【Rags-to-riches comeback + elite-circle rivalry for her affection + clear-headed, hardworking heroine (that’s every fan who’s working hard!!!) + power struggles + a vast class divide】
Shen Zhi'en clawed her way out of the mire of a small town in the northwest. The first half of her life was a living hell.
Her father was a gambling drunk who beat her and called her worthless, threatening to sell her to an old bachelor as a wife to pay off his gambling debts. Jealous people around her mocked her for thinking a toad could eat swan meat, saying that someone born at the bottom would be trapped in the mud for life.
But she refused to accept that fate. She pushed herself so hard at school that anxiety began to affect her physically, and she lost thirty pounds in a year. In the end, she was admitted to one of the country's top universities, Qingbei, ranking eleventh in the province and first in her county!
Getting into a prestigious university wasn't the finish line, but a stepping stone. She wasn't trying to attach herself to the powerful and become a canary in a gilded cage. She wanted to stand at the very top of the pyramid and be her own backing!
She'd meant to focus entirely on her career and climb to the top. Who could have guessed she'd make the capital's golden boys compete wildly for her affection?
【The loyal puppy who's loved her since high school】: “Zhi'en, run as far ahead as you like. I'll always be right behind you, whether we're seventeen or twenty-seven.”
【The sunny, sincere third-generation heir of a revolutionary family】: “Zhi'en, you don't have to force yourself to be invulnerable. You can always lean on my shoulder.”
【The mature, domineering high-ranking official of the capital's elite circle】: “Shen Zhi'en, I'll make your ambitions come true. This capital, this world of fame and fortune, I can give you everything you want, on one condition: you can only stand by my side.”
The chaste, aloof scion of a powerful family breaks his vows for her, while the capital's notorious playboy turns over a new leaf…
