[One true pairing|Sweet romance|The powerful one lowers his head|Forced love|Scorching sexual tension|Insatiable desire]
Main couple: A clearheaded, seductive beauty vs. a possessive man who talks himself into falling for her
Secondary couple: A free-spirited martial heroine vs. a scheming young lord of a foreign clan
Zhao Lingyu awakens to the truth as she lies dying. She's merely a pawn, a sacrificial extra whose sole purpose is to set off someone else's romance. Her obsession was all dictated by the plot, and her story ends in a gruesome death.
Sent back to the scene where she drugged and kissed him, she casts aside her obsession for good and simply takes care of Wei Zhao as he recuperates.
But the cool and aloof war god gradually falls for her. When he sees that she no longer tries to seduce him, he starts showing off and lures himself into her trap.
Egged on by her dear friend, Zhao Lingyu decides to get pregnant and then make a run for it.
Then Zhao Lingyu agrees to be with him, and Wei Zhao pulls her into his arms, his voice tender and lingering. “A Yu, be good. I like you. I like you so, so much.”
When Wei Zhao wakes, the courtyard is empty. His love shatters into hatred, and he snarls through clenched teeth, “Zhao Lingyu, I hate you! I'll find you wherever you go, and I will never let you get away!” Yet beneath all that hatred, he keeps asking himself, “A Yu, why don't you want me?”
For three years, he travels far and wide, searching for her.
When they suddenly meet again, Wei Zhao rushes forward like a madman and clutches her tightly, his hatred boundless. “Zhao Lingyu, how dare you toy with me! I hate you to the bone! Why aren't you running away? I'll keep you locked by my side and torment you for the rest of your life!”
He holds her so tightly she can barely move, his desperation nearly a plea. “Please, take me in, okay? A Yu, I'll be your dog. Just don't leave again. Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it. I'll obey you in everything and never leave you for the rest of my life!”
