when is hard knocks

While selling boxed lunches at a construction site, college student May Bale unexpectedly crosses paths with Joe Cole, the powerful chairman of Cole Corp—and ends up spending a night with him. When she faints during a school sports meet and learns she's pregnant, her stepmother tries to force an abortion. But Joe steps in and brings her home. Welcomed by the warmth of the Cole family, May finds the strength to stand up to those who hurt her, rebuild her life, and grow a career of her own. In the end, she discovers both love and happiness by Joe's side.

After the tragic death of her parents, Yvonne Scott was raised with love and care by the Gordon family. But just before their wedding, Edward Gordon casually suggests they live an open relationship. Heartbroken, she stumbles into a pool, only to be rescued by her fiancé's best friend, Calvin Foster.Having secretly loved Yvonne since childhood, Calvin's feelings flood back when they meet again. With charm and subtle manipulation, he teases, tempts, and plays hot and cold, fighting fiercely for her love. As she slowly succumbs to his persistence, Yvonne finds herself on the path to true happiness.

Fiona marries Nathan to return a favor, but he cheats on her,humiliates her, and pushes her to the edge. She gives birth prematurely, bleeds heavily, and almost dies. Totally disillusioned, she decides to strike back. She announces at a press conference that she is the other woman, fakes her death, and escapes to another city. Five years later, she becomes a famous designer. When Nathan finds out she is still alive, he obsessively hunts her down. He tries to use their child and money to win her back. However, Fiona will never look back.

On the engagement day, Jaydin Collier called off the ceremony to celebrate the birthday of his "female friend". Vivian Buck, who had loved Jaydin for seven years, was heartbroken. She left resolutely. Jaydin thought she was just throwing a tantrum. But when he learned she'd legally married someone else, the always-arrogant Jaydin lost his cool. Vivian was born with a jinx-like curse ability, forbidden from using it on those she loved and has fallen in love with. While chasing Jaydin, the power lay dormant, but returned after their breakup. Now, her words were deadly.

When heartbroken travelers Eileen and Leon cross paths amidst betrayal and rejection from their own relationships, a tipsy encounter leads to a night of unexpected passion. What starts as a drunken fling seems to be fading away once their journeys end. Howver, fate has other plans as Leon becomes Eileen's unlikely guardian angel, appearing whenever she faces a crisis. Eileen discovers she's carrying Leon's child and the two decides to give their romance a shot. But Leon's ex, Molly, reenters the picture... Will she be the wrecking ball that shatters their new romance, or the catalyst for discovering true love?

Seven years ago, Sue York and her husband Cade Mack crossed paths at work. From being business rivals, they evolved into a loving couple. Cade proposed to Sue, promising to care for her for life, which deeply touched her and led to her agreement. In pursuit of a happy family life, Sue resigned and transitioned into a full-time housewife. Two years into their marriage, they joyfully welcomed a daughter, and Cade continued to excel at work. Just when Sue believes everything is going smoothly, she inadvertently discovers a long strand of hair on her husband's clothes that doesn't belong to her.

Six years ago, Luke Kranz gave his life to protect Ava Ewing. Ever since, she has carried the weight of both her family and career alone, tirelessly struggling to save enough for her daughter Ellie’s heart surgery. Just when she thought she had no time for anything else, Evan Foster returns after years abroad, reentering her life with unresolved resentment and buried emotions. Unable to let go of the past, he keeps pushing her, testing her boundaries, and stirring up everything she tried to leave behind.

Cathy, the wealthy heiress, startled by her childhood friend Colin's confession, run away and left home for three years. During that time, she met Aron and married him. When her three brothers found her, she became a vegetable seller. Aron divorced her due to her status, making Cathy realize Aron's a scumbag. Cathy returned home with her brothers. At a family bidding event, she encountered Aron again, leading to a confrontation. With Colin's help, Cathy resolved the crisis. Subsequently, she was adored by her three doting brothers.

Lucine and her husband, Cheney, were in a devastating car accident that took Cheney's life. Lucine survived but lost her memory. When the powerful Sterling family learned she was carrying Cheney's only child, they sent his twin brother, Noah, to bring her home and ensure her safety. At first, Noah saw it as a duty, but as he cared for the vulnerable and lost Lucine, an unexpected bond began to form. Amidst fierce family struggles, kidnappings, a heartbreaking miscarriage scare, and ruthless outside schemes, their connection deepened—until neither could deny the pull between them.

In a world of wealth and privilege, she's the heiress to a vast fortune. Out of gratitude for saving her life, she marries her vegetative husband for many years. However, her world shatters when he wakes up and betrays her, choosing his former lover over her. Devastated but undeterred, she finds her strength and exposes the truth about the deceitful couple. Along the way, she discovers her own resilience and worth. While her ex-husband regrets his choices, she finds unexpected love in the arms of a younger man who appreciates her for who she truly is.

Aurora, once a math prodigy with solutions valuable to military research, was revealed to be the lost daughter of the wealthy Winslow family. But after being brought home, she was looked down upon for her rural background and overshadowed by the adopted daughter, Luna. Luna framed her repeatedly, and during a major exam, copied Aurora's answers. Yet Aurora was the one punished.In her next life, Aurora returns with a vow for revenge. When Luna tries to provoke her again at the exam hall, surrounded by their biased family, Aurora publicly cuts all ties with them, determined to uncover the truth and reclaim her place.

Donald Chester was tricked by his mother and younger brother's family into staying in the same household, leaving his wife and daughter at the mercy of the Chesters' abuse.He spent his life breaking his back in the family feed mill, only to be cast aside when it finally went public and made a fortune—dying in misery. Traveling back to 1988, Donald decisively split from the family and took his wife and daughter back to live in the countryside—only to discover that the fields and ponds are overrun with crayfish, a scourge to the villagers.Donald resolved to make a fortune for his own family by selling crayfish and forging a path to prosperity.

Harold and daughter Demi are critically injured in a riot,with Demi fighting for her life. When the hospital faces a Type A blood shortage, his wife Violet signs away the life-saving blood to save Jack, son of her first love Nate, who claims the boy has leukemia. She abandons her dying daughter without hesitation.Heartbroken after six years of devotion, Harold resumes his hidden identity as heir to the powerful Summit Group. He saves Demi and disappears. Finding Harold's abandoned phone filled with loving messages and final farewell, crushing regret overwhelms Violet.

Whitney Young fell in love with wealthy Yves Howard and became pregnant. Forced by family pressure, Yves married noblewoman Megan Stewart on the same day Whitney gave birth to their daughter. She left her daughter Rose a bracelet and raised her for four years. When Megan couldn't conceive, the Howard family took the child. Despite being frail, Whitney chased them but was kidnapped and sold. Rescued by Shawn Lewis with selfish motives, she lived a miserable life. Years later, Rose sought her biological mother. In worries, Megan followed Rose to Whitney's home. Then she saw...

Once a wealthy heiress, Stella Smith's life takes a tragic turn when her parents become comatose after an accident, and her fiancé betrays her. By a twist of fate, she is pregnant with Jay Pace's child, though she mistakenly believes the father is someone else. Years later, she returns with her child and reunites with Jay Pace as his subordinate, totally unaware that her boss is actually the father of her child. A series of misunderstandings ensue which sparks a growing affection between the two. As the misunderstanding clears up, the reunited family finds their happily ever after.

Ten years after Yancy Stuart vanished in a tragic hiking accident, her brother Jeffery finally found her, only to learn she had no memory of him. When Jeffery rescued Yancy from an abusive boyfriend, they agreed to reconnect despite her lost memories. Driven by guilt for not protecting her before, Jeffery worked to improve her life, but rebuilding their bond proved challenging. As they grew closer, Jeffery discovered they weren't biologically related. Embracing his feelings, he confessed his love. Together, they overcame adversaries, media scrutiny, and personal struggles, ultimately forming a strong and loving family.

Finn Kennedy carries a blood curse that drives him mad every 13th of the month, making him violently dangerous. Only the blood or intimacy of a "Maiden of Pure Soul" can ease his suffering and break the curse. Without finding her, Finn faces death by age 30 or falls victim to his half brother Jax's schemes. When Finn meets Lucia Owens, the curse transfers to her. Though this should have been fatal for Lucia, the combination of Finn's daily acts of kindness, their true love, and the birth of their second child finally breaks the curse completely.

Two years into her marriage with Allen Howell, Isabel Lawson has a dream. Tomorrow, her husband will meet his soulmate. They’ll share a passionate night together, and from that moment on, Allen will shower this woman with everything—bidding millions on jewelry at auctions, gifting her the designer clothes and luxury bags that once belonged to Isabel. In the dream, Isabel desperately fights to save her crumbling marriage, using every trick against the mistress, only to be abandoned by her husband and die miserably in a psychiatric hospital. The first thing Isabel does when she wakes up is to slap her husband three times, and the plan begins…