Marriage Before Love: The Lu Family’s Sweetheart Contract

Lin Ruosheng, a young woman who moved to Beijing in search of a better life, has endured every hardship imaginable just to survive: working night shifts at a convenience store, washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen, and performing in melodramatic street skits. Her mother is seriously ill, the rent is overdue, and she has only eighteen yuan to her name. One night, as she crouches beneath a streetlight eating instant noodles, a black Maybach pulls up in front of her.

The man who steps out is Lu Siheng, heir to the Lu family, one of the capital's most powerful dynasties. He is aloof and refined, keeping everyone at arm's length. He pulls out a photo of her, secretly taken over the past three years, and hands her a contract for a marriage of convenience.

“Marry me. It's fake. Ten million a year, paid upfront.”

The reason is simple: the Lu family patriarch is gravely ill, and his dying wish is to see his eldest grandson married. After looking everywhere, Lu Siheng chose Lin Ruosheng. Not because she is pretty, and not because she's easy to control, but because three years ago, late one night, he saw on the convenience store's security footage a girl being harassed by a drunk. She didn't cry or scream. Instead, she smiled and poured a pot of oden over his head.

He needs a “fake wife,” and she needs money. A contract, with both sides getting what they want.

But she doesn't know this arrangement was never a coincidence. And he doesn't know that he's long since fallen for the act.

[Main Characters]

Female lead | Lin Ruosheng: 24 years old, four years in Beijing, a high school graduate whose mother is ill. She gets by doing odd jobs. Tough and sharp-tongued on the surface, she has a stubborn, resilient spirit. Her smile is warm and bright, and she never tries to hide her tears.

Male lead | Lu Siheng: 28 years old, CEO of Lu Group and heir to the capital's most powerful family. Cool and reserved by nature.