Su Nian was born into the Su family and raised as an omen.
From the moment she could speak, misfortune followed her steps. Financial losses, illnesses, broken engagements—each disaster was quietly, then openly, blamed on her existence. What the Su family never acknowledged was the truth: Su Nian could see black qi, a malignant residue born from human desire, resentment, and distorted fate. Where others saw coincidence, she saw cause.
Feared and resented, Su Nian learned to live quietly. When she reached adulthood, the Su family cast her out under the guise of “cutting off bad luck,” severing ties without compensation or protection. To them, she was expendable.
Her exile leads her to the Duan family, one of the most powerful elite families in the city—an empire built on influence, political alliances, and wealth so entrenched it appears untouchable. At its center is Duan Yichen, the Duan family’s heir.
Duan Yichen was once known for his sharp judgment and absolute control. Three months ago, a carefully orchestrated car accident left him crippled, destabilizing the balance of power within and beyond the Duan family. Medical experts failed to find a cause or cure. What no one else can see is the truth: his injury is bound by cultivated black qi, deliberately planted to suppress his fate rather than end his life.
When Su Nian is brought in as a last resort, she immediately recognizes the corruption entwined with Duan Yichen’s body. More disturbingly, the black qi reacts violently to her presence—drawn to her, threatened by her, and unwilling to release its hold. For the first time since the accident, Duan Yichen feels sensation return to his leg, and with it, the realization that his injury is not merely physical but part of a larger, hidden system.
Duan Yichen is not a passive victim. As the heir of a powerful family, he understands intrigue and betrayal intimately. He recognizes Su Nian’s value instantly—not only as someone who can heal him, but as someone who exists outside the control of the elite families manipulating events behind the scenes. He offers her protection, resources, and a place within the Duan estate, not as charity, but as a strategic alliance.
As Su Nian continues treating Duan Yichen, a bond forms between them—one built on shared danger, mutual dependence, and the gradual unraveling of trust. Their relationship is neither gentle nor simple. It is marked by guarded conversations, dry humor, reluctant cooperation, and moments of unexpected intimacy born from crisis rather than comfort.
Meanwhile, the Su family realizes that the daughter they discarded has entered the Duan family’s inner circle. Regret turns to fear, and fear to hostility. To protect their reputation and survival, they attempt to reclaim or destroy her, unaware that Su Nian is no longer defenseless.
Within the Duan family, Duan Yichen’s partial recovery ignites internal conflict. Allies test his weakness, enemies move in the shadows, and long-buried secrets surface. As black qi spreads beyond his body into the city itself, Su Nian begins to uncover a terrifying truth: black qi is not random misfortune, but a system—one cultivated and exploited by those who benefit from chaos and human suffering.
Su Nian must confront her past, her family, and the true nature of her ability. Duan Yichen must reclaim not only his body, but his authority, while deciding how far he is willing to go to dismantle the forces that nearly destroyed him.
Together, they stand at the intersection of power and curse, healing and control, love and calculation.
Su Nian was never cursed.
She was the countermeasure.
And Duan Yichen may be the only man powerful enough to ensure she survives long enough to change the rules of their world.

The Su family courtyard smelled like burned incense and fear.


After the lantern exploded, no one spoke for several seconds. Servants froze mid-step. Her father's mouth opened and closed once, like a man who had rehearsed authority all his life only to discover it no longer worked.


Li Sheng watched her with naked fascination.


The black qi around him swirled, no longer hidden. It did not lash out again, but it hovered—alert, attentive, like a beast that had finally identified prey worth stalking.


Su Nian's heartbeat slowed—not because she was calm, but because something inside her had taken control. The warmth still pulsed beneath her ribs, unfamiliar and unsettling.


"I felt you trying to mark me," she replied.


Li Sheng's brows lifted. "Ah. You do know."


Yichen shifted half a step forward. His presence was quiet but unmistakable—an unspoken line drawn in blood and law. "You don't touch what belongs to me."


Li Sheng chuckled. "Young Master Duan, you misunderstand. I wasn't touching her."


Li Sheng's eyes gleamed. "Then perhaps we should talk."


Li Sheng laughed again, pleased by the tension. "You see? She understands leverage."


Su Wan finally found her voice. "What is happening?" she demanded, voice trembling with anger and confusion. "Why did the lantern explode? Why are you all acting like—like—"


"Like the truth is leaking," Su Nian said.


He straightened, clinging to habit. "This is my house."


Yichen's gaze flicked over the peeling paint, the too-polished furniture, the faint desperation clinging to every corner. "No," he said coolly. "This is a bargaining chip pretending to be a house."


Li Sheng lifted a hand mildly. "Peace. Let's not frighten the family. They're… fragile."


Li Sheng turned back to her. "Miss Su, you don't fully understand what you are. But you will."


"I don't intend to learn from you," she replied.


Li Sheng's smile softened. "You'll learn regardless."


Madam Duan's voice cut in, sharp and authoritative. "This conversation is over."


He stepped back, retreating with infuriating ease. As he passed Su Nian, he leaned just close enough to murmur, "Your grandmother was right to hide you."


He walked away, disappearing beyond the gate like smoke.


Only when he was gone did Su Nian's legs tremble.


Yichen caught her elbow instantly. "Inside. Now."


Chapter 7 - CHAPTER SEVEN — WHAT WAKES DOES NOT GO BACK TO SLEEP