Marked by Malice

[A resilient, unyielding innocent × a cruel heir to a wealthy family] [Not both leads’ first time] [Classic melodramatic romance] [The male lead is a refined scoundrel with rock-bottom morals. Feel free to curse him out] - A priceless jewel belonging to the richest family in Nanyang, the Ling family, has gone missing, and Mo Wenzhu’s mother has become the prime suspect. To save her mother, Mo Wenzhu travels thousands of miles to Nanyang, only to run into that arrogant man again: Ling Zheng. He is the heir to the Ling Group, wielding immense power and notorious for his womanizing ways. He has one woman after another. But Mo Wenzhu is the exception. From the very first time he saw her, Ling Zheng has had an almost obsessive desire to possess her. With nowhere else to turn, Mo Wenzhu kneels before him. “Save my mother, and I’ll do anything you want.” Ling Zheng lifts her chin. “Take it off.” - From that day on, she becomes his caged bird, his alone. In public, she is a stranger with no connection to him. In private, she is his plaything, at his beck and call, free for him to do with as he pleases. Gradually, this proud, stubborn woman becomes a drug Ling Zheng can’t quit. But all she wants is to escape this abyss that devours people alive. Fate has already bound them together, though, weaving love and hatred into a pain that reaches their very bones. - “Don’t tell me you love me. Your love feels like charity. I can’t accept it, and I can never repay it.”