The Art of Forcing Love: A Grand Showcase 强取豪夺的艺术大赏

1. 1 路 Don't Pick Up Strangers by the Roadside 路边的男人不要捡 Orange Soda Bottle Cap橘子味汽水瓶盖儿Romance499k WordsCompleted 16.6kFavorites16.1kClicks/ch4kGifts

   Curator note

   This is acceptable. The copywriting is interesting, but I've kept it saved because I saw some negative reviews. I stayed up all night reading dozens of chapters. It's quite good. Honestly, in stories about forced marriage and possession, let's not compare the male lead's moral compass. I enjoy the author's occasional dry humor, which has garnered popularity that AI can't currently replicate. The female lead is quite charming, and the entanglements of her first and second loves are palpable. The male lead, as a substitute, possesses a noble and aloof reputation, a ruthless and cruel style, the behavior of a mistress in a brothel, a suspicious and dependent nature, and a self-defeating destiny. Even though he initially claims to have murderous intent, is suspicious and wary, he actually carries her up the mountain, picks her up at night, serves her medicine, helps her wheelchair, peels oranges, and does all the household chores—things that might seem shameless. This stage is still the initial phase where the male lead's character and ruthless style are being refined. This guy is too quick to reveal himself. The last time I saw this kind of fresh and elegant writing style was before. I like it; it brings a new writing style to the genre of forceful acquisition and plunder. There is coercion, but its presence is not obvious, perhaps because the sense of humiliation is relatively weak. The female lead's suffering is more about the pain of her first love and the setbacks in her pursuit of freedom. The most feudalistic elements are the traditional Chinese saying, "Your status is too low; you can only be a concubine," and the male lead's overly vindictive methods towards supporting characters. (Just in case this is a sensitive point, the male lead is not married, and there are no scenes of him developing feelings for his fiancée or being outwardly gentle. The process is basically that the elders arrange an engagement, he ruins the engagement, then they arrange another one, and he ruins that one too.) The supporting characters' romances are also quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, most of them end badly. Everyone has their moments of anger. Actually, the male lead isn't a particularly bad character, especially in this genre of stories about forced love; he's quite clean and righteous. It's just that his first love is too good. It's like a deceased husband's memoir has been resurrected. Their romance is innocent and beautiful throughout the story; what separates them isn't human intervention, but rather seems like fate.

2. 2 探 The Flower Snatcher 探花 Qing Yin卿隐Romance613k WordsCompleted (Signed for simplified Chinese publication. Follow progress on Weibo at @Jinjiang Qingyin) [Blurb] Once, she dreaded going to court. Later, she dreaded leaving it. Scene: After court, Chen Jinzhao grips her jade tablet and walks off with her head down, only to be swiftly stopped by the chief eunuch waiting outside the Golden Hall. “Top Graduate, the Prince Regent is waiting for you to discuss state affairs. This way, please.” Where the chief eunuch points, a four-horse carriage is waitin 429.3kFavorites394kClicks/ch701.2kGifts

   Curator note

   This story perfectly captures the subtle nuances of forceful acquisition. Warning: It realistically portrays the feeling of imperial power through forceful acquisition. The female protagonist disguised herself as a man and passed the imperial examination as a third-place scholar. While she was on duty, the new emperor, a man of great talent and ambition, with the demeanor of a ruler and the bloody power to seize the throne, passed by and glanced at her. Then they started causing trouble. From initially believing he was eager to acquire talent, to later conducting a comparative experiment, he tried to eliminate the risks, then became self-destructive, believing himself to be gay, and even resorted to forceful acquisition and scheming against the female lead to win her favor...

3. 3 魔 Everyday Kidnapping and Plunder at the Magic Academy [Western Fantasy] 魔法学院强取豪夺日常[西幻] Chi Ning炽宁Romance790k WordsCompleted Beverly is a struggling student at the Magic Academy, and her black hair makes her a target of discrimination. She dreads attending Archmage Elias's class because he is always demanding and sharp-tongued. Every day, she worries that he'll fail her. Until one day, in the dim lair of an evil dragon, Elias gets smeared with the dragon's aphrodisiac fluids. "I ended up like this because I saved you. Don't you think you should repay me?" With tears in her eyes, she bites her lip and agrees. The man 11.6kFavorites10.8kClicks/ch15.5kGifts

   Curator note

   The beginning was alright, but the ending got really drawn out. Warning: Teacher-student relationship with slight coercion (No, this warning should be marked in almost every story; maybe just add it to the book list). The preceding text describes a forbidden teacher-student relationship in magic: a harsh, inhumanly rigid archmage and a resilient student who is at the bottom of his class. Some people might be thinking of another story not published on Jinjiang Literature City. Yes, it has a similar feel to it.

4. 4 和 The First Year After the Divorce 和离第一年 Master Grass Lamp草灯大人Romance221k WordsCompleted [Signed for publication in simplified Chinese. See Weibo @Dear Caodeng Daren for updates] Both virgins | Powerful man humbled | Strong male lead, weak female lead Honest country girl wife x twisted, rotten rich young master The year Yun Ni met Shen Tinglan, she was of marriageable age but had yet to understand the ways of men and women. Shen Tinglan did not mind that his wife had a lame leg, and Yun Ni did not mind that her husband came from a poor family. So they married. A year after their 72.5kFavorites75kClicks/ch21.1kGifts

   Curator note

   Rather than forcefully seizing something, it's more like pursuing a wife. It's pretty standard. The advantage is that both the male and female protagonists are generally normal people who have reasons for their actions. There's no need to see a scenario where the male lead is allowed to ruthlessly humiliate the female lead in the early stages just to give the male lead a reason to be a sycophant later on. In this story, both characters are quite clear-headed in the beginning. The male lead knows that the female lead doesn't like the life of a wealthy family, and he also has national and family grievances to bear, so he actively keeps his distance, but he wouldn't be so foolish as to humiliate his savior.

5. 5 帝 The Emperor's Regret 帝悔 Ruan Ruan Ruan Yanluo阮阮阮烟罗Romance201k WordsCompleted The day Shaoyin returned to the capital after her husband's death, almost everyone in the city assumed she had come back for the current emperor, Xiao Heng. Xue Shaoyin, the empress's niece, had been in love with her cousin, Crown Prince Xiao Heng, since childhood. Almost everyone knew it. They also knew that her love was unrequited: when it came to Xue Shaoyin, the crown prince had always been indifferent. People said that when the crown prince came of age and it was time for him to marry, he 7.1kFavorites11.9kClicks/ch1kGifts

   Curator note

   This is too childish; I didn't find it interesting. However, I recommend following this author. The line between forceful acquisition and plunder is very delicate, and this author often handles it very well. As usual, I'm recommending her novel, "My Ex is His Majesty," which is currently locked in red; go find the book there. I'll share my previous review of that novel when I have time.

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