A Chilly Spring in Shanghai

As the Qing Dynasty teetered on the brink of collapse, Fu Yuanshan tried to save it by adapting Britain's constitutional monarchy. This drove a wedge between him, his father, and his elder brother, and he left Beiping for Shanghai to seek a way to save the country.

Fu Yuanshan's elder brother, Fu Mingyuan, colluded with the Japanese and plotted to kill him. Fu Yuanshan narrowly escaped with his life and fled back to Shanghai.

Not long afterward, Puyi collaborated with the Japanese to restore his rule in Manchuria. In despair, Fu Yuanshan later reunited with Jiang Tinglan through a mutual friend. By then, after Japanese agents had murdered her family, Jiang Tinglan had joined the resistance. She opened Fu Yuanshan's eyes and supported his plan to save the country through industry.

When Fu Yuanshan was imprisoned by his family and hunted by his elder brother, Jiang Tinglan risked her life to save him and stood by him without wavering. She persuaded his fiancée, Jiang Yan, to pursue her ideals, and the two women eventually became close friends. With Jiang Yan's help, they got Fu Yuanshan out alive.

After the Battle of Shanghai broke out, Fu Yuanshan and his friends sacrificed their fortunes to help the war effort, spending three years assisting a friend in moving the machinery from his chemical plant to Chongqing. Jiang Tinglan put herself in harm's way to assassinate the Japanese consul and head of the Tokko, avenging her family. Later, under the protection of the resistance, the two fled to Hong Kong.