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20世纪20年代的乱世中，少帅虞昶轩与女学生叶平君因一场邂逅深陷爱恨漩涡，彻底改写二人的人生轨迹。纵然身份悬殊、前路艰险，二人仍毅然冲破一切阻隔，在战火与命运的洪流中坚定携手，沙场硝烟与儿女情长交织，将热血、信仰与挚爱，共同谱写成一段荡气回肠的传奇。
民国八年的南怀城，军阀割据、思潮激荡。南怀陆军总司令虞仲权筹谋联军，独子虞昶轩却终日流连赌坊，一副纨绔做派。雨夜中，他为一名蹲地捡拾银元的女孩拾起最后一枚，记住了这个素衣女学生叶平君。叶平君因母亲肺病急需药费，到湘西饭店谋职；虞昶轩在舞会上遇袭，开枪者身上搜出银色钢笔，竟从叶平君身上也搜出一支。她被押回司令部审问，冷静提出十日破案的赌约，反问虞昶轩敢不敢赌。
虞昶轩应下十日赌约，被叶平君的胆量勾起了兴趣。叶平君四处打听同校的冯瑶，报到后却被派去玉春戏院，为不识字的名角兰卿誊抄、念戏文，她这才发现戏院真正的老板就是虞昶轩。陶紫宜因虞昶轩对兰卿的亲近大为光火，转而在戏院刁难叶平君，纵容邓少爷调戏她，直至虞昶轩开枪打死恶犬。叶平君在巷口撞见冯瑶，才知刺杀案与她有关；虞昶轩带着药店老板出现，当面戳穿她买药的谎言。
叶平君被押回牢房受审，却始终不肯开口；冯瑶主动现身认下刺杀一事，控诉虞昶轩的手下害死她全家，随即趁人不备自尽。叶平君痛斥虞昶轩漠视人命，他虽恼怒仍放她离开，独自在兄长灵位前坚称自己没有错。虞仲权查到牟林森的转账，却为保住联军杀掉线人、截断线索，令虞昶轩心寒。宋含之带叶平君赴宴，席间再遇虞昶轩，他强行给她戴上翡翠手镯，并在车上直白地说自己喜欢上了她。
虞昶轩坚持送叶平君上学，惹得陶紫宜不快。他暗中谋划劫下陶、牟两家用于购买军火的救灾贷款，想借此组建嫡系部队，并与徐大帅手下的杨世英达成合作。叶平君被陶紫宜设局推进旱冰场，摔得难堪，却反将拦路者推倒。为让契约缩短半年，她答应做虞昶轩生辰宴的女伴，还特意烤了一个画着他头像的蛋糕，把蜡烛插在脸上、切开分食。两人共骑、泛舟，虞昶轩把西装披在她身上，说自己偏喜欢不听话的人。
李伯仁给陶紫宜出主意，提议建跑马场，顺势牵出长平山的地皮。虞昶轩装成同事登门探望病中的叶平君，母亲留他吃饭，他乖乖帮忙端菜；临别时叶平君提醒他两人本不属于同一个世界，他却在门口撞见邮差，由此得知江学廷与叶平君通信四年、当天就要回来。另一边，他拿着账册与陶希礼做交易，换来对方的默认，又带着项链去见陶紫宜，把这段关系又拉近一步。虞仲权的车途中遇袭，虞昶轩及时接应，并以军权相逼，劝父亲取消联军。
虞昶轩与虞仲权彻底翻脸，当面戳穿父亲当年在两兄弟被压车下时选择救兄长的旧事。陶紫宜带同学在教室欺负叶平君，叶平君反抗时误伤她；陶希礼为女儿出气鞭打叶平君，顾瑞同及时赶到将人带走，这一切都是虞昶轩的暗中安排。随后虞昶轩以任命书坐上主位主持军议，断言楚文甫十点前必撤军，军报随即印证，众人心服。叶平君从陶希礼的玉佩联想到母亲旧物，叶太太却神色慌乱、避而不谈。
李伯仁为讨好虞昶轩查封了剧团，叶平君闯来质问，虞昶轩冷脸以对，称南怀之外的人与自己无关。陶希礼带陶紫宜上门商议婚事，虞昶轩答应听长辈安排。难民营里，士兵以肺痨为由驱赶难民，叶平君误以为是他派来的人，打了他一巴掌；顾瑞同解释他们是来送物资的，虞昶轩抱起咳嗽的孩子安排送医，只淡淡说这一巴掌他会记住。他随后查出冯三立为保住营生夺地赶人，当众撤职并罚军棍。演出当天，江学廷突然现身，派人给叶平君送花。
匡炳文与虞瑾萱之间仍有心结，赵宝茹以自己与虞仲权的婚姻劝她相信真心。江学廷提前归来，郑重向叶平君求婚，她笑着答应。虞昶轩独坐房中握着她遗落的发夹，想起雨夜初遇，又看见两人相拥，醋意翻涌。陈晚荞与匡炳文在父母忌日相认——两人以不同身份进入虞家，都是为了复仇。虞昶轩因德文资料把江学廷招进第九军做翻译，此后反复撞见叶平君与江学廷的亲密，洗澡时脑中全是她倔强与微笑的模样。
江学廷在射击场击败李伯仁，又与虞昶轩摔跤落败，却因身后偷袭被记功，判为平手。叶平君以为虞昶轩有意针对文职的江学廷，前来质问，虞昶轩故意扬手逗她，见她闭眼等着，只轻轻捏了她的脸。当晚江学廷以送文件为名留在档案室，趁看守锁门后翻找资料，从袖中带走一份撕下的文件。虞昶轩在孤儿院听闻有女孩受伤，以为是她，不顾一切奔去。虞瑾萱看出他的心意，劝他认清内心：有些人一旦错过，就是一辈子。
江学廷把偷出的资料交给主编尚弘文，由此推断虞家征兵实为开矿，并把矿难死者列入阵亡名单掩盖真相。虞昶轩打算借陶紫宜的关系取得银行贷款，买衣时撞见江学廷与叶平君进书店，竟进去跟她抢书。晚宴上，江学廷以德语替虞昶轩介绍筹建兵工厂之事，杨世英也来捧场，提出想追求叶平君，虞昶轩没有反对。牌桌上陶紫宜以输赢设赌，让叶平君陪虞昶轩跳舞，叶平君却挽着江学廷表明情意。散场前，醉酒的虞昶轩把她拉进更衣室锁上门，质问她为何从不解释两人的关系。
An article exposing how Feng Sanli forced soldiers to work in a mine where they died in a disaster sparks outrage across Nanhuai, plunging the Yu Army into scandal.
On his deathbed, the limping soldier reveals the whereabouts of the stolen goods. When Yu Changxuan rushes to the scene, he finds that the gold has already been moved, leading him to conclude that someone was protecting Feng Sanli.
Gu Ruitong leads his troops in storming through the door and takes Jiang Xueting into custody on charges of stealing military secrets and defecting to the enemy.
Yu Changxuan confronts Jiang Xueting in prison, questioning how he can truly care for Ye Pingjun while secretly working as a spy and still planning to marry her.
At Fengtai, Ye Pingjun refuses to eat for three days, her high fever showing no sign of breaking. Yu Changxuan stays by her side, eventually resorting to threats against Jiang Xueting's life to make her eat.
Ye Pingjun returns home. Li Boren chases her into the alley. He tells her about the things Yu Changxuan had done for her. Ye Pingjun is at a loss for words.
After Jiang Xueting is released from prison, Ye Pingjun feels heartbroken seeing how haggard he looks. However, Jiang Xueting presses her for answers about what really happened between her and Yu Changxuan, noticing the scars on her wrist.
On the battlefield, Yu Changxuan watches his comrades fall and prepares to go down fighting, but Gu Ruitong and Kuang Bingwen arrive with reinforcements and rescue him.
Ye Pingjun's play calling for a boycott of Japanese goods enrages a group of Japanese rōnin. After the crowd beats them up during the ensuing clash, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce uses the incident as an excuse to imprison her and torture her into confessing.
Ye Pingjun accidentally discovers that the photo of Yu Changxuan with the Japanese man was taken out of context and deliberately fabricated by Jiang Xueting. Deeply disappointed in Jiang Xueting, Ye Pingjun asks to break up.
