As the legitimate daughter of a marquis's household, Ning Jia wanted nothing more than to enjoy good food and drink, live a comfortable life, and find a happy marriage.
That was until one day, she suddenly had a prophetic dream.
In the dream, her brother was blinded by love and insisted on bringing home a country girl. The girl called herself the heroine of a romance novel, and her turbulent relationship with her brother threw the household into chaos. Her brother even broke off the engagement arranged for him in childhood.
Who could have guessed that after the new emperor ascended the throne, the former sister-in-law whose engagement had been broken off would become a princess regent with power over the entire court?
And the whole marquis's household would become a bunch of cannon fodder destined for a tragic ending in her story.
When Ning Jia woke up, she didn't hesitate: she was determined to get on her good side!
Except...
Gazing at her future sister-in-law, cool and ethereal as an immortal and highly skilled in martial arts, Ning Jia felt her ears grow warm and her heart pound.
A thought quietly took root and began to grow wild:
Since her brother didn't know how to treasure her, could Ning Jia take his place?
Xie Cheng saw the calculation in Ning Jia's eyes at first glance.
The thoughts of a pampered young lady from a marquis's household were practically transparent to him.
He should have watched coldly and let her make a futile attempt to cozy up to him.
But this girl never did anything by the book.
She spent all day calling him "Sister-in-law" this and "Sister-in-law" that, looking at him with shining eyes, fussing over him and caring for him in every way, like a puppy eagerly throwing itself at him and wagging its tail.
Then, on the night of the palace banquet, Ning Jia secretly drank half a pot of imperial wine. In a daze, she stumbled over to him, tugged at his sleeve, and muttered softly:
"Sister-in-law... don't be mad at my brother. He's blind and clueless... I'm better than him. Why don't you take a good look at me?"
Xie Cheng lowered his eyes and looked at her flushed face.
His fingertips tightened slightly inside his sleeve.
She would probably never know.
The cool, otherworldly "sister-in-law" before her, who would one day hold power over the entire court,
was not a woman.
And beneath the women's clothes he had worn for more than a decade, his heart, hardened by power and intrigue,
was being scratched open for the first time by this reckless, passionate puppy.
Theme: Growing through adversity
