On her wedding day, her closest family members and fiancé conspire to demote Xu Zhinuo from wife to concubine, hoping she will continue to serve as a stepping stone for her elder sister.
Only then does Xu Zhinuo realize that, during the three years she spent in exile to take the blame, her parents and elder brother never stopped favoring her sister. The compensation they had promised her was worth no more than a fart.
And the young man who once promised to grow old with her and said he would protect her for life has become her elder sister's lapdog, determined to heap endless humiliation upon her.
All the suffering she endured for them has become a cruel joke.
So, since true affection cannot be held on to, from now on Xu Zhinuo will seek only power and wealth, and never crave even a shred of sincerity again.
She grows coldhearted, unscrupulous, and cunning, even willing to make deals with tigers. She sees everyone as a tool to use, and feels no affection for anyone.
But once she loses her heart, everyone else seems to find theirs.
Those who once cast her aside now prostrate themselves before her, begging for forgiveness and even offering their lives as recompense.
Those who said it was only a partnership, only an alliance, and warned her not to expect more, eventually come to her red-eyed, begging her to give them just a little affection.
Xu Zhinuo says nothing. She simply steps on them all as she climbs, turning them into rungs on her path to the top.
When she reaches the pinnacle of power and looks back on the road she has traveled, she cannot help but feel a little wistful.
Xu Zhinuo: "Being alone up here is just so damn satisfying. Sure enough, people who cut off all love and harden their hearts like iron have an easier time succeeding. I have no regrets, no matter whom I betrayed along the way, so please let me stay bound to this incredible wealth forever!"
