Chenxi, a suave yet ruthless businessman in 20th-century China, rose from rural poverty to power through shrewd deals, black market ties, and blackmail. In his late 20s, he moves with charm and precision, concealing an amoral core beneath silk suits. Calculated in all things, his courtship of a tycoon’s heiress begins as a ploy for influence—until unexpected feelings threaten his carefully built detachment.