[Love in a wealthy family · tortured stand-in romance · reborn from the ashes]
“You're just her shadow. Don't hope for anything more.”
Lin Wanxing is forced to become the contract lover of business tycoon Gu Yanzhi, simply because her profile resembles that of his late wife, Su Li, by seventy percent. Inside the gilded cage of Yunqi Garden, she must imitate Su Li's every look and gesture, even down to the precise angle of her smile. Gu Yanzhi's tenderness and cruelty swing unpredictably. He plays his late wife's favorite piano pieces in the dead of night, yet when he suspects Lin Wanxing of betraying him, he destroys the child in her womb with his own hands.
On the night she loses the baby, Lin Wanxing finally wakes up. She carefully plans her escape, disappearing into the storm under the guise of a high fever and leaving behind only the sapphire necklace that marked her as a substitute. Five years later, she returns as Elena Lin, an emerging designer whose Thorn collection dazzles at Paris Fashion Week. The moment Gu Yanzhi recognizes her at an auction, the bidding paddle in his hand crashes to the floor. The timid canary now has a gaze sharpened to a point that makes him tremble.
**“President Gu, haven't you had enough of playing the stand-in game?” In front of everyone, she returns the jewelry he bought for an exorbitant price and crushes the business card he offers beneath her high heel.**
When the buried truth comes to light, they realize they were both pawns. Su Li's death concealed a bloody conspiracy, the miscarriage was caused by a carefully orchestrated deception, and the child everyone thought had “died” is now painting in the Paris sunshine, wearing a thorn bracelet...
“This time, I'll kneel as I love you.” The once-arrogant man signs away his custody rights with trembling hands. “I only ask that you don't make our child lose their father twice.”
