[Urban Romance | Elite Family CEO | Hong Kong Style | Two Strong Leads | Younger Man | Crisis PR | Revenge and Tormented Love | Subjective Misunderstanding About Being a Substitute | Love and Hate | Career-Focused Heroine | Strong Push and Pull | 1v1, Both Leads Pure, Happy Ending]
On a rainy night by Victoria Harbour, a television in a Mid-Levels apartment announces an acquisition.
Shen Yan, head of Zhaoming Public Relations, watches the familiar name on the screen and gives a low laugh. “Huo Xu, you really are a good actor.”
She is the daughter of the Shen Group, but she broke with her family long ago. With her skill in crisis PR, she has made a name for herself in Central. She is adept at crafting respectable narratives, yet fears most of all becoming a pawn in someone else’s story.
As a boy, Huo Xu lost his family, and his loved ones died horrific deaths. Now he returns to Hong Kong from overseas, bringing a tidal wave of capital and seeking to settle an old score from twenty years ago.
He approaches her under the pretext of a business partnership.
On the field of power and intrigue, they each get what they want as they circle one another, step by step.
He never forgets that her hands are cold. Whenever danger strikes, he steps in front of her, gentle and restrained, always knowing when to advance and when to hold back.
But an old photograph, his late sister's diary, and the blood feud between their fathers stand between them.
The pain of past betrayals haunts Shen Yan again and again, making her question herself:
Is he protecting Shen Yan herself, or a daughter of the Shen family who resembles his late sister?
Her biological father, stepmother, and the powerful hand behind the scenes are all watching hungrily. Everyone wants to use her as a bargaining chip.
Should she walk away and escape this city of mist, or tear through the layers of lies, stand beside him, and expose the long-buried crimes?
Note: The heroine's belief that she is a substitute is a subjective misunderstanding stemming from her psychological trauma. The hero has never deliberately treated her as a stand-in for his idealized first love. The heroine stays clear-headed and focused on her career, refuses to become a lovesick fool, and the two support each other. She is not simply rescued by him.
