Yan Ze is a high school delinquent whose life is defined by poverty and neglect. His father, Yan He, is a gambler who abandoned the family, while his mother, He Li, suffers from a severe, untreated illness and is forced into prostitution to survive. Yan Ze dropped out of the top academic ranks in middle school to protect his mother from harassment, eventually joining a local gang led by Liu She to endure the abuse he suffered. In high school, he bullies Fang Nian, a wealthy, timid, and academically gifted student, primarily to extort money. Yan Ze forces Fang Nian into a fake relationship, believing Fang Nian is weak and easy to manipulate.
The dynamic shifts when Fang Nian’s older brother, Fang Heng, discovers Yan Ze forcing a kiss on Fang Nian. Fang Heng, a strict and violent perfectionist who has always viewed Yan Ze as a rival and now as a fallen disgrace, brutally assaults Yan Ze in an alley. He forces Yan Ze into sexual submission as revenge, establishing a pattern of physical and psychological domination. Despite the trauma, Yan Ze remains trapped between the two brothers. Fang Nian, who appears innocent, is revealed to be manipulative and malicious; he orchestrated Yan Ze’s bullying in middle school out of jealousy toward Fang Heng’s admiration for Yan Ze’s academic prowess.
Fang Heng enrolls in the same class as Yan Ze and begins a twisted form of mentorship. He offers Yan Ze money for improved grades and good behavior, effectively buying his compliance while isolating him from his former gang. Yan Ze, desperate for funds to pay for He Li’s medical care and to repay debts, accepts. Under Fang Heng’s intense supervision, Yan Ze’s grades skyrocket, restoring his academic standing. However, the relationship is fraught with abuse. Fang Heng’s control extends to Yan Ze’s daily life, including his social interactions and physical autonomy. Yan Ze’s mother eventually commits suicide after realizing she is a burden, leaving Yan Ze with a note urging him to study and escape his circumstances.
Following He Li’s death, Yan Ze confronts the truth about Fang Nian’s role in his suffering. He learns that Fang Nian hired Liu She to assault and drug him, staging the incident to further damage Yan Ze’s reputation. Yan Ze beats Liu She and exposes the conspiracy. Fang Heng reveals his own diary, showing that his obsession with Yan Ze began in middle school when he was constantly ranked second to Yan Ze. His initial cruelty was a mix of repressed admiration and rage at Yan Ze’s self-destruction. Fang Heng sends Fang Nian abroad and punishes him physically for his crimes, breaking his leg and finger.
Yan Ze accepts the Fang family’s financial sponsorship to focus on the college entrance exam, viewing Fang Heng’s support as a transactional necessity rather than affection. Ten years later, Yan Ze is a successful entrepreneur. He tracks down Fang Nian, who is working as a singer abroad, and brings him back to China. Fang Heng confronts Yan Ze, displaying vulnerable and possessive behavior. Yan Ze, however, has secretly arranged for Fang Nian to be sent to a disreputable rehabilitation facility and then a mental hospital. Yan Ze then sells his company shares and disappears, leaving Fang Heng to deal with the aftermath. The story ends with Yan Ze seeking out his father, Yan He, to exact revenge for the suffering inflicted on his mother.
