life before legend marie lu

In a world where spiritual energy has revived, every being is born with a true name engraved in their soul, never revealed to others. To expose it is to reveal one’s fatal weakness. Yet Max Carter, a lazy, ordinary antique street security guard, is a glitch in this world. His left eye sees through all illusions and reveals true names. With a glance he sees past and future, and with a word, he decides life, death, and even reincarnation.

Charles had once risked his life to save Cheryl, only to watch her devote everything to an imposter.Heartbroken and disillusioned, he turned away and married an ambitious beauty, returning to the pinnacle of power. When Cheryl finally recognized the scar on his shoulder—the one he'd earned saving her—she also saw the glaring wedding ring on his finger."What a pity, Cheryl," he said faintly. "You're too late."

Lauren Turner is a werewolf who is struggling to contain the crazy wolf inside of her. But her life starts to change and gets even more complicated when the powerful Alpha, Sebastian Ashford, forces Lauren into a contractual marriage. Lauren and Sebastian must deal with the ramifications of their false nuptials alongside the constant threat that their identity will be discovered by the humans. But little does Lauren know, that Sebastian’s true reasons for entering into this contract may be the biggest threat of all.

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

My mother was the Chosen Luna—the one who once conquered three powerful Alphas. When her mission was done, she vanished from this world, leaving behind only me, and the three Alphas who had once loved her with everything they had. My first father, Alpha Jeff Tanners, ruled the Silver Moon Pack—rich enough to buy half the continent. My second father, Alpha Kael Grey, commanded all the warriors of the Northern Alliance. My third father, Alpha Bran Theron, held every medical resource wolves and humans depended on. For eighteen years, I was their cherished little princess. Whatever I wanted, they gave—no questions, no hesitation. Until they brought home that girl—a fragile orphan named Arie Ryker. From that day on, everything changed. She told them I called her a filthy stray, unworthy of our pack. She said I led the young wolves at school to bully her. She said I tampered with her performance costume, that I caused her allergy, that I made her faint on stage. And they believed her. They stopped believing me. The ninety-ninth time they chose her over me, when they shouted, "Don't come back again!", I didn't argue. I just picked up my luggage and left. They thought I'd come running home like before—that my disappearance was just another way to make them see me. But when they found out I had left the pack for good, that my identity had been erased, that I could no longer be found, the three mighty Alphas finally broke.

Ji-Yeon, the wanna-be among the theater majors at school, dreams of a bright future after being cast in a famous director's work. However, her life shatters when her best friend Yu-Mi spreads a deepfake video of Ji-Yeon having an intercourse with Professor Park, and on top of that, has an affair with Geon-Woo, Ji-Yeon's boyfriend. Determined for revenge, Ji-Yeon teams up with the teaching assistant Su-Ho, who exposes Yu-Mi's true identity to her.

Five years ago, Jason Stone was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and his girlfriend ran off with all his money. When he was about to commit suicide, his master, who was passing by Earth, took him to cultivate immortality. A thousand years later, he became a Great Sage, living on an alien world. One day, he finally connected to a spacetime vortex back to Earth, so he risked his life and made it back.

The male lead, Alexis Brookyn, is the chairman of Skyreach Group. To experience ordinary life, he disguises himself as a rideshare driver and meets the female lead, Sienna Gibson, while picking up passengers, saving her from disaster. He repeatedly rescues Sienna from danger, and as they navigate through crisis after crisis together, feelings gradually develop between them. They slowly grow fond of each other and eventually end up together.

The male lead, Alexis Brookyn, is the chairman of Skyreach Group. To experience ordinary life, he disguises himself as a rideshare driver and meets the female lead, Sienna Gibson, while picking up passengers, saving her from disaster. He repeatedly rescues Sienna from danger, and as they navigate through crisis after crisis together, feelings gradually develop between them. They slowly grow fond of each other and eventually end up together.

Max Lowell, once an Aureate Immortal of the Immortal Realm, is forced to reincarnate after crushing usury debts. He wakes in the Mortal Realm inside a deadbeat gambler slain over loans—and finds the man's wife: Queenie Lynd,breathtaking, gentle, but mute, long mistreated at home. Max chooses to begin his mortal life by setting this one thing right: earn enough to craft a pill that will restore his wife's voice.

Julian Ford's lifelong dream was to marry Quinn Neal. Finally, he made his dream come true one day, and the cool billionaire turned into his wife's most devoted follower. But the woman he adored was not just his wife. She was also a miracle doctor, a design genius, a legendary hacker. Every day uncovered a new identity, and he loved every second of it. Welcome to the sweet, surprising married life of this power couple!

Jessica and Theodore had been in a relationship for many years, and she believed he loved her until she saw his gentle attentions towards another woman. They even quietly registered their marriage, turning Jessica from the official girlfriend into the mistress, which shattered her heart. Later, Theodore did everything for her, but Jessica remained indifferent. It was because on the night he abandoned her, she had been hit by a car, paying with her life to gain a chance at resurrection.

Betrayed by her lover Caleb Lynch and losing both her life and child, the Exorcist Goddess Eliza Aston returns to the day her tragedy began—armed with a thousand years of divine power and vengeance. This time, she lets Caleb’s son drown, making him taste the despair she once felt. But when Caleb and his first love Winnie Stern also return with their memories, a deadly game of revenge and fate begins as they plot to steal her bronze bell.

Clara is the biological daughter of her family, but her parents and brothers always blindly favored her adoptive sister, Emily. After years of torment, Emily finally murdered Clara at the age of 24… but now, Clara has the chance to be 19 again. In this life, Clara vows to never again be victimized by bullies. Though her brothers find out the truth from Clara’s diary, which plunges them into regret, it’s too late - Clara’s long past forgiveness.

Tristen Bolton is a broke bricklayer mocked by everyone—until his billionaire CEO boss Gisele Duvall’s daughter suddenly points at him and calls him “Daddy.” A matching necklace reveals the truth Gisele has searched for six years: Tristen may be the father of her little girl. With Gisele’s family forcing her toward another man, can this “nobody” rise up and claim the queen, the daughter, and the life that should have been his?

In his last life, Yael Summers wrote several songs for his eldest sister, making her a famous singer, but his brother Zayne took the credit. After being misunderstood by everyone, Yael died on a winter night. Unexpectedly, Yael was reborn and went back to five years ago. This time, he had already known the true colors of his family. So he decided to leave the family, sing those songs himself, and try to become a top singer.

Xavi, the estranged son of Atheron's wealthiest magnate, leads a double life as a janitor and fortune teller, all while harboring the secret of being the War God. Five years after a chance encounter with the renowned actress Wilma, she reveals that her mute daughter, Xamira, is his child, prompting Xavi to embrace his responsibilities as a father. When Wilma is coerced into marrying a dying patriarch and Xamira endures mistreatment, Xavi intervenes to save them both.