
Thrown into Eastreach’s darkest age, Miles Carrington only wanted to live. Instead, he married its deadliest woman—Lady Talia Rowan, killer of four husbands. Hunted by the Red Reaper and torn between corrupt nobles and invading tribes, Miles rises from trembling groom to the man who dares to save a dying world.

Tang Yu transmigrates to ancient times and becomes a live-in son-in-law in the Xie family. At his wedding to Xie Qiutong, the "most beautiful woman in Jiankang City," he deliberately acts frivolous and arrogant, enraging Xie Qiutong, while her father, Tang Deshan, watches from the side. After being dragged back to the Xie mansion, Tang Yu discovers that the era he is in has a disordered history, a "hellish start." To protect himself, when Xie Qiutong threatens him with a knife, Tang Yu calmly deduces the secret of Xie Qiutong's special status in the Xie family despite being a concubine's daughter. He points out his own value to her, successfully making her waver and temporarily saving his life.

This episode follows male lead Tang Yu as he seeks the protection of female lead Xie Qiutong. He successfully passes her meticulously designed tests of intellect and courage. Tang Yu accurately deduces that Xie Qiutong's pretense of madness and constant remarriages are a ploy to find a reliable "shield." Xie Qiutong reveals that this trial was actually orchestrated by Tang Yu's father, leading them to form a cooperative "contract marriage" relationship. Just as Tang Yu becomes overconfident, he is ambushed by Xi'er, a female assassin from the Demonic Cult, plunging him into immediate new peril and hinting at the dangerous environment Xie Qiutong inhabits.

The episode opens with the male protagonist, Tang Yu, facing a deadly threat from the demon cult assassin, Xi'er, who forces him to hand over a treasure map. In a flashback, Tang Yu learns that the so-called "treasure map" was actually a rumor spread by his father, Tang Deshan, to stall enemies, but it unexpectedly attracted the more dangerous demon cult. Facing the unfooled Xi'er, Tang Yu improvises and proposes a deal: he will hand over the treasure map in half a year in exchange for Xi'er protecting him during that time. Convinced by his logic, Xi'er agrees to the transaction, transforming from an assassin to a bodyguard. With the immediate crisis averted, Tang Yu immediately takes the initiative, playfully demanding the "kiss" she initially promised as a reward.

This episode centers on the confrontation and alliance negotiations between Tang Yu and Xi'er following an accidental kiss. To establish himself within the Xie family, Tang Yu proposes a "win-win" collaboration to Xi'er: Xi'er helps him obtain Xie family resources, and in return, he uses those resources to help Xi'er develop the Demonic Cult. To achieve his goals, Tang Yu boldly requests Xi'er to teach him the "gathering yin and supplementing yang" technique to control his nominal wife, Xie Qiutong. After Xi'er warns Tang Yu that Xie Qiutong is not as疯癫 (crazy) as she appears, but rather a "demoness" masquerading as a normal person, Tang Yu's resolve to learn the technique only strengthens.

This episode tells the story of the male lead, Tang Yu, and the mysterious woman, Xi'er, engaging in a battle of wits and courage within a single room. Tang Yu pretends to seek Xi'er's guidance on the "yin-yang dual cultivation" technique, while Xi'er demands the treasure map in exchange. The two engage in a tit-for-tat game filled with provocations and threats regarding their overnight arrangements. At night, Xi'er attempts to search Tang Yu for the treasure map but is instead teased by Tang Yu with double entendres. Just as their relationship is about to escalate, a maid brings breakfast, interrupting them. Tang Yu is unaware the breakfast has been poisoned, while Xi'er observes from the shadows, waiting for him to succumb to the poison, leaving the plot on a cliffhanger.

This episode follows male protagonist Tang Yu, who, after a secret conversation with the mysterious woman in red, Xi'er, witnesses his nominal wife, Xie Qiutong, brutally whipping a maid accused of being a "traitor." Xi'er's sudden disappearance and Xie Qiutong's frenzied and ruthless actions send chills down Tang Yu's spine. Under Xie Qiutong's murderous probing and coercion, Tang Yu, seeking self-preservation, is forced to swear allegiance on the spot. However, he is met with the chilling response, "Next time, it will be you who kills the traitor," plunging him into deeper fear and crisis.

Tang Yu is summoned by his nominal wife, Xie Qiutong, who warns him he is in danger and advises him to use the treasure map to contain his nemesis, "Demoness" Xi'er, while cautioning him that Xi'er is vicious and insane and cannot be trusted. Tang Yu is shocked that Xie Qiutong has seen through his plan to pit the two women against each other. Xie Qiutong then informs him she will be attending an important family banquet and entrusts him with a stunning task: to win the favor of her stepmother, Sun Ru, who is also Tang Yu's mother-in-law, at the banquet to secure a fallback plan. The proposal for him to "play the villainous suitor" leaves Tang Yu speechless.

The episode opens with Xie Qiutong assigning her nominal husband, Tang Yu, the task of winning over her stepmother, Sun Ru, at the evening's family banquet. Tang Yu understands the mission's importance upon learning that his rival for Xie Qiutong's affection is the current Crown Prince, Sima Su. At the banquet, Tang Yu and Xie Qiutong pay their respects to her father, Xie Ji, and mother, Sun Ru. However, Tang Yu's frivolous behavior and intimate gestures towards Xie Qiutong in front of her elders immediately incur the severe displeasure and reprimand of his father-in-law, Xie Ji, setting the stage for challenges ahead.

At the Xie family's first banquet, son-in-law Tang Yu is publicly humiliated by his uncle, the Confucian master Xie Yu, who criticizes his humble background and lack of upbringing. Tang Yu remains calm, cleverly retorting with the argument that "a man should protect his wife" and taking the opportunity to praise his father-in-law, Xie Ji, for his responsibility, while subtly mocking Xie Yu's hypocrisy and immorality. This speech not only wins the admiration of his mother-in-law, Sun Ru, and the tacit approval of his father-in-law, but also enrages Xie Yu. After the conflict, his wife, Xie Qiutong, acknowledges Tang Yu's performance and rewards him with a night of intimacy, encouraging him to continue to win status for her in the upcoming discussion session.

The episode opens with Tang Yu making a flirtatious bet with his nominal wife, Xie Qiutong. If he can make a striking impression at the family's scholarly gathering, he'll be allowed to share a room with her. However, this gathering, meticulously arranged by Xie Qiutong's uncle, Xie Yu, is actually a trap. Xie Yu has invited all the students with the intention of preemptively discussing all the key points of the "cultivating oneself and ordering one's family" theme, leaving Tang Yu with nothing to say and thus losing the bet. Beneath a seemingly frivolous exterior, Tang Yu is about to face a public test of his intellect and strategy.