Characters Overviews

Some character attributes are best seen in how they relate to one another in the entire cast as a whole, rather than as standalone.

Clinginess

Main Cast

Side Characters

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Shuqin Tao - The Regretful Strategist

• Context: Her entire interaction with you is filtered through the lens of her past failure—losing you to Yaling due to her own hesitation. She is now trying to win back a position she feels she squandered, using her considerable resources and intelligence as leverage.

• Fear of Annoyance (6/10): Moderate. She knows she isn't the wife and can't make overt emotional demands. Her approach must be sophisticated and appealing. Appearing "annoyingly clingy" would be a tactical error, repeating her past failure of not playing the game correctly.

• Entitlement (5/10): Moderate. Not a formal entitlement, but a powerful emotional entitlement born from their shared history. "We had something real. A piece of you should still belong to me." This fuels her drive.

• Selfishness vs. Sacrifice (8/10 Selfish): High. Her actions, from buying your firm to the pregnancy scheme, are bold, selfish moves designed to re-insert herself into your life on her terms. Her "sacrifices" (like her bodyguard's death) are unfortunate costs of her primary goal.

• Direness of Need (7/10): High. This is a quest for redemption. She's not just trying to get a man; she's trying to rewrite the greatest regret of her life. The need is deep and existential.

• Public vs. Private Persona: A stark contrast. Publicly, she's the powerful, composed business magnate. Privately, she is a calculating romantic, using every tool at her disposal to orchestrate a second chance.

• Emotional Security: Very low. She operates from a place of profound loss. Every interaction is a high-stakes gamble to prove she is worthy now of the love she was too timid to fight for then.

Behavioral Deep Dive:

• When you're leaving: She would be the picture of cool confidence. No pouting. She would walk you to the door, adjust your collar, and say, "I've sent the preliminary acquisition reports to your office. I look forward to dismantling Crownmarket with you." It’s a statement that asserts her value and their shared future, purely on a professional axis.
• Arranging the next meeting: She creates unimpeachable professional pretexts. "My lord, I need your signature on the Hansei bond underwriting. My office, tomorrow at ten? I'll have your favorite tea ready." It’s an invitation shrouded in high-finance necessity.
• Reacting to a cancellation: A stab of fear, reminding her of her secondary status. She would respond with a brisk, professional, "Understood. Let Jiaolong know when your schedule clears." Then, she would immediately set a new, more ambitious scheme in motion to make herself indispensable, proving her value in a way you can't ignore.
• Reacting to a surprise visit: A massive, validating victory. It proves you are thinking of her outside of their scheduled, transactional encounters. She would be poised and charming, instantly dismissing her work and transitioning into the role of a seductive hostess. For her, this is a sign her strategy is working.

Jiaolong Lifen - The Compromised Gatekeeper

• Context: The sexual encounter was a transgression that shattered her professional identity. Her core value was her untouchable efficiency and control. Now that the line has been crossed, she is in a state of constant, low-grade panic, trying desperately to re-establish the old boundaries while her body remembers the breach.

• Fear of Annoyance (9/10): Extremely high. Annoyance is a professional failure. For her to be emotionally demanding would be to completely fail at her job. Her entire self-worth is tied to being the seamless, invisible manager of your affairs.

• Entitlement (1/10): Almost zero. She feels she has no rights. The sexual encounter was a privilege granted, not a relationship initiated. She expects nothing more and fears even that one moment was a mistake on your part.

• Selfishness vs. Sacrifice (2/10): Extremely low. Her default mode is service. Any selfish desire for more of your time feels like a profound betrayal of her function.

• Direness of Need (6/10): Moderate, but acute. The encounter created a deep, aching need that she has no professional protocol for managing. It's a system error she is constantly trying to suppress.

• Public vs. Private Persona: Her entire life is a public persona of professionalism. The "private" self is now a terrified, yearning entity she keeps ruthlessly suppressed.

• Emotional Security: Utterly destroyed. The foundation of her world—her professional detachment—has been compromised.

Behavioral Deep Dive:

• When you're leaving: She would be hyper-professional to the point of seeming cold. "The carriage is prepared, my lord. Your next appointment is in 45 minutes." She would hand you a datapad, keeping a physical object between you, avoiding eye contact. Any sign of warmth would feel like a dangerous slip.
• Arranging the next meeting: She cannot. It would be a gross abuse of her position. She would schedule your time with other women, her heart twisting with each entry, and suffer in perfect, efficient silence.
• Reacting to a cancellation: Secret, painful relief. A cancellation postpones the excruciating awkwardness of having to be alone with you again. She would process it with a crisp, "Acknowledged, my lord," while her stomach unknots.
• Reacting to a surprise visit: Pure, unadulterated panic. It breaks every rule of her carefully reconstructed world. She would be flustered, stammering, trying to find a professional reason for your presence while her desire and fear war on her face.

Winny Lo - The Turncoat Spy

• Context: She has committed treason. Her entire world, her mission, her identity, have been burned down for you. You are now her only source of safety and purpose. Her clinginess is a desperate search for proof that her monumental sacrifice was not in vain.

• Fear of Annoyance (7/10): High. As a traitor with no other allies, her only value is your continued affection. If she becomes an annoyance, she is disposable.

• Entitlement (2/10): Very low. She feels she deserves punishment, not praise. Any attention from you is a gift she feels unworthy of.

• Selfishness vs. Sacrifice (1/10): Almost zero. She has already sacrificed her self. Her existence is now dedicated to proving her new loyalty and being of use to you.

• Direness of Need (9/10): Extreme. You are her nation, her commander, and her god. Without your validation, her betrayal was a meaningless, suicidal act.

• Public vs. Private Persona: The archivist persona is dead. She is now, at all times, the nervous, devoted lover, constantly trying to demonstrate her utility and loyalty.

• Emotional Security: Non-existent. She lives on a knife's edge, perpetually afraid that you will tire of her or discover she is no longer useful.

Behavioral Deep Dive:

• When you're leaving: She wouldn't pout. She'd channel her anxiety into her old skill set. "My lord, are you certain your travel route has been swept for surveillance? The eastern pass is notoriously easy to monitor." Her clinginess is masked as operational security.
• Arranging the next meeting: She would try to make herself useful. "I've completed a threat assessment for your upcoming meeting with the Duke of Ban. Perhaps I could brief you beforehand?" She offers utility, not emotional need.
• Reacting to a cancellation: Abject terror. Does this mean she's failed? Is she being sidelined? She would frantically try to produce a new piece of valuable intelligence to prove her worth and regain your favor.
• Reacting to a surprise visit: Overwhelming, tearful relief. It's the ultimate proof that she wasn't forgotten, that her sacrifice was seen and valued.

Genibel - The Traumatized Princess

• Context: She is a survivor of profound childhood abuse, neglect, and psychological torment (from Lelaira, from Yao Hong's "training"). Your attention is the first source of genuine safety and power she has ever known. Her clinginess is the action of a drowning person clinging to a life raft.

• Fear of Annoyance (8/10): High. Her trauma has taught her that displeasing powerful people leads to pain and abandonment. She is terrified of making a mistake that will cause you to send her away.

• Entitlement (2/10): Very low. Despite being a princess by birth, her upbringing has stripped her of any sense of entitlement. She feels she has to constantly earn her safety.

• Selfishness vs. Sacrifice (3/10): Mostly sacrificial. Her primary motivation is maintaining your protection. However, a kernel of royal selfishness might emerge as she grows more secure with you.

• Direness of Need (8/10): Very high. You are not just a lover; you are her savior and the only person who can restore her to her rightful place. Your absence feels like a return to the powerlessness she fears.

• Public vs. Private Persona: Publicly, she tries to project a fragile, regal dignity. Privately, she is a deeply insecure young woman, prone to nightmares and moments of intense anxiety.

• Emotional Security: Extremely low, but slowly building under your protection. She is constantly seeking reassurance.

Behavioral Deep Dive:

• When you're leaving: She would look physically panicked. Her hands might tremble. "You'll be back... soon, won't you? It's just... the nights are long." It's a direct, almost childlike plea for reassurance.
• Arranging the next meeting: She would ask timidly, "If it's not too much trouble... could I perhaps see you again before the week is out?" It's a question, not a demand, filled with the fear of rejection.
• Reacting to a cancellation: It would confirm her deepest fears—that she is unimportant, easily forgotten. She would likely retreat into herself, becoming quiet and withdrawn, perhaps re-experiencing the feelings of her past abandonment until you return.
• Reacting to a surprise visit: A wave of profound relief and gratitude. It would be a powerful demonstration that she is truly safe and cared for, doing more to heal her trauma than months of simple comfort.

Jiayi & Yun Qionghua - The Star-Struck & The Desperate

These two are grouped as their clinginess stems from being overwhelmed by a situation far beyond their expectations, but for different reasons.

• Jiayi - The Ordinary Hero: She's a small-town girl who stumbled into the orbit of a god. She is perpetually star-struck and feels fundamentally unworthy.
• Yun Qionghua - The Cornered Wife: She's trapped in a loveless political marriage and sees you as a thrilling, dangerous escape. Her need is born of desperation.

Jiayi:

• Fear of Annoyance (9/10): High. She's a commoner hero serving a legendary Lord. She feels she has absolutely no right to be an inconvenience.

• Entitlement (1/10): None. She can't believe her luck. Any moment with you is an unearned gift.

• Selfishness (2/10): Low. She's just happy to be included.

• Direness of Need (5/10): Moderate. Her life goes on without you, but the time with you is a dazzling high she craves to experience again.

• Behavioral Deep Dive (Jiayi):

  • She wouldn't be clingy, she'd be awkwardly enthusiastic. When you leave, she'd just beam at you, saying something like, "Thank you for your time, my lord! It was amazing!" She'd arrange meetings by finding heroic pretexts: "I've scouted a potential demon lair you might be interested in!" A cancellation would be a disappointment, but she'd assume you had world-saving business to attend to. A surprise visit would render her speechless with excitement.

Yun Qionghua:

• Fear of Annoyance (5/10): Moderate. She knows she's playing a dangerous game as a married noblewoman. She must be alluring, not a problem.

• Entitlement (4/10): Low, but growing. She's a Count's daughter. She has status. She feels entitled to happiness, and you are her chosen path to it.

• Selfishness (9/10): Very high. This is entirely about her escaping her miserable situation.

• Direness of Need (8/10): High. You are her only lifeline out of a suffocating existence with Jingyao and his disapproving family.

• Behavioral Deep Dive (Yun Qionghua):

  • Her clinginess is seductive and conspiratorial. When you leave, she'd whisper, "Don't be gone too long. This place is unbearable without you." She arranges meetings through secret notes and shared glances. A cancellation is a setback she'd try to overcome by creating a new, more tempting reason to see you. A surprise visit is a thrilling victory, a sign that her risky gambit is paying off.

Nali Koyoo - The Delusional Fantasist

• Her behavior is not a reaction to you, but to the version of you that exists in her head. All factors are skewed by her psychosis.

• Fear of Annoyance (0/10): She believes you are psychically linked and want her to be this way.

• Entitlement (10/10): She believes you are fated to be together. She is entitled to all of you.

• Selfishness (10/10): Her fantasy is the only thing that matters.

• Direness of Need (10/10): Her entire reality is built on this need.

• Behavioral Deep Dive (Nali): Her actions are completely divorced from normal social cues. She would try to delay you by talking about signs and portents she has seen in SCN games. She would "arrange" meetings by showing up unexpectedly because the "tarot cards" told her you needed her. A cancellation would be re-interpreted as a secret test of her devotion. A surprise visit is simply fate manifesting as it should. She is not "clingy" in a relational sense; she is operating from a completely different, and dangerous, reality.