The Caged Phoenix (Over-the-Top Drama)

[The Emperor Steals His Queen | Empress of Two Dynasties | Coercive Romance and a Triangle of Obsession] When the Emperor of Jin was young and still a nobody, he was once betrayed by the daughter of an official. That woman was heartless. Once she grew tired of him, she plotted to have him killed, then climbed the social ladder and became empress. Years later, he conquers the realm and strips her of all her splendor. He waits for the heartless woman to kick aside her useless former emperor husband, kneel before him, the new emperor, and beg to climb back onto his branch. He wants to savor the sight of her groveling at his feet, then run her through the heart to avenge the hatred he's carried for years. But to his surprise, she remains cool and composed, her back straight, standing by her former emperor husband through life and death. So she was never born faithless and cruel. She was simply heartless toward him. He cannot accept it. That feeling of wounded pride cuts deeper than the hatred he's carried for years, driving him to despair and madness. As the former empress coveted by the new emperor, Gu Linlang repeatedly swallows her pride for the sake of her husband and child, begging the new emperor, Mu Xiao, to leave them alone. In return, Mu Xiao only grows more obsessive and frenzied. Mu Xiao uses her husband's life to threaten her and force her to submit. She knows that once she takes this step, there will be no turning back. When she cannot bring herself to approach him, Mu Xiao keeps threatening her in a cold voice: "Come here!" He forces her cruelly, like a bloodthirsty wolf ready to devour her flesh, drink her blood, and break her bones to swallow her whole. Yet his gaze is filled with despair and desolation. Each hoarse word sounds like a cry of pain from his heart. "Gu Linlang, come to my side!" At the time, she doesn't understand his despair, because she herself has been driven to utter despair, seized by Mu Xiao and imprisoned in the palace with no hope of escape. Later, she regains her memories and understands everything. She remembers a boy who once smiled and held out his hand to her, saying, "Come here. Come to my side." Years have passed. The white moonlight of her youth lies shattered, while the cinnabar mole in her heart remains etched there forever. She wants to leave and return to her husband, but sees Mu Xiao standing at the palace gate, holding a child in his arms. "Come here..." He looks at her in despair and begs in a grief-stricken voice, "The child and I are both here in the palace. Aren't you coming home?" (A coercive male lead who's both mad and a total dog, a scheming black-lotus male supporting character who's mad and twisted, and a devoted heroine whose heart is torn in two. It's melodramatic, but the plot doesn't completely follow the old-school tropes. The heroine is not forced to preserve her chastity for anyone. See the content warnings in the author's note after the first chapter. It's recommended that you read them.) Coming Soon, The Pretend Childhood Friend [Heroine's POV] Li Luo is transported into the world of a CEO romance novel. She's not the innocent, delicate heroine who falls madly in love with the CEO. She's the villainess, a wealthy heiress who has been infatuated with the CEO and is more or less his childhood friend. To keep the novel's world from falling apart, Li Luo has to follow the plot diligently, acting lovesick every day, going crazy for him, losing her mind over him, and banging her head against a wall for his sake. But as long as she doesn't disrupt the novel's plot, Li Luo enjoys her heiress lifestyle to the fullest and even keeps a handsome young lover on the side. Li Luo thinks all she has to do is keep up the act until the novel ends. Then the CEO will pin the heroine against a wall and kiss her, while Li Luo bows out gracefully, free to do as she pleases and go wherever she wants. But somehow things go wrong. When the day arrives, the CEO pins her against the wall by the waist, his eyes red. He kisses her desperately, his voice hoarse, like a wounded beast. "I'll give you my life. Please don't leave, okay?" ??? CEO, you've got the wrong girl!! [Hero's POV] Lu Yuyuan has known since childhood that Li Luo likes him. When they played house in kindergarten, Li Luo insisted on playing his bride. As she grew up, she confessed to him again and again, saying she would never marry anyone but him. The Lu and Li families are old friends, and Li Luo's older brother is his friend, so Lu Yuyuan has no choice but to be tolerant of his friend's little sister. Even when Li Luo gets irrationally jealous over him or acts out of line, he never holds it against her. No matter how tolerant he is, though, Lu Yuyuan doesn't love Li Luo. He has always seen her as a little sister. Until one day, Lu Yuyuan sees with his own eyes that the little sister who has been madly in love with him since childhood is passionately kissing a newly famous young actor from the entertainment industry in a parking lot, their faces pressed close together. Her eyes sparkle and her smile is radiant. Nothing like the little sister he knows from their time together, she seems both familiar and strange to Lu Yuyuan, as if he never truly knew Li Luo at all. Lu Yuyuan has heard Li Luo say countless times that she loves only him. But now, away from other people, he hears her say sweetly to the young actor, "I'm just pretending with that Lu guy. I'm only playing around. You're the one I truly care about." In the shadows inside his Maybach, Lu Yuyuan unconsciously puts out the cigarette in his hand. That day, he leaves without showing what he feels, but a spring breeze seems to set a fire alight in his heart, and from then on it burns out of control. Theme: Face life's storms head-on, and believe in love and hope.