knowing Changle's volatile nature will provoke a scene. When Lin Xinyan refuses and declares her love for Wei Shuye, Changle retaliates by slashing Hua Zhiyu's dress—a garment originally made for Changle by her late grandparents. Enraged, Changle pursues them onto the rooftop and pushes both women off, jumping herself but landing safely while Wei Shuye and Changle's brother catch the falling women.
The Marquis slaps Changle, and Qi Feirou screams that she wishes Changle had died instead of her twin brother at birth. This moment marks Changle's final emotional break. She shatters the jade bracelet Wei Shuye offers as a belated birthday gift and declares she wants to break off the engagement. Wei Shuye dismisses it as another tantrum, convinced Changle will eventually beg him to stay.
Changle seeks out Wei Cheng Xuan, the Xuan Wang and Little Imperial Uncle, a powerful and feared figure who once helped preserve her engagement after she waited in the rain for a day and night. This time, she asks him to help annul it. Wei Cheng Xuan gifts her a dark iron dagger engraved with her name, then agrees to help her break the engagement if she remains resolute the following day. He questions whether she understands the reputational damage an annulment will cause, but Changle states she is no longer afraid of what others think. The story follows Changle's transformation from a desperate girl clinging to a childhood sweetheart into a woman willing to sacrifice her reputation and social standing to escape a relationship built on betrayal and familial abuse.
