Return not to this desert of a heart

Meng Wanqing has been her sister Meng Yuqing's "human blood bank" since birth, orchestrated by their parents (Meng Weilong, Chen Yan). Yuqing's manipulative tactics — feigning illness and injuries — deepened their parents' and brother (Meng Feng)'s disdain for Wanqing while favoring Yuqing. Even Li Xusheng, the only person who showed Wanqing kindness, only pursued her to secure his engagement... to Yuqing. After her engagement, Wanqing is reborn. She vows to live for herself and flees abroad to escape her toxic family. There, she accidentally saves the vacationing family of the world's richest man, the Shens. They adopt her as their goddaughter, showering her with affection. The Shens' sole heir, Shen Tingzhou, falls for her, and she gradually reciprocates. After Wanqing's departure, the Mengs discover Yuqing's lifelong deception: fabricated illnesses and stolen credit for Wanqing's sacrifices. The parents disown Yuqing. They beg Wanqing to return, but her heart remains cold to their pleas. In a final twist, Yuqing takes Wanqing hostage. Li Xusheng takes a bullet for Wanqing, ending in a vegetative state, while Yuqing is imprisoned. The Mengs finally release her to happiness. Wanqing marries Shen Tingzhou in a poignant ending.