Yan Ning is the housekeeper's child, kept fed by the Qin family as though it were repayment for a favor, or perhaps charity.
The Qin elders wear masks, and the young masters are always teasing and tormenting him, eagerly waiting for him to cry.
Yan Ning is afraid of them.
But the person he fears most is Shen Huaishan, the Qin family's youngest uncle.
Everyone in the Qin family is careful to flatter this uncle, respecting him as much as they fear him.
Yan Ning warily keeps his distance.
But Shen Huaishan always finds him hiding in a corner. His cool gaze falls on Yan Ning, revealing an intensely possessive hunger.
Before long, Yan Ning can no longer hide from him.
Shen Huaishan carries him home, takes him in himself, and keeps an eye on him all day.
The upside is that no one dares tease or bully him anymore.
But Shen Huaishan keeps a tight rein on him. From the school he attends and his future career plans to his eating habits, the temperature of his water, and the color of his pajamas, Shen Huaishan wants to control everything.
He even insists on interfering when Yan Ning spends the night at a friend's house or dates someone.
Yan Ning meekly puts up with it for a long time. When Shen Huaishan teasingly asks if he even needs someone to teach him how to kiss, Yan Ning finally throws a little tantrum, rolls around and makes a fuss, and insists on moving out to live by himself.
Shen Huaishan laughs in exasperation, holds him down in a fit of anger, and kisses him fiercely before pretending to magnanimously let him go.
Yan Ning enjoys a carefree stretch of life outside, with no one telling him what to do.
It doesn't last. When the young masters at school hear that his protector has fallen from power, they come after him again, saying things like, "Just kiss me, and I'll be your new protector."
Furious, Yan Ning takes his pillow and knocks on Shen Huaishan's door in the middle of the night. In his usual meek way, he complains, "Uncle, can I sleep here tonight? They're bullying me again."
Shen Huaishan: "Call me hubby."
Since you've come to me of your own accord, don't think you can escape again.
Theme: Respect is the prerequisite for love.