Villain's Odyssey: Enslaving heroines, Conquering Villainesses - Chapter 23: Manipulation is a Game

Not even a year into their marriage, Ian Kane, who had passionately pursued her for six years and loved her dearly, found a new love outside.At the heart-wrenching moment, Vera Sheridan finally saw clearly: this marriage was nothing more than a cage meticulously designed by him.In the name of love, he acted to imprison, solely to break her wings, claim her as his own, and see her as a personal possession.Vera Sheridan was heartbroken.With a divorce lawsuit, she took Ian Kane to court.The man knelt before her, eyes full of deep affection, “Honey, the one outside is just a fling, I've always loved you. Stop making trouble, let's go home.”Vera Sheridan refused to settle.Ian Kane, with eyes red from anger, held his new love and sneered at her, “Vera Sheridan, you are cold and dull, not to mention a cripple, yet I never despised you. Be good and come home, you are still Mrs. Kane!”Vera Sheridan, disheartened, insisted on divorce.When they met again, Ian Kane almost didn't recognize Vera Sheridan.Under the spotlight, she danced gracefully, enchanting and dazzling, just like when they first met.He followed her backstage, heart pounding, only to see her warmly embracing Noah Grant, the prominent legal figure in The Capital Circle.Ian Kane's heart ached as if cut by a knife, and his eyes immediately turned red with regret...[Frenzied ex-husband chasing wife drama + Legal bigwig from The Capital Circle rising to power]

He is Xi Liang’s legendary emperor: a decisive and ruthless king; a man of supreme wisdom; a cunning strategist.

According to legend, he once conferred the love meant for the three thousand concubines in his harem onto one woman, while the world watched in envy.

According to legend, he once executed a hundred people for her, turning the palace into a purgatory overnight.

According to legend, he ultimately sentenced that same woman to death by execution…

A conspiracy that swept through the country resulted in her tragic end. This lifetime seems to be a repeat of her past life. Can she escape the clutches of fate to attain true love in this life? In both lives, she was the Emperor’s wife, but is that ruthless man really her true love mandated by Heaven?

Did she really die, just like that?

In the end, beyond the veil of lies and mysteries, who exactly was she? Was she a woman that he truly loved, or was she merely a chess piece to be used in his political machinations?

The stories passed onto later generations remain fraught with conflicting opinions.

- Description from Novelupdates

Li Zhizhi was taken back to the capital at the age of fifteen to recognize her ancestral roots. As the true eldest daughter of the Li family, she should have been cherished. However, everyone preferred Li Suwan, who was knowledgeable, polite, and clever. As for Li Zhizhi, she grew up in a remote and impoverished village, ignorant of the ways of the world, and her name even carried a sense of disdain.

He was reborn into a magical world ruled by women.With his saintly silver hair, a white flower blooming in his right eye, and flawlessly ethereal beauty, he was a vision of divine grace. Yet, fate was cruel: he found himself on the auction block, destined to become a noble’s slave.Rescued by a mysterious female lord, he thought his life would settle into quiet obscurity, until he discovered a shocking truth: the current Pope was none other than his mother.Thrust into the role of the Holy Son of the Church, he soon realized his path was not one of light, but an endless descent into darkness.