Mr. Ye’s Little Joy

Shen Zhaoning was born dark, sturdy, and imposing, never fitting the conventional standards of a delicate maiden since childhood. Her family saw her as a burden, and when she was selected to enter the palace, she became an anomaly among the palace's delicate beauties. In the grand hall, a single sneeze from her shook the roof tiles, leading Emperor Xiao Yan to regard her as a divine beast for warding off evil and protecting the household. He casually bestowed upon her the title of Duanfei and banished her to the remote and desolate Yonghua Palace. While others in the palace vied for favor and power, she chose to settle in her secluded corner, clearing weeds, cultivating a vegetable garden, and dedicating herself to growing radishes. She read military strategy books, played leisurely games of chess, paid no homage to the Empress Dowager, avoided the hustle and bustle, and stayed out of palace intrigues, living freely and with integrity. In the face of mockery and provocation from other concubines, she never took it to heart, handling everything with calm indifference.

Shen Wanli, a genius materials researcher, was infatuated with her senior, Xie Yunshi, for ten years. For him, she gave up top opportunities, willingly worked as an assistant, and even suffered severe injuries to save him. After a kidnapping incident, Xie Yunshi, out of guilt, became engaged to her. Shen Wanli thought she could melt the iceberg, but she witnessed Xie Yunshi’s indulgence and favoritism toward her junior, Ye Xi. When her core research achievements were casually given to Ye Xi by Xie Yunshi, and she was publicly belittled as a "menial assistant," years of pent-up grievances and disappointment finally overflowed. She resolutely sold the engagement house, canceled the wedding, severed all ties, and accepted the call from the National Northwest Aerospace Research Institute, leaving her hometown far behind.

Zhao Chenxin breaks off her engagement for "true love," abandoning her fiancé Ren Yong. Ren Yong calmly agrees, but then at the board meeting, he forcefully withdraws his investment, pulling out the core funding from the Zhao family's business. A broken capital chain and a plummeting stock price follow in quick succession, and the scoundrel Guo Yaoguang also reveals his true colors. Zhao Chenxin suddenly realizes that what she destroyed was not just her engagement, but the entire Zhao family enterprise. In the end, she can only watch helplessly as Ren Yong acquires the Zhao family business, paying the price for her recklessness.

Zhang Xiuhe takes the blame for her husband Xue Changqing and sister-in-law Bai Lian, enduring immense suffering in prison. After her release, she attempts to expose the truth but is betrayed by her own children. In a moment of despair, with her brother's support, she makes a stunning return to the fashion runway, tearing apart the scandal involving her husband and his mistress, leaving the audience in awe. Faced with her suddenly remorseful children and her stroke-stricken husband, she chooses forgiveness but turns and walks away—this time, she lives only for herself.

Su Wanji, a rising star in the Beijing legal community, is forced to resign and return to her hometown to escape a frame-up. There, she unexpectedly meets her downstairs neighbor, Li Ransen. As she gradually falls for him and becomes deeply infatuated, she takes the initiative to pursue him, only for Li Ransen to begin pulling away. It isn't until later that Su Wanji discovers Li Ransen had already fallen in love with her long before they officially met. Yet, as Su Wanji walks firmly toward him, his heart—once so full of restraint—finally begins to waver.

Gu Yun, the head of the Wan Tong Hao, the top merchant house of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and a first-rank titled lady, discovered a young girl turned into a human swine at her doorstep on her birthday night. The lotus-shaped birthmark on the back of the girl’s neck was identical to that of her own daughter, Gu Ruolian, who had married into the Jing Prince’s mansion. The truth was revealed: Prince Zhao Yi of Jing and a lowly maid, Liu Ying, had conspired to swap the identities, torturing and crippling the real daughter Ruolian before abandoning her to die, while the imposter enjoyed all the glory and wealth. To avenge her daughter’s suffering, Gu Yun used her immense wealth and power to set up a deadly trap. Mother and daughter joined forces to tear apart the treacherous, overthrow the traitors who betrayed the country, and even challenged the oppression of imperial power through commerce. Reborn through blood and fire, they forged the legend of a heroic merchant queen.