what is once upon a time about

The spirit of Lucille Payne, an ancient general, transmigrated into her descendant who bore the same name—only to discover that the Payne family had fallen into decline. Her sister-in-law had been secretly transferring away the family's assets, while her own brother and sister remained blindly obsessed with romance. Refusing to accept this decay, Lucille took action: she thwarted her sister-in-law's schemes, encouraged her brother to enlist in the military, and helped her sister regain confidence through a dance livestreaming career. In the end, she succeeded in restoring the Payne family to its former glory.

A modern obstetrician, Loren Saul, is accidentally transported into an imperial dynasty. After his sister-in-law refuses to offer her unborn child as a "medicine" for Lady Sofia, the two are sentenced to death. When a royal notice promises pardon and promotion to anyone who can restore the concubine's milk supply, Loren seizes the chance and enters the palace using his modern medical knowledge. Inside the palace, his extraordinary skills save the Lord General's son, cure Lady Sofia, and even perform a daring C-section to save Princess Natalie of Zephyria. Rising from a condemned prisoner to Director of the Wetnurse Guild and a trusted imperial physician,Loren navigates deadly palace politics while using modern medicine and sharp wit to change his fate and build his legend.

Sarah Powell, an all-powerful lady chancellor from ancient times,transmigrates into an heiress in the modern world who was stripped of her fortune and bullied by all. Facing the combined assault of her ruthless uncle, manipulative cousin, and perverted playboy tormentors, she employs her past life's strategic brilliance and martial prowess to methodically fight back. Within three days,Sarah secures a crucial business deal and storms into the board of directors. At an auction, she exposes counterfeits and cleverly acquires a legendary sword, ultimately reclaiming her shares and purging the corrupt. Along the way, she reunites with Henry Reid, the second son of the Reid family, rekindling their destined romance across lifetimes. The perfect mix of sweet revenge and even sweeter romance!

After sacrificing herself as a shaman saintess during the war, Indy Baker transmigrates into the body of the Baker family’s true heiress.She recognizes her playboy uncle Finn Baker as the spitting image of her beloved mentor from her past life and publicly claims him as her father, vowing to help him win the inheritance. When Ethan Baker and his family repeatedly scheme against them, Indy uses her shamanic powers to resolve crises while transforming Finn and gaining support from the business world. As the family patriarch shows favoritism and Ethan’s crimes escalate, Indy teams up with the boss of Doyle Group to establish Indigo Group, striking back and exposing evidence of Ethan’s attempt to murder the old man—bringing him to justice. The two companies eventually merge, expanding into folk culture and military industries. On the anniversary of the war’s victory, she witnesses the nation’s prosperity and Finn’s transformation, honoring her past life: “Dawn has broken. We’ve all won.”

Modern elite assassin Morgan Calud dies and transmigrates into a woman with the same name. After Morgan's father died in battle, her mother disguised her as a boy from birth so they could maintain their position in the Calud family. As Morgan grows up, she yearns to reclaim her female identity but fears that discovery would mean death for both her and her mother. Planning to escape with her mother before her secret is exposed, Morgan is unexpectedly noticed by Shane Burke—the Aetheria Dynasty's only duke with a different surname, a man of overwhelming power and ruthless temperament. He brings her back to his estate, and from then on, she must outwit him daily just to survive.

After the ruin of her family, the princess finds herself unexpectedly transported to the present day. To compound matters, her husband is none other than her sworn enemy from a previous life! Undeterred, she resolves not to be underestimated in this new life. With that, she unfolds her journey of navigating the complexities of the modern world with determination and resolve.

In 1922, a baby glutton named Zoe fled to the mortal realm. While trying to skip out on a restaurant bill, she met General Gus Chance, who took her in as his daughter. With her power to ward off misfortune, Zoe saved the Chance family many times, making the whole family love her. She even helped Gus find his long-lost third son and managed to wake his wife from a decade-long coma. Just when everything was perfect, God asked Zoe to return. Would she finally get to stay with the family she loved?

This is an era where games invade reality and talents awaken.Impoverished high school student Xavier Knight harbors a secret—he can regenerate infinitely. To successfully class-change, Xavier trades his lifespan for money and awakens as an SSS-rank sorcerer. His exceptional talent makes him a target for assassination, but with his infinite regeneration cheat ability, he relentlessly levels up and crushes his opponents.

On her coming-of-age day, Leah Judd, Crown Princess of Valia, awakens in the body of an eight-year-old in the modern world—the real daughter who was switched at birth.Neglected while the fake daughter stole all love, she starved to death. Furious, Leah smiles coldly. If her father is unloving, she'll find another—one scorned as useless. After all, she's a princess. Turning a wastrel into a legend? Child's play.

In the 21st century, Nobel Prize winner Blaire Elliott extracted a key element from meadow fescue that advanced modern medicine. Unfortunately, she was struck by lightning and found herself in the body of another Blaire Elliott—a notorious troublemaker living in a rural village in the 1980s. The bully had done countless wicked deeds, yet her family still adored her unconditionally. Furious at her predecessor's waste of affection, Blaire swore to use her medical skills to lead her new family to prosperity.

Tyson Calhoun transmigrated as a despised Serpent. After activating a Devouring System, he evolved from Serpent to Dragon, overcame the apocalypse alongside humanity, and ultimately, devoured gods.

On her coming-of-age day, Leah Judd, Crown Princess of Valia, awakens in the body of an eight-year-old in the modern world—the real daughter who was switched at birth.Neglected while the fake daughter stole all love, she starved to death. Furious, Leah smiles coldly. If her father is unloving, she'll find another—one scorned as useless. After all, she's a princess. Turning a wastrel into a legend? Child's play.

Customs officer Wynne Sutton died in the line of duty, only to wake up in the body of a character from a novel. She was now the wife of the hero, Lance Shelton. In this new world, she weighed 200 pounds and was mocked by everyone as Madma Pig. She also had a five-year-old son, Henry, who was considered slow-witted. Armed with a weight-loss system, Wynne was determined to turn her life around—and soon discovered that Henry possessed the power of prophecy: his words could come true, he could see people's nationalities, and he could hear their thoughts. When Henry said, "Aunt Lane has 'I am Gapanese' written on her head," Wynne became alert. Riding her motorcycle, she crashed a banquet and confronted Lance, who dared not acknowledge her. Thus began the dramatic tale of her spectacular rise.

The wealthy and independent beauty, Jessie Zacker, unexpectedly travels back to the 1980s and becomes the "public nuisance" everyone in the compound dislikes. Her husband, the top researcher Harkins Lauren, is determined to divorce her. Resolving to focus on her career and wealth, she unexpectedly transforms into a skilled homemaker and a leader in prosperity. Just when she is set on divorce, her husband, holding her tightly, pleads with her with a hint of grievance: "If we divorce, where will I find someone as wonderful as you?"

Corporate drone Scarlet Bell accidentally transmigrates into a book as a billionaire socialite. That very night, she goes to a top-tier club and brings home a male escort Roger Lawrence. Unexpectedly, the man is not only handsome but skilled in everything, teaching her business hand-in-hand and repeatedly saving her from danger. Just as their feelings deepen, Scarlet is forced into an arranged marriage by her family. Roger comes to propose, and only then does Scarlet discover that this man is actually the world's richest person.

After transmigrating as Yulia Jones—the vicious ex-wife of male lead Jensen Forbes in the novel—she knows the original plot all too well: Yulia aborts their child and divorces him just as his family is sent to the countryside. Determined to rewrite her fate,Yulia devises a new plan, that is to keep her handsome husband by her side and embark on an unexpected journey of love and family.

Modern college student Clarissa Ingram transmigrates into a novel as the villainous ex-wife who is pregnant with male lead River Shelton's child. Unlike the original character who divorced and had an abortion, Clarissa changes course and uses gentle tactics to win back River's heart. When faced with River's childhood friend Paige Snyder, who covets him,Clarissa voluntarily moves to the countryside.There,she uses her golden finger—a department store system—to improve rural life and becomes the beloved darling of the Shelton family. After Paige's multiple failed schemes and eventual imprisonment for poisoning, Clarissa leads the villagers to prosperity, earning official recognition. She and River return to the capital ahead of schedule to live happily together.

Centuries-old tiger demon Mavis Hoover is cast down to the mortal realm by Heaven to experience the complexities of human emotions. She awakens to find herself reborn as a vicious stepmother. To complete her trial, she learns to become a virtuous wife and mother, fiercely protecting her children, earning money to support the family, and even rooting out traitors. Through her daily interactions with her family, the once-aloof tiger demon gradually begins to understand true human feelings and eventually finds genuine love with her husband, Leon Saul.