Qiao Hua

Biodata

Background / History

The Original Qiao Hua

The original Qiao Hua was a motivated university student and one of the strongest interns at the company where she and Yan Yu trained. After graduation, she joined a well-known company but resigned shortly afterward to become a full-time housewife. By the time of the transmigration, she had lived with Gu Wenze for three years, earning only small amounts through occasional odd jobs 2 14 16 21.

Her marriage began amid a drugging scandal and widely circulated photographs of her and Gu Wenze in bed. Gu believed she had orchestrated the incident to force him into marriage, citing a waiter’s confession; the original Qiao Hua had maintained her innocence. Her devotion to Gu did not earn his trust or Weng Fenghua’s acceptance 6 11 34.

In the original novel’s plot, her jealousy escalated until she pushed Jiang Nan into the road, nearly causing her death. Gu then forced a divorce and expelled her from the family. She was subsequently diagnosed with middle-to-late-stage cancer and died alone in hospital. Yan Yu arranged her cremation and funeral after Gu refused to claim her body 1 16.

Shen Zhen was originally her close friend. Their friendship broke down when Shen failed to persuade her against marrying Gu Wenze after the scandal 172.

Transmigration

The current Qiao Hua awakens in the original woman’s body during a hospital argument. Recognizing the scene, she refuses to repeat the expected jealous outburst and leaves quietly. Her examination report reveals that she is already pregnant 1 2.

Knowing the original character’s fate, she decides to leave the marriage, secure her own income, and terminate the pregnancy rather than remain entangled in Gu Wenze and Jiang Nan’s romance. She initially expects Gu to demand an abortion, as he did in the original plot 2 3 49.

She understands her mission as helping Gu Wenze and Jiang Nan unite so that she can return to her original world. Even while escaping the Gu family, she initially believes her position as a supporting character prevents her from becoming Gu’s partner. A dream in which Gu and Jiang marry and have eight babies reflects her eagerness to complete this objective 41 66.

Replacement Female Lead and Choice to Stay

Chen Xingjian later reveals that he is also a transmigrator and has read a version of the novel in which Qiao Hua, rather than Jiang Nan, is the female lead. He attributes the change to her independent will and to the Gu family’s ability to hear her thoughts, which enabled them to avoid their original fates. His own assigned mission is to win her over 246.

Qiao Hua initially struggles to accept this explanation. Gu Junxing subsequently confirms that he began hearing her thoughts when he brought Tan Ruiyu home. Qiao realizes that she indirectly changed the Gu family’s destiny and understands her new role as freeing her from the punishment attached to failing her original mission, while also exposing her to the heroine’s ordeals 255.

Chen offers a supposed way to complete their missions and leave together. Qiao becomes distressed by the possibility that the original owner would return and resume life with Gu Wenze and their son. She ultimately rejects Chen’s proposal and explicitly chooses to stay, citing attachments beyond Gu alone; Gu Jinyang is also central to her decision 247 250 252.

Gu eventually confirms that he knows she is not the original Qiao Hua. He explains that he had suspected the change before Chen’s identity made it clear and says that the current woman, not the original owner, is the person he loves 259.

Uncertainty About the Original Owner’s Return

After Chen’s disappearance and the apparent return of his body’s original owner, Qiao Hua fears that she could likewise vanish if the original Qiao Hua returns. She regards herself as a visitor in another woman’s body and privately wishes for more time with Gu Wenze, even if only another year or two 267 268 271.

Years later, after raising two children and traveling with Gu following his retirement, she wakes unusually slowly and addresses him as “Wenze,” a form of address associated with the original owner rather than the transmigrator. Her timid behavior alarms him. The next supplied passage shows him declaring that she is not his Qiao Hua and demanding to know where she has gone; it does not establish whether the original owner has actually returned or what has happened to the transmigrator 303 304.

Appearance

Qiao Hua is described as exceptionally beautiful, with a tall, curvaceous figure and an alluring rather than delicate appearance. She recognizes that the original woman’s looks far surpass Jiang Nan’s and questions why she devoted her life to Gu Wenze 2 14 41.

• Height: Five feet nine inches 2.
• Hair: Long, silky black hair 10.
• Complexion: Fair skin and a long, slender neck 10 33.
• Banquet appearance: Wears her hair pinned up with a black mermaid gown, becoming the center of guests’ attention 41.
• Pregnancy: Not visibly showing at two months, though Gu later notices a slight swell in her lower abdomen 26 44.
• Escape disguise: Uses a curly wig, sunglasses, a face mask, an ankle-length coat, and high heels to leave the hospital without being recognized 107.
• Workplace impression: Her beauty unsettles Liao Anna and contributes to coworkers’ interest in her relationship with Gu Wenze 94 119 157.

Personality

Qiao Hua is composed, sarcastic, and much less reactive than the woman whose body she inhabits. Jiang Nan’s attempts to provoke jealousy usually meet indifference or pointed encouragement to pursue Gu Wenze. During Gu’s public rejection of her as his wife, her apparently trembling shoulders actually conceal excitement at the possibility that he and Jiang Nan will finally get together 4 11 14 22.

Her independence is practical rather than merely verbal. She stops preparing Gu’s meals, moves into the guest room, applies for jobs, and commissions a divorce agreement whose terms favor him. Although she wants a settlement and a share of the assets, she also insists on earning money outside the Gu family’s business 4 5 21 28 30.

She firmly rejects the idea that marriage removes the need for sexual consent or gives Gu authority over her pregnancy. When direct resistance becomes unsafe, she uses excuses and temporary compliance to protect her job, conceal her pregnancy, or seek a way out of confinement 13 35 46 49.

Her insistence on self-reliance continues when accepting help from others. She agrees to use Yan Yu’s secluded apartment but insists on paying its rent and utilities. Later, she rejects Chen Xingjian’s offer of protection, stating that she would rather rely on herself than entrust her safety to another man 66 243.

She distinguishes compassion from indiscriminate forgiveness. After Ruan Hanli’s scheme endangers her, Qiao demands that Ruan leave the city permanently, but refuses to blame Assistant Du for unknowingly sending her into danger. She also prioritizes Du’s safety when she suspects her ex-boyfriend has resumed harassing her 167 168 273 284.

Her attitude toward Gu Wenze changes gradually rather than through immediate acceptance. Repeated rescues and demonstrations of trust move her, and she eventually forgives his earlier treatment on her own behalf while explicitly declining to forgive him for the original owner. She recognizes his improvement without ceasing to dislike his domineering habits 153 163 238 243.

As their relationship becomes affectionate, she retains her wit, skepticism, and boundaries. She teases him, sometimes uses softness to defuse conflict, and insists that intimacy be mutual. Her later decision to stay is accompanied by genuine concern about losing him and their son, rather than merely resignation to his refusal to divorce 220 245 247 252 294.

Abilities & Skills

Knowledge of the Original Novel

Qiao Hua remembers plot events, concealed motives, and future tragedies from the novel she has entered 1 2 6 18.

• Anticipates Jiang Nan’s call and Gu Wenze’s subsequent car accident 2 3.
• Knows about Weng Fenghua’s disastrous cosmetic procedure and eventual suicide in the original storyline 6 7.
• Identifies Tan Ruiyu’s staged meeting with Gu Junxing and her interest in his wealth 18.
• Foresees betrayal involving Gu Jinman’s boyfriend and best friend 39.
• Predicts Fang Yuqing’s counterfeit antique gift, request for a fifty-million loan, and fatal hiking invitation to Old Master Gu 87 88.
• Remembers that Ruan Hanli will retaliate by stealing confidential Gu Group documents; Gu hears this prediction and acts before the theft succeeds 169.
• Uses her knowledge of Yan Yu’s original characterization to reject accusations that she believes are inconsistent with his conduct 290.
• Limit: Her knowledge does not provide complete access to the original woman’s memories; she struggles to recognize acquaintances and recall her phone number 6 15 16.
• Limit: Events can diverge from the original plot. Weng avoids the predicted operation, and Gu later insists on keeping the pregnancy rather than ending it 7 50.
• Limit: She does not remember Xia Feiyan appearing in the original novel. Later developments, including You Xiaonian’s uncertain prospects with Shen Zhen, reinforce that the original plot no longer reliably predicts the future 216 294.
• Changed story role: Chen’s account of her replacement of Jiang Nan explains why her attempts to follow a supporting character’s mission no longer produce the expected outcome 246 255.

Involuntary Thought Exposure

Several members of the Gu family can hear Qiao Hua’s unspoken thoughts. She initially remains unaware of this phenomenon and does not consciously control it. Chen Xingjian reveals it to her much later, and Gu Junxing directly confirms his own experience 1 6 18 26 39 246 255.

• Her thoughts can be heard during a telephone call, allowing Gu to discover her abortion plans 47.
• The phenomenon unintentionally exposes secrets and changes family loyalties 7 8 24 28.
• It also undermines her own evasions: Gu hears that she intends to return to Yan Yu despite claiming otherwise 47.
• During her apparent depressive withdrawal, Gu goes for a prolonged period without hearing her thoughts and wonders whether he has lost the ability. This does not establish that the phenomenon has permanently stopped 116.
• Her prediction of Ruan Hanli’s attempted theft enables Gu to investigate even though Qiao deliberately decides not to warn him aloud 169.
• Chen describes the ability as extending to Gu’s whole family; the documented listeners remain those listed above 246.
• Learning about the exposure allows Qiao to reinterpret the family’s unexplained changes of attitude and avoidance of their original deaths 246 255.
• Gu continues hearing her private commentary after she becomes aware of the phenomenon 273.

Professional Competence

Qiao Hua interviews more eloquently than Yan Yu remembers from university. After joining his company, she draws on the original woman’s internship experience and familiarizes herself with the executive-assistant role in less than half a day 16 21.

• Pursues employment despite a three-year gap in her work history 15.
• Accepts that passing probation depends on her performance rather than Yan Yu’s personal goodwill 21.
• Refuses to abandon a job she enjoys merely because Gu disapproves of her employer 33.
• Quickly settles into secretary duties at the Gu Group, occupying Jiang Nan’s former workstation 94.
• Attempts to maintain professional boundaries by asking Junxing not to call her “sister-in-law” at work and reminding Gu of their agreement to behave like strangers there 94.
• Later returns as Gu’s personal secretary and remains in the role through subsequent developments and bonus-story scenes 273 294 301.

Self-Defense and De-escalation

Qiao Hua uses immediate physical resistance against unwanted contact, alongside verbal deflection and strategic concessions 12 23 39 46.

• Kicks Gu in the groin when he attempts to force sex 12 13.
• Bites his lip to escape a forced kiss 23.
• Splashes him to stop another attempt at intimacy 39.
• Pretends to accept his employment restrictions when continued resistance leaves her confined 46.
• Threatens to injure herself with a knife when Gu advances on her, causing him to retreat; this is a desperate response to coercion rather than a supernatural ability 113.
• Invokes the pregnancy’s safety to stop unwanted bathing and intimacy 129.
• While drugged by Zhu Dejie, barricades herself in a resting room and grips broken glass to stay alert and defend herself until Gu arrives 160.
• Later uses her understanding of Gu’s temperament to request rest through a softer approach, which persuades him to stop pressing for intimacy 294.

Escape, Disguise, and Strategic Performance

Qiao Hua repeatedly attempts to escape surveillance and confinement, using outside assistance, altered identification, disguise, and improvised deception 66 72 107 108 119.

• Avoids using her old phone number, identity documents, and bank cards after escaping with Yan Yu, judging a court battle against Gu’s influence impractical 66.
• Accepts an identity card under the name Qiao Qiang so she can seek legitimate medical care and employment anonymously 72.
• Climbs between hospital balconies and changes into a disguise prepared by Gu Junxing before walking past her guards 107.
• Destroys her electronic ankle shackle and hides in an apartment arranged through Junxing’s friend; pillows in her hospital bed delay discovery of her absence 108.
• Adopts a performance of depressive withdrawal after further confinement. A psychologist assesses possible early depression, but her concealed smile and later deliberate continuation of the act establish a strategic component without proving that every sign of distress is false 114 115 116 119.
• Switches off her phone and discards its SIM card while leaving with Shen Zhen 180.
• During Zhou Qiwen’s abduction, cuts through her restraints with a broken tile, pretends to remain tied, and passes a coded location clue through a fabricated memory about Wanlong Factory 202.

Items & Clothing

• Diamond necklace: A gift from Weng Fenghua worth hundreds of thousands, presented after Weng’s change of heart 10.
• Affordable interview suit: Bought because her limited savings could not cover expensive brands 14.
• Divorce agreement: Drafted by a lawyer at her request; asks for a modest settlement and gives Gu favorable terms 30.
• Black mermaid evening gown: Provided by Yan Yu for the business banquet 41.
• Replacement phone: Purchased while job hunting after Gu smashes her previous phone 45 47.
• New SIM card: Supplied by Yan Yu to reduce the chance of her being traced after escaping 66.
• Qiao Qiang identity card: Bears her photograph but different personal details; intended to facilitate medical care and future work beyond Gu’s surveillance 72.
• Electronic ankle monitor/shackle: Used by Gu to track and restrict her movements. She calls it a “dog leash” and later smashes it during an escape 87 100 108.
• Hospital escape clothing: A curly wig, sunglasses, face mask, long coat, and high heels supplied as part of Junxing’s escape plan 107.
• Latest-model iPhone: Given by Gu during her hospitalization after Zhu Dejie’s attack, replacing a phone he had taken from her 163.
• Improvised cutting tools: Uses a lamp’s glass shard during Zhu’s attempted assault and a broken tile to sever restraints during Zhou Qiwen’s abduction 160 202.
• Tracking ring: A ring given by Gu that can help locate her. Chen knows about it from reading the story and accounts for it when hiding her 253.

Relationships

• Gu Wenze — Husband whom she initially wants to divorce. Her withdrawal unsettles him, but his response increasingly includes forced intimacy, employment interference, surveillance, and restrictions on her reproductive choices 3 23 45 46 49 50. His control later escalates to electronic monitoring and basement confinement, while his repeated rescues, public defenses, and acceptance of her true identity gradually change her feelings. She forgives him on her own behalf, chooses to remain with him, and raises two children with him, though she continues challenging his possessiveness. They eventually travel together after his retirement 87 100 113 158 238 252 259 303.
• Jiang Nan — Gu’s former love interest and Qiao Hua’s antagonist. Jiang repeatedly tries to frame or provoke her; Qiao instead encourages Jiang’s relationship with Gu as a route out of the marriage 4 14 15 22. Qiao later considers Jiang as a possible escape ally, only to learn that Gu has driven her from the city. Jiang’s failure to remain the heroine becomes part of Chen’s explanation that Qiao has replaced her 100 246.
• Weng Fenghua — Mother-in-law, initially hostile. After hearing a prediction that helps her avoid a surgical disaster, she apologizes, accepts Qiao, gives her jewelry, and publicly defends her 6 7 8 10. Her concern continues through Qiao’s disappearances, pregnancy, kidnapping, and hospitalization; she criticizes Gu’s conduct and urges him to care for Qiao 67 87 141 168.
• Gu Junxing — Younger brother-in-law. His contempt shifts toward gratitude and concern after Qiao’s thoughts expose Tan Ruiyu’s motives and prompt him to obtain medical testing 18 24 26 28. His feelings become romantic, and he helps her escape the hospital. He openly asks Gu to let him be with her and says he would accept her child; Gu retaliates by sending him to Haicheng. Qiao remains concerned for him, and his eventual admission of thought-hearing confirms Chen’s revelation 94 107 108 113 114 121 255.
• Yan Yu — The original woman’s university classmate and Qiao’s employer. He supports her career and divorce decision, defends her right to choose whether to resign, and privately regrets never confessing his feelings after graduation 16 21 35 45 47. He arranges her escape, housing, and alternative identification, then confesses his feelings. Qiao declines to begin a relationship, prioritizing her mission. After a later estrangement, they meet again when she has had Gu’s child and Yan has a girlfriend; Qiao remains forgiving and subsequently expresses concern for Shi Yin’s safety 66 67 72 83 212 293.
• Gu Jinman — Gu Wenze’s cousin and Jiang Nan’s ally. She pressures Qiao to divorce, then becomes shaken after hearing Qiao’s thoughts about betrayal in her own relationships 33 37 39. She later complains that Qiao used her in an escape scheme; Qiao replies that this balances Jinman’s earlier bullying 87.
• You Xiaonian — Gu’s doctor friend. His dismissive examination attributes her abdominal pain to a stomach condition and misses her pregnancy 46. Qiao later confronts him over Shen Zhen and rejects his accusation that she hid Shen after an escape. Their hostility becomes less pronounced over the years, and he accompanies Shen to visit Qiao after Gu Tiantian’s birth 176 221 303.
• Housekeeper/Nanny / Auntie Feng — Provides meals and worries about the marriage. Qiao requests lighter food to manage nausea, while the nanny later relays Gu’s order that she remain at home 9 23 45. Auntie Feng advocates unsuccessfully against basement confinement, reports Qiao’s apparent psychological deterioration, and later helps conceal her dinner with Chen 83 100 115 116 243.
• Old Master Gu — Initially insults Qiao and favors Fang Yuqing. Her thoughts warn him of Fang’s deception and intended betrayal, while Gu’s protective intervention later helps prevent the predicted death. Qiao subsequently tries to obtain his assistance in escaping but resents him after the plan is exposed. He ultimately lives to ninety-five and dies peacefully rather than meeting his original fate 87 88 97 100 303.
• Assistant Du — Coworker and friend who accepts Qiao’s initially concealed relationship with Gu and defends her against workplace gossip. Qiao refuses to blame her for the document delivery that leads to Zhu Dejie’s attack and later secures Gu’s help against Du’s harassing ex-boyfriend. Du eventually marries a foreigner and resigns to settle abroad 157 158 168 273 284 300.
• Liao Anna — Gu’s executive assistant, whose jealousy makes her hostile to Qiao. After detention and dismissal, she apologizes; Qiao accepts the apology but declines further social contact and does not support her return to the company 94 119 129.
• Ruan Hanli — Gu’s childhood acquaintance and a romantic rival who presents herself as friendly. Qiao becomes openly distrustful after a necklace is planted in her pocket. When Ruan’s subsequent scheme exposes her to attempted sexual assault, Qiao demands her permanent departure from the city. Her thoughts later reveal Ruan’s planned theft of company secrets 146 151 153 154 167 169.
• Shen Zhen — The original Qiao Hua’s estranged friend, with whom the transmigrator renews an affectionate friendship. Qiao becomes concerned about You Xiaonian’s treatment of her, attempts to help her, and later welcomes her son as a godson. Their friendship remains warm after years apart 172 174 176 180 221 303.
• Xia Feiyan — Gu’s former university classmate and capable overseas recruit. She challenges Qiao’s worth as his wife, interferes with Shen’s attempt to contact her, and is identified as the person who hired thugs to attack her. Qiao resists her provocations and gains Gu’s explicit support during their confrontation 216 217 220 221 224 232.
• Chen Xingjian — Initially appears as Qiao’s rescuer and persistent suitor. She repeatedly rejects him, then learns that he is a fellow transmigrator assigned to win her over and that his rescue was planned. His promised route home becomes coercive after she chooses to stay; he later holds her captive and continues urging her to leave even from detention 228 233 243 245 246 252 253 266.
• Zhu Dejie — President of Warm Sun Technology who drugs Qiao and attempts to assault her during a document delivery. She resists and is found by Gu in his locked resting room 159 160.
• Zhou Qiwen — Adversary who starts a diversionary fire, abducts Qiao using ether, and holds her to pressure Gu. She secretly frees herself and gives Gu a coded location clue; after her recovery, she learns Zhou is dead and questions the account of his death 200 202 208.
• Gu Jinyang — Her son with Gu Wenze. Despite her initial determination to end the pregnancy, he becomes a major reason she chooses to remain in the novel’s world. He later adores his younger sister and inherits management of the company as an adult 245 252 291 303.
• Gu Tiantian — Her daughter with Gu Wenze, born during the bonus-story period. Her arrival brings the family closer and delights her older brother 302 303.
• Shen Tianyi — Shen Zhen’s son and Qiao Hua’s godson. Qiao gives him a red envelope when they meet; Shen jokingly proposes a future marriage between him and Gu Tiantian 303.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Withdrawal from the Marriage

Qiao first requests divorce shortly after Gu’s predicted car accident. When he dismisses it as a ploy, she begins separating their daily lives: she stops cooking for him, moves her belongings into the guest room, and searches for employment. Gu repeatedly interprets these choices as attempts to attract his attention 3 4 5 6.

Changing Gu Family Loyalties

Her exposed thoughts allow Weng to avoid the cosmetic-procedure disaster, transforming a hostile mother-in-law into an advocate. Similar revelations expose Tan Ruiyu’s motives to Junxing; after his breakup and medical testing, he begins urging Gu to preserve the marriage rather than replace Qiao with Jiang Nan 6 7 8 18 24 26 28.

The same pattern later extends to Old Master Gu. Qiao’s thoughts undermine his confidence in Fang Yuqing by predicting a counterfeit gift, an exact loan request, and a potentially fatal hike. Gu also acts to protect the patriarch after learning of the threat, and the old man ultimately avoids his original violent death 87 88 97 303.

Career and Divorce Agreement

Qiao joins Yan Yu’s company as an executive assistant and formally presents Gu with a divorce agreement. Her renewed friendship with Yan brings warmth and support, but also intensifies Gu’s jealousy. He interrupts their dinner, demands her resignation, and later confronts her again at a business banquet 20 21 30 31 32 43.

Forced Resignation and Confinement

After Qiao refuses to quit, Gu sends a resignation message from her phone, destroys the device, and orders bodyguards to keep her home. A struggle leaves her with abdominal pain. She eventually makes the resignation call under pressure, while Yan offers to keep her position available. Even afterward, Gu has bodyguards monitor her movements and contacts 45 46 47.

Pregnancy Exposure

Repeated interruptions delay Qiao’s abortion attempts. She eventually evades her escorts at the hospital, but Gu hears her plans over the phone and obtains her pregnancy records. He halts the procedure and takes her home against her wishes 4 8 24 26 47 48 49.

Gu’s insistence that she continue the pregnancy contradicts the original novel and shocks her. She continues to refuse both the pregnancy and his proposed restrictions on Yan Yu, while Gu orders pregnancy-supporting meals and tells the nanny to move her belongings back into the master bedroom 50.

Escape with Yan Yu

With Yan’s assistance, Qiao leaves through a staff passage, changes her SIM card, and relocates to a secluded apartment in Hua City. She plans to avoid traceable documents and financial accounts, considering direct legal resistance to Gu ineffective. Yan confesses his feelings, but she declines to date and remains focused on freedom and her mission 66 67.

Yan provides identification under the name Qiao Qiang, allowing her to plan another abortion at a legitimate hospital and consider finding work. Gu’s surveillance of Yan nevertheless exposes her hiding place. By the later birthday gathering, she has been brought back for weeks and is wearing an electronic ankle monitor 72 87.

Gu Group Employment and Renewed Captivity

Qiao begins work as Gu’s secretary, replacing Jiang Nan at her former workstation. She insists that their marriage not define office interactions and refuses his order to share lunch. Gu Junxing’s interest in her grows during their encounters as coworkers 94.

After an escape plan involving Old Master Gu is exposed, Gu chains her in the basement and declares that she will remain there until giving birth. Her resignation is reported at work, and the nanny becomes her only regular contact. Gu also reveals that he has expelled Jiang Nan, disrupting Qiao’s hopes of using the original heroine to help her leave 100.

Junxing later arranges a hospital escape. Qiao crosses between balconies, disguises herself, walks past the guards, destroys her ankle shackle, and hides in his friend’s apartment. Gu discovers pillows in place of his wife and initially suspects Yan, who has actually been abroad and out of contact 107 108 109.

After she is recaptured, Qiao’s threat of self-injury forces Gu to stop advancing on her, but he returns her to basement confinement. Junxing openly declares his love and offers to care for her and the child; Gu sends him to Haicheng, removing another source of assistance, and threatens Yan if Qiao harms herself again 113 114.

Depressive Performance and Return to Work

With her options narrowing, Qiao recalls a story in which imprisonment drives a heroine into depression and begins a new strategy. She becomes quiet, unresponsive, and apparently detached. The nanny grows concerned, and Doctor Chen assesses possible early depression. Qiao’s hidden smile and subsequent effort to maintain the act show that her presentation is at least partly deliberate 114 115 116.

Gu eventually allows her out, but almost notices her genuine happiness. She covers it by acting hurt and continues the performance while deciding that further escape attempts are futile for the moment. At work, he orders her workstation moved into his own office, preserving close supervision despite their agreement to conceal the marriage 119.

A prenatal checkup at almost five months intensifies Qiao’s anxiety about the shrinking possibility of terminating the pregnancy. Gu briefly panics when she leaves the waiting area, only for her to return carrying water 121.

Workplace Hostility and Public Recognition

Qiao faces jealousy and gossip within the Gu Group. After Liao Anna’s removal, she declines the former assistant’s invitation to coffee despite accepting her apology. Soon afterward, an unidentified attacker overpowers and incapacitates her in a quiet restroom; later passages confirm that she survives a kidnapping and returns home 125 129 141.

She initially continues hiding her marriage at work, but rumors portray her as Gu’s mistress. Gu publicly corrects the accusation in the cafeteria by declaring that she is his wife. The revelation collapses the rumors, changes coworkers’ attitudes, and allows her to commute openly with him 146 157 158 159.

Ruan Hanli’s Schemes and Growing Trust

Ruan Hanli’s interest in Gu produces increasingly serious conflict. At the Ruan residence, a missing necklace accusation is thwarted by Gu’s refusal to distrust Qiao and his threat of legal action. Qiao later finds the necklace planted in her pocket and warns Ruan to keep away 151 153 154.

During a document delivery to Warm Sun Technology, Qiao drinks drugged water and is threatened by Zhu Dejie. She locks herself in a resting room, breaks a lamp, and uses glass to remain alert until Gu traces her whereabouts and forces the door open. During her recovery, he believes her account, replaces her phone, and promises consequences regardless of the culprit’s connections 159 160 163.

Ruan is established as having arranged the attempted assault. Given the decision over consequences, Qiao demands that she leave the city permanently, with police involvement as the alternative. She also defends Assistant Du from misplaced blame. Her later recollection of Ruan’s planned document theft reaches Gu through her thoughts, enabling him to catch Ruan with confidential experimental data 167 168 169.

Renewed Friendship with Shen Zhen and Further Escape

Qiao reconnects with Shen Zhen and learns about her troubled relationship with You Xiaonian. She visits You’s home and uses her status as Gu’s wife to secure an audience, seeking to intervene for Shen 172 174 176.

When Shen prepares to leave, Qiao accompanies her and quietly discards her SIM card en route to the dock. Later investigation places Qiao in another city, traveling mainly between a milk tea shop and her home and attending prenatal care; the report confirms that mother and baby are healthy 180 191.

Zhou Qiwen’s Abduction and Childbirth

Zhou Qiwen sets a backyard fire to draw the guards away and abducts Qiao from the manor using ether. While imprisoned, she spends the night cutting through her restraints with a broken tile. During a monitored call, she disguises a location clue as a memory of meeting Gu at Wanlong Factory and staying in the abandoned building opposite it 200 202.

She survives the ordeal and recovers in hospital. When Gu tells her that Zhou is dead and gives an account involving a robber, she questions whether he killed Zhou himself. Later, while recovering after having a baby, she meets Yan Yu again and confirms that the child is Gu’s 208 212.

Xia Feiyan, Shen Zhen, and the Alley Attack

After childbirth, Qiao considers returning to work, but Gu argues that their young child needs a parent at home. She accepts a period of wealthy idleness while continuing to visit Assistant Du. Xia Feiyan confronts her about her marriage, repeating the accusation that she trapped Gu and demanding that she leave him; Qiao refuses to justify herself 216 217.

Xia obstructs Shen Zhen’s attempt to reach Qiao and provides information to You Xiaonian after Shen escapes. Qiao is accused of hiding Shen, but Gu defends her. He subsequently backs Qiao during a confrontation with Xia over the matter 220 221 224.

Thugs later attack Qiao in an alley, and Chen Xingjian intervenes. Gu investigates and identifies Xia as the person behind the attack. His determination to punish those responsible affects Qiao, and she soon impulsively kisses him 228 229 230 232 233.

Chen Xingjian’s Pursuit and Mission Revelation

Chen’s unusually extensive assistance makes Qiao wary. He openly declares romantic interest, but she reminds him that she is married and repeatedly refuses both romance and continued closeness. His flowers expose a dinner she concealed from Gu and contribute to another conflict, after which she and Gu reconcile 233 234 243 245.

Chen then reveals his own transmigration, Qiao’s new role as female lead, and the Gu family’s ability to hear her thoughts. He offers to help her leave if she becomes his partner. The possibility of departure forces Qiao to confront her attachment to Gu and Gu Jinyang; she ultimately declares that she is staying 246 247 250 252.

Chen’s Captivity and Disclosure of Her Identity

After Qiao refuses him, Chen holds her captive and uses his knowledge of the novel, including her tracking ring, to obstruct rescue. Gu nevertheless locates her through an investigation of Chen’s properties and those of his associates. Gu is shot during the surrounding events but survives surgery 253 255 259.

At the hospital, Junxing confirms the thought-hearing phenomenon. Gu later states that he knows Qiao is not the original owner and that he would not have fallen in love with the original woman. His acceptance resolves one of her central fears about whether he loves her personally or merely the body she inhabits 255 259.

Chen continues urging her to leave during a detention-center visit, but she recognizes his desperation as self-interested. Gu privately questions him about whether the original Qiao Hua could return and emerges shaken. Chen’s subsequent disappearance deepens both Gu’s fear of losing her and Qiao’s uncertainty about her continued existence 266 267 268 271.

Affectionate Marriage and Return as Personal Secretary

Gu’s fear that Qiao might vanish leads him to insist on keeping her nearby. She accepts the vacant personal-secretary position and accompanies him to work, while still persuading him to support her independent concern for Assistant Du. Together they help address Du’s ex-boyfriend problem, and Du invites them to dinner in gratitude 273 284.

Their relationship becomes increasingly affectionate and physically intimate, but Qiao continues setting limits and questioning Gu’s motives. After President Su attempts to force himself on her at a birthday banquet, Gu violently removes him. Qiao later investigates Yan’s sudden departure and asks whether Gu arranged the incident involving Shi Yin; she accepts his denial but remains uneasy 293 294.

Three months later, she remains his personal secretary. Their exchanges are familiar and teasing, and she recognizes that the altered story no longer guarantees outcomes for other couples, including Shen Zhen and You Xiaonian 294.

Later Family Life and Final Identity Question

Qiao and Gu raise Gu Jinyang, whose first-birthday object-picking ceremony becomes a family celebration. When he reaches kindergarten age, Assistant Du resigns after marrying and planning to settle abroad; later bonus scenes still show Qiao working at her desk 291 300 301.

Qiao subsequently gives birth to Gu Tiantian. Shen Zhen visits with You Xiaonian and Shen Tianyi, whom Qiao welcomes as her godson. Gu Jinyang becomes devoted to his sister, and Gu increasingly prioritizes his wife and children over social engagements 302 303.

After Old Master Gu’s peaceful death at ninety-five, Gu transfers the company to the now-adult Jinyang and travels with Qiao. Their happy retirement lasts several years before an unusual awakening raises the possibility of a change in the body’s occupant. Gu recognizes the unfamiliar address “Wenze” and timid manner, then demands to know who the woman is and where his Qiao Hua has gone. The supplied final evidence leaves this confrontation unresolved 303 304.

Notable Quotes

“I said, let’s get divorced.” 3

“If a man’s heart isn’t here, there’s no point forcing him to stay.” 23

“How do I have no right? I’m the child’s mother. It’ll be coming out of my belly, not yours.” 49

“I’m not having this baby. I wouldn’t before, I won’t now, and I never will!” 50

“Stay away from me from now on. If there’s a next time, I won’t let it slide.” 154

“She arranged for someone to rape me. Isn’t that vicious enough? Would it only count as vicious if she killed me?” 167

“Whether I’m good enough or not, I’m still the one by Gu Wenze’s side.” 217

“I stopped holding a grudge against you a long time ago.” 238

“I’ve made my decision. I’m staying here.” 252

“When I first came into this world, I really didn’t like you.” 270

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