In the turbulent years of the Republic, the Su family of Gusu, a century-old tea merchant clan, deliberately orchestrated the massacre of the Lu family to seize their secret tea-making methods. They set fire to the Lu residence and slaughtered the entire clan. Only Lu Wanyan, an orphaned girl, survived by sheer luck.
Su Muhuai, the Su family’s second young master, knew the truth and was consumed by guilt. He had also secretly harbored feelings for Lu Wanyan since they were young. Ignoring his family’s objections, he brought her to live under the Su roof. For years, Lu Wanyan endured life in her enemies’ home, keeping her head down as she concealed her vendetta and secretly investigated the past. Su Muhuai quietly protected her and tried to make amends, yet the sins of his family bound him to silence. Torn between love and guilt, he could not bring himself to reveal the truth.
On the way to Shanghai, Lu Wanyan accidentally uncovered the Su family’s entire plot and realized that the people who had raised her were all her enemies. Her heart turned to ash, and she broke completely with Su Muhuai. Knowing she could not take on a powerful clan alone, she joined forces with the Su family’s longtime enemy, Li Jiangchu, the son of a Shanghai warlord. They formed an alliance and worked together from within and without.
Later, Lu Wanyan broke into the Su family’s hidden vault and seized crucial evidence: a secret order in the old master’s own hand, bribery ledgers, and the stolen tea-making methods. Li Jiangchu immediately closed in, crippling the Su family’s business foundations, stoking public outrage, and working with the authorities to investigate their crimes. The century-old Su family collapsed, and all the chief culprits were severely punished.
With the past finally laid to rest, Su Muhuai bore the sins of his family, gave away his fortune, and went into exile in the Northwest, spending the rest of his life in loneliness and atonement. Lu Wanyan made proper arrangements for the innocent Su Muxue, who went on to live in peace. Letting go of her hatred, Lu Wanyan settled alone in Shanghai. Li Jiangchu put aside his political schemes and stayed by her side as a kindred spirit. They met amid the chaos of war, found tenderness and companionship, settled their debts, and each found peace in the years that followed.
