Cinderella Falls Into a Trap

*An old-fashioned, clichéd, melodramatic story of coercive possession. The heroine can only passively accept what happens; she has no room to refuse or back down.

*Nearly all the male characters are vile, utterly unscrupulous, and extremely cruel.

I haven't decided whether to write it in first person or third person.

[Blurb]

Everyone envies Shirley.

She has no parents and no particular talents. Apart from a pretty face, she has nothing.

There are plenty of beautiful women around Qu Shen, yet he loves her best. Even his childhood friends treat her like a precious treasure, holding her in the palms of their hands for fear she'll break.

Shirley thinks she doesn't like Qu Shen and hates this group of people, but everyone says she's madly in love with him and used every means at her disposal to enter his circle.

He is so gentlemanly, gentle, and perfect that he fits everything Shirley imagines a man should be...

She has a vague sense that she's lost a portion of her memory, but she doesn't know where this strange feeling comes from.

Every time Qu Shen takes what he wants, he's forceful, day and night without stopping. Shirley feels like he's the only one enjoying it.

But each time, Qu Shen tells her that he's all she has, that they've been together for a long time, and that he's her longtime fiance.

Until one day, Shirley has a dream.

She dreams that she went to great lengths to enter the social circle of these privileged heirs, only to be treated like the lowest kind of kept woman.

Later, she tries to escape but fails. She hides in a corner, trembling, beside a man who's been shot, his blood pooling all around him.

What frightens Shirley most is...

Qu Shen and his friends look down at her with arrogant, cold expressions, nothing like the gentle men she has known.

"Shirley, even when we're tired of playing with you, you still won't get away."

Content warnings: When the heroine was so poor she could barely survive, she stole cars and took a man who was already engaged. The entire story has a toxic, everyone-is-obsessed-with-her vibe. Please check whether it suits your personal preferences before reading. Thank you.

Reading Guide

1. The heroine is a helpless Cinderella from the slums who could never become a strong female lead. She's an ethereally beautiful, gentle little white flower, the kind of stunning beauty people fall for at first sight. Don't ask why someone so beautiful ended up in such dire straits; the plot requires it.

2. From beginning to end, every male character has one-sided feelings for the heroine and can't have her. She goes from feeling guilty to being afraid to running away, and in the end she'll only be with the one who treats her best.

3. There are love rivals, competition between men, and other clashes. The heroine is not a virgin, and she's done things she feels guilty about too.

4. The entire story is set in a fictional future society with a massive wealth gap. It has light mystery elements, as well as a somewhat terrifying full-dive game and technology.

5. Some of the technology is inspired by the British series Black Mirror.

Blurb dated 2025.1.25. I really want to write a melodramatic story about coercive possession.

Theme: Don't expect a windfall from nowhere. Beware of scams.