rising from ashes: the formidable ruler

Five years ago, Su Li and the fugitive Fu Jiuchen shared a whirlwind, passionate night that led to an instant and deep connection. But they were soon separated. Now, five years later, Li has a sickly son and is at her wit's end. Desperate, she decides to pawn the jade pendant Jiuchen had left her. However, fate takes a strange turn when Jiang Ting acquires the pendant and, using it as a key, infiltrates the Fu household pretending to be Li, bringing her son along. In order to raise money for her son's medical treatment, Li takes up a job as a maid in the Fu residence. Unknowingly to Jiuchen, the woman he has been searching for all this time is living right under his nose. Unable to resist his intense attraction, he finds himself drawn to her once more, repeatedly taking what he desires by force...

Tracie Reed grows up in a family that favors boys over girls, with parents who neglect her and only want to take from her. Her only source of warmth is her grandmother. During college, she receives help multiple times from Mason Walker, who secretly admires her. Due to severe nearsightedness and inability to afford glasses, she never clearly sees what Mason looks like. When they meet again years later, Tracie doesn't recognize him as Mason. To save her grandmother, Tracie schemes to trick Mason, but he turns the tables and draws her into his life instead.

Despite being married for three years, Muse Dawn doesn't even get to hold hands with Jim Hawkins, let alone bear a child for him. After surviving a plane crash, Muse finds herself in the hospital, where she sees Jim accompanying another woman for a prenatal checkup. This makes Muse realize Jim's never had space in his heart for her. As soon as she ends the relationship, Muse changes back to the granddaughter of the world's wealthiest man. Since she can't be Jim's wife, she'll be his nemesis instead. She'd like to see who's the unworthy one now!

The well-known actress Mia Stone has been set up by her sister with the intention of ruining her reputation. However, in a twist of fate, she ends up having a one-night stand with Jay Lynch, the CEO of Lynch Group. Disappearing from the spotlight for a year, Mia resurfaces on the day she gives birth, crossing paths with Jay once more.

Yana Joy, born with congenital heart disease, was coerced by her parents into marrying Yale Joss on her wedding day, but Zach Hall intervened, disrupting the ceremony. It was revealed that Zach was the CEO of Hall Group. His former girlfriend, Zoey Tate, had tragically passed away in a car accident, and her heart had been transplanted into Yana's body. After Zoey's death, Zach conducted a thorough investigation to find Yana and mistook her for his late girlfriend, leading him to develop feelings for her. Yana, upon discovering that Zoey was Zach's unforgettable first love, struggled to accept that his affection for her stemmed from this misunderstanding. However, they eventually clarified the confusion between them. Yana chose to start anew with Zach, motivated by her desire to provide their child with a complete family.

The youngest female investor on Finance District refuses an arranged marriage with the Golden family. After a drunken night and being drugged, she's saved by her secret admirer and actual fiance, Keir Golden. He pretends to be a poor sugar baby, letting Clara "keep" him. A year later, when family business troubles force Clara to accept the arranged marriage, she tries to break it off with Keir, only to discover her sugar baby is actually her powerful fiance who saves her from the scheming McDowell family.

Fiona Judd falls victim to a scheme that leads to a one-night stand with Caleb Price. When she becomes pregnant, they enter into a hasty marriage but keep their relationship hidden at work. Ironically, this secrecy causes Fiona, the legitimate wife of the CEO, to be mistakenly branded as his mistress. Throughout these challenges, Caleb remains devoted, repeatedly coming to her rescue from difficult situations. Despite the misunderstandings and obstacles, their genuine feelings for each other eventually triumph, proving that true love can overcome any adversity.

At five, Nina donated bone marrow to Quinn, saving her life. Tragically, Nina's parents died in a car accident, and she was rescued by a disabled scavenger, becoming Annie. Excelling in school, she interned at a major company, where she faced jealousy and bullying from fellow intern Angela. Unbeknownst to them, Angela was the adopted sister of CEO Quinn, who had long sought to repay the family that saved his life. When Quinn learned the truth—that the girl he'd favored was not the real Nina, but her bully—his world turned upside down.

Wrenley Hines is a bodyguard who specializes in protecting women who have been victims of domestic violence. With five years of experience and a spotless record, she is highly respected in her field. After going on a blind date with Max Silva, a top local lawyer, the two quickly fall in love and rush into marriage. Concerned that her profession might be too much of a burden for him, Wrenley keeps the true nature of her job a secret. Her sweet and innocent persona is well-received by the Silva family, except for her mother-in-law, Helen. Helen is consistently worried about Wrenley's presence and repeatedly urges her to leave the Silva family. After moving into the Silva household, Wrenley begins to notice strange things, such as unexplained bruises on Helen’s body and the fearful look in the eyes of Della, Max's daughter from his late first wife. During a family gathering, Wrenley learns that the men in the Silva family have a disturbing history of domestic abuse. Helen, Max's late wife Quincy, and even Della have all been victims of this violent tradition. To her shock, Max, her seemingly kind lawyer husband, is no exception and has a cruel, abusive side. Determined to help Helen and Della escape the toxic grip of the Silva family, Wrenley continues to hide her true identity while staying close to Max, hoping to gather concrete evidence of his abuse. Her ultimate goal is to win custody of Della in a divorce battle, ensuring that the cycle of violence is broken.

Briley Pruitt carried a torch for Dillan Thornton for seven years. To marry him, she became a housewife for three years. On their wedding anniversary, Dillan divorced her for the sake of his first love. Briley gave up all her hope and decided to return to her career to be herself again. Briley's mad behaviors drove Dillan crazy. The more he forced her to resign, the more rumors there were, and the closer they became. It led to funny and absurd incidents. Briley's change made Dillan gradually fall for her, his neglected ex-wife, and Dillan embarked on the path of pursuing her. Eventually, they got married!

After Reanna lost her parents, Stefan Shawn became her guardian. Though feared by many for his ruthless nature, Stefan had one exception—Reanna. He indulged her every whim, once declaring, 'Nothing comes before my girl.' Even when she stirred up trouble or picked fights, Stefan would only smirk with pride and say, 'That's my Reanna, my rose.'

Her father and stepmother, in an attempt to seize the inheritance left by her biological mother, plotted to force her into spending the night with an unscrupulous man. At a critical moment, the handsome CEO arrived just in time, preventing the tragedy from unfolding.

Sky Fenton and Geoffrey Mooney were childhood sweethearts who promised to marry each other. When they meet again as adults, both have changed their names and don't recognize each other. Yet fate brings them together, leading to a series of amusing encounters. As they fall for each other again, both hesitate due to their childhood promise, not realizing they're actually falling for the very person they promised to marry.

After being taken back from the orphanage, Yvette Jones longed for familial love, but due to her parents' and siblings' bias and prejudice, she was neglected and isolated at home, leading to a stomach illness. Her foster sister Sienna replaced her medication with vitamins, causing Yvette's condition to deteriorate into stomach cancer, while the family believed Sienna and thought Yvette was pretending to have a terminal illness just to gain sympathy. Ultimately, Yvette was framed by Sienna, kicked out of the house, and brutally killed. In her last moments, she met Jared, the only person who extended a helping hand to her in this life. In her second life, Yvette quickly severed ties with her family and focused on herself. To repay Jared for his help in her previous life, Yvette utilized her advantages from her previous life and her own talents to create a medical company with Jared and her friend, ultimately swallowing the Jones family business and making Sienna pay for her misdeeds. In the end, Yvette successfully avenged herself and lived a happy life with Jared.

Felix, betrayed by his former wife Quincy and suffering from dementia, witnessed his daughter Nancy being taken away by Quincy and her lover. After the ancestral tablet was destroyed, an ancestor manifested and restored Felix's spiritual wisdom, granting him power. In order to rescue his daughter, Felix accidentally encountered female CEO Yancey and demonstrated his abilities to save his daughter. However, to completely heal his daughter, Felix needed a Viridblood Plant. Yancey, in order to get rid of Dario's pursuit, gave Felix the herb for the condition that Felix save someone and then they created chaos at an auction. Later, Felix went alone to Yancey's ancestral ceremony, even offering three incense sticks to Yancey's ancestors, embarrassing everyone present. This, however, aroused jealousy from Dario's family, who kidnapped Felix's daughter and set up traps for Felix, all of which he managed to overcome. Eventually, Felix married Yancey, and the two lived happily ever after.

Wendy Jackson has been in a long-distance relationship with Henry Gray for four years. Since graduating from high school, Wendy has gone abroad to further her studies. To avoid making Henry feel inferior, she has kept her true identity under wraps, claiming she comes from an ordinary family. Throughout their relationship, Wendy has always believed that Henry loves her. However, when she sees Henry holding Nancy Jackson's hand at the class reunion, she finally realizes she has been wrong. Nancy, the foster daughter of the Jacksons, has been using the identity of the heiress to gain benefits. At the class reunion meal, she bullies Wendy along with the other classmates. But the moment Wendy's three brothers show up, everyone is left utterly stunned.

Lorren is injured and saved by Cynthia. After one night together, Cynthia unexpectedly becomes pregnant with quintuplets. Eight years later, the five children bring them back together. After a dispute over the children’s custody, Cynthia moves into Lorren's home. They then face a series of events—an auction, preschool conflicts, and family disputes—with Lorren being rescued by Cynthia multiple times. In the end, Lorren successfully proposes to Cynthia, and they all find happiness as a family.

Sophie was treated as a blood donor for her brother since birth. Later, her brother sells her to a pervert. In a moment of crisis, she meets Reid Graham, who is allergic to women. They accidentally become intimate, resulting in Sophie becoming pregnant with triplets. The two begin a journey of mutual redemption.