As tara and others have stated, this is not a romance story though there is 'romance'. This is a TRUE yandere story- a story about an unhealthy and dangerous man that is obsessed with his wife. She has good reason to hate him and he continues to trample upon her freedom.

It's a very good story, but it makes you think and even be slightly uncomfortable. It's an enjoyable story to explore a darker, unhealthy relationship. We all sometimes dream of having a love so intense and pure... that we forget the reality of what a love could look like. If you want a happy yandere story, I would recommend, "Tyrannical Wang's Beloved Wife". These novels are interesting parallels of one another!

The FL is likable and you even feel heart break with her. Her desire is to live and just be content with her life because she is trapped in an era where she has no 'escape'/exit from the relationship. She can only do what she can to make herself happy and survive within the boundaries the ML has given her. As their relationship blurs between hate, regret, and even love, (and the Stockholm syndrome sets in), you see a mild form of affection from the FL towards him begin. I wouldn't ever say she loves, but she makes peace with at least what their relationship is because... she has no choice. It's madness or acceptance.

The interaction between the two after chapter 60 becomes incredibly... heavy. At one point, I did cry. I think she does, in a way, succeed in her "victory" in the end. I think her tragic fate could have almost been avoided and they almost could have had something special and intense, especially since... he came so close to having her acceptance of him in the first part of the story. But he himself lifted the rock to smash his own foot.

The translator does a pretty good job.

Rating 4.5 stars.

This is not a romance, this a tragedy in disguise, a story about a woman who is shackled by the sick obsession of a man. I don't call it love because love is a very different emotion. Other readers pity the ML and find excuses for his actions, but for me, he is the only responsible for the sad and cruel choices he made that leads to the story told in the novel. The victim here is the female lead who tries her best to appease him and live a placid and stable life.

At first, it seems like a typical novel where the heroine transmigrates in the evil wife's body and tries to be a different person in order to make the male lead fall in love with her. Surprisingly the novel goes deeper that that, hiding a twist that makes you re-consider why the original wife acted that way. I particularly like the fact that the original wife wasn't a bad person just for the sake of the plot, but she had a real reason to hate the ML.

Totally recommend it for people who aren't looking for a fluffly or light romance story.

MTL-ed

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for possessive, overbearing MLs and yes it's not healthy. But the ML in Wife Can't Escape is possessive to the point of insanity. He restricts her every movement Spoiler

at one point he chains one of her ankles (albeit not for very long but still)

and for the most part disregards her feelings.

Even though the author kept trying to paint the ML as loving I just couldn't see it. He treated her like a possession, from the beginning to the end. To me, he just seemed like a s*x crazed, obsessive psychopath.

The novel did end with a HE but could it really be called a happy ending?

Spoiler

A Taoist priest makes it so that she can't fall in love w/ him and that's that. She kind of just resigns herself to her fate & lives with him bc he refuses to let her go.

This novel honestly gave me a headache. I only finished it because I wanted to see what would happen and if the ML could be redeemed... alas, he could not. In the end, though I hate this book with a passion, I rate it a 1.5/5 bc I really liked the son.

Definitely not biased just bc I'm translating this!

This is, by far, the most interesting and intriguing CN I read! The angst, the fluffiness, and the plot are weaved so intricately! You can see that the author is not writing chapters by chapter 'just because'. Every information mentioned in her chapters can lead to another hint. There are so many foreshadowings too! (even from the earliest chapters).

Although some don't like the female lead (for being naive and s*upid), I still understand where she is going from. I agree that there are times she was s*upid but that's part of her character. She tried to escape plenty of times!

Spoiler

but later realize she can't... so she just accepted her fate. Why waste energy...

There's character development for Zhao Nanyu. In the beginning, he is cold and unforgiving, but towards the end of the book (about 60ish), we can see him gradually softening.

Spoiler

And he accepted his fate that Song Luan will not love him. He says he will wait for her answer.

Zhao Nanyu...I can't say he redeemed himself but I could also understand him a bit. Positive traits for our dear ml: he's extremely loyal to Song Luan!

Spoiler

By not redeemable, I guess if they were given a fourth life together, I'm pretty sure zhao nanyu will kill song luan again by his hands. it's just his character (of being driven by pride and power). But if the gods would give him a chance to keep his memories from first life, then I am 100% sure that he won't betray Song Luan.

THE ENDING IS, BY FAR, THE BEST.

Spoiler

You can't expect a happy ending in which Song Luan would love Zhao Nanyu, and they would live happily ever after. NO. The ending should've included Zhao Nanyu's retribution, and that's what the author went for! Zhao Nanyu had to accept that Song Luan would never love him in their third life (this is their final life together). The taoist priest removed Song Luan's feelings for him. She would neither feel love nor hate, just indifference... and that's the saddest among all.

The only downside to this is...I didn't see more of Zhao Chao and Zhao Wenyan. Like they just vanished after the story reached its climax... It is great that there is a Huai Jin extra.

PS: You can see the tragedy genre and other negative tags in this novel, so don't expect this to be 100% fluff with comedy, because it's not. It's angsty and fluff at the same time (but more on angst). ;)

This story is very different from how I thought it would go from just the synopsis alone but it wasn’t disappointing at all. The characters are really dynamic and well-rounded, and while the story is relatively fast paced, you really grow to love or understand the characters. It is very sad that I just won’t be able to find a novel similar to this and will have to joyfully suffer a reread at some point.

Main Characters:

Somg Luan is not the smartest but she shouldn’t be pitied in my opinion.

Spoiler

she had three lifetimes and all three lifetimes she ended up with the person she loved but was hurt by them instead. She was written more as a foil to the ML. A joyful and magnetic person in all three lives but Nanyu blackened her soul so much that she is basically a dimwit with Stockholm’s syndrome. What you should feel for her is frustration. She didn’t asked to be reborn and attached to Nanyu like this. It took barely 100 chapters for you to see her journey of being killed by her love for him to being completely indifferent towards him as a way to survive but also from his selfish wish. I felt an intense frustration for her as I read both the past extras (where the she was killed by Nanyu for war) and the current lifetime.

Zhao Nanyu is both the male lead and the main character or at least the most dynamic character between the two of them.

Spoiler

This man is a power driven character who will do whatever he needs to attain what he wants but only to regret his choices. I mean that’s a relatively simple way to put him. In their first life, despite falling in love with her slowly but surely, he killed her and her family while thinking he’ll just get over it. But boy, was he wrong. He spent his ruling years yearning for her and regretting that he didn’t make enough memories with her and being haunted by her death to the point where he makes a deal with the monk to spend two more life times with her even if she can not love him anymore. In the second lifetime, she was the first to regain memories of her past life while he was clueless and thought she was willfully rebelling against him, so he poisoned her slowly until in the end he stabbed her. In the third and final life (the alternate of the second life), he was the one to regain his memories first but before then he was starting to fall in love with the reborn Song Luan, who at this point was past the point of saving from being poisoned by him. His love is selfish and dangerous for her but it took three lifetimes for him to realize that he’s only ever had regrets with her. His ending and last develop as a character is the saddest but also the most self deserved. She will never have any feelings of love towards him again but his fate is to basically forever hope that she will one day love him as much as he loves her.

The Story:

This is a yandere’s love story. It is not suppose to make you feel like it will end well but for this type of tragedy, this ending is the most bittersweet and the most sensible. It started out as a simple “oh no I transmigrated, I’ll do anything to survive” to a truly sad story about how obsession can lead to one’s own suffering and karmic fate.

Spoiler

The fact that there is an emphasis on three lifetimes and nothing more makes it worse. There is no constant cycle, Zhao Nanyu can never redeem himself to Song Luan, and she can never truly be happy or free.In the last lifetime, they even have kids (which I have a theory (maybe it isn’t a theory) on: their Oldest Son is simply a spectator as he noticed the oddities of his parents relationship pretty early but the two other children are reflections of their parents. The second son is openly rebellious, how Song Luan was in their second lifetime, while the youngest daughter seems to be a reflection of how Luan was in the third lifetime before she lost all love for Nanyu.

I don’t plan on touching the side characters too much but I love how reflective they are of the main couple and how their fates still didn’t really change much or at all. It’s almost as if the transmigration part didn’t matter in a cause-effect sense and that the karmic plan was to always have Song Luan transmigrated into this lifetime from the future.

You will love this if you like a FL who is:

Triggers: Violence, abuse, r*pe, dubious consent, child abuse (off page)

However, the FL might just be a submissive and secretly likes everything the ML is doing to her. She sure seems like she does. Who knows....

In the end, the mentally-sick ML is still not redeemable. He didn't suffer enough. The only good thing is there's no other women drama. Just the FL from start to finish.

1/2 star for the first child, he's so mature and cute! Another 1/2 star for no unnecessary other women drama. The main couple's drama is blood-vomiting inducing enough. A good ending would be when the FL is actually glad when the ML finally dies and their fates would no longer be tied together, as in there would be no next life between them. A clean break. However, it's obvious such thing will never happen.

I MTL-ed this story because it looks promising. I didn't expect all those plot twist and I love how the author written this transmigration novel. Unlike other transmigration, it seems MC can't break away from the fate even if she fights for it. It is more than meet the eye kind of novel.

I like how the truth about their true past were revealed. It is subtly, but impactful. I am just hoping that the translation could transmit that aura into English.

There is a reason why the ML is a yandere. There is much more than that.

I didn't know whether to give this story a five stars or four stars.

As a story, it was dark, fluffy and bittersweet all at the same time. It def has a HE but at the same time you wonder... was it a happy ending for the FL?

The ML is a mega yandere (it was explained why later in the story) who loves the FL to pieces. What I liked about him was that he gradually fell in love with her, rather than an instant like.

Spoiler

In fact, he hated her so much in the beginning that he poisoned her.

For the characters themselves...

I would say the emotions of the ML is the highlight of this story. How he understand what he is doing is clearly wrong, but just can't let the FL go.

Spoiler

I wish the FL had a happier ending. Yes, she has... somewhat accepted her fate but remained so detached from the ML that even her children can easily see it

Personally, the dark elements in this novel didn't bother me even though I did get a little tired of the ML at some point

I totally recommend reading this novel if a yandare ML - that locks people up and is super possessive - doesn't bother you.

MC has an IQ in the negatives and it makes the story unreadable. Her actions literally ruin everything. ML is a piece of tr*sh thats never treated the MC nicely but don't worry MC is too s*upid to care.

The ML is super toxic. He made her life hell! Honestly the synopsis is misleading. The FL is the victim here!

Their 1st life;

Spoiler

The ML is the fvcking bastard. So he basically did a play of loving the MC to get her country. He killed her children while making the MC believing that she's infertile. He basically slashed her parents and brother's head and hang them on the street. When her sister-in-law and niece fled by the secret path this bastard came to MC and lied that he'll save them if she tells him their location. The FL tells him and then he goes and killed them. The 4 year old niece thought he'll save her so she called him to help her. But this bastard slashed her. When the MC knew that the ML is behind her innocent family's massacere she gets crazy and volunteers to die..

But after her death the ML regrets. He thought by getting the neighbour country's throne but he realizes when he was with MC he was the most happiest. But now he has power and wealth but no happiness. Then a taoist came in his dreams and tell him that he'll kill the MC in her every life and the MC will never love him again. So does he still want to meet her? He replied even if he kills her he still wanna meet her. That bastard.

2nd life:

Spoiler

In their 2nd life the MC got married and had a child with him. And they were happy. But one day the MC drown into the pond and remembers her 1st life. She gets crazy while seeing the murderer of her family and begun loathing and hatred for the ml. She also ignores her child cause she can't love him as he's the murderer's child. So the ML couldn't accept the hatred and first fed her poison and then stabbed her in the heart. Her son locked the door and the ML burned her while smiling. And he and his son lived a good life with the ori fl.

3rd life;

Spoiler

In the 3rdd life MC forgets everything, becomes a modern woman and read her 2nd life in a book. Then the fvcking taoist made her transmigrating in the book. She then tried to fix her relationship with ML and is successful. The ML stops giving her the poison But she still dies because the poison was strong. I really felt pity for ML when I didn't know the 1st & 2nd life.

4th Life:

Spoiler

The MC comes back to her modern life but that taoist again transmigrates her in the novel. She didn't feel anything for the ML so she tried to hide with the other pitiful female side character. (Her story is described below) But was caught and the ML chained her. He literally imprisoned her. This time the ml's 1st and 2nd life memories came back. He knew the MC will die in his hands in every life already she died. But he still won't let go of her. This time they had children but the fact is the MC never loved him. She literally give up. She felt attraction for other persons but not him. That's how the story ended.

Their 1st son:

Spoiler

when people say like father like son, it's not wrong. In her 2nd life he killed his mother with his father. In the fl's 4th life when he knew his father imprisoned a woman after the death of his mother he started devising a plan to kill that woman. He never thought of killing his father, he thought that woman is at fault for making his father love her so he'll kill her. He would literally kill MC if she didn't had her original face. And people think the kid is cute and pitiful. Like wtf! Is this considered cute?

The Pitiful 2nd Ml:

Spoiler

The 1 person I felt bad for was the 2nd ml. He really loved MC. Though In the 2nd life MC loved him cause of her curse but he still loved her. In the 2nd life when he knew the FL will die he went to find medicine in the mount everest for her. He walked from china to nepal's mount everest by foot. ( If you don't know the distance it's about 1281 miles which equals to 2062 km. Just how much he loved her!) He died from extreme cold there. So we can say that only he loved MC in her 2nd life and tried to save her!

In the 3rd life he was successful finding the medicine but when he came back the MC already died. He literally went crazy while learning she died. When he saw her being alive again he wished her happiness but waited for her the rest of his life. He's the most pitiful character here. He truly loved the MC in both lives but couldn't get her and was alone whole life.

The Pitiful side character:

Spoiler

Yes, I'm talking about The woman MC hide in the hut in mc's 4th life. She's really pitiful. The emperor was another yandere. He was ml's best friend. Like birds of same feather flock together. He was another fvcking bastard. First he killed that woman's lovers and families. Then he lied to her and forcefully made her his woman. He imprisoned her in a golden cage (yes, you heard it right, A CAGE where animals are kept!) in a dark room where no light is seen. He forcefully r*ped her while having his harem. He was the garbage. She fled away and the MC and she thought they'll live together and away from this bastards. But they were found and was carried away. This character lived her whole life in the cage as the twisted rapist Emperor's bed warmer.

My Thoughts:

This is not a romance novel. This is a toxic yandere novel. Anyone could guess the ending by knowing these spoilers. In every life she will die by the ml's hand and will be always in a toxic relationship thanks to that fvcking Taoist. He ruined her whole lifetimes. The ML will be the only one who will be happy in every life. The 2nd ml, the side character and MC are the victims of this braindead author's torture. Maybe the author is misogynist that's why can create this kind of torturous novels.

Anyway you can give it a try if you want cause I've seen worst mls (like the ML from dreamer of the spring boudoir or higher level wife or worst of all love in midst of mistaken identities and etc) who are cheater, with harem. At least this one was loyal to MC.