Seraphina Vale grew up unwanted. An orphan passed from one home to another until she learned that happy endings were best found between pages, not in real life. By adulthood, she was a broke writer, living on instant noodles and failed manuscripts, clinging to dreams that never sold.

Then her best friend mailed her a “souvenir” — a tiny glass bottle supposedly holding phoenix tears. She laughed, made a wish, and the next thing she knew… she woke up in another world.

A world where dragons run corporations, fox spirits manage PR, and even gorgons hold seats in the boardroom.

And her? She’s not even the heroine. Just a phoenix side character and worse, a defective one.

As if being cannon fodder wasn’t bad enough, the System whispers her only way home: die. 

Easy to say, but impossible when phoenixes don’t stay dead. Every time she burns out, she rises again, trapped in the same cruel loop.

Then there’s her boss… Lucian Drake, the Ice Dragon CEO with glacial eyes and a reputation as the perfect gentleman. In the original story, Lucian Drake was fated to betray her. His carefully planned affection was only a trap to draw out the real heroine.

The system keeps warning her: 'don’t trust him, don’t fall for him.'

But how can she not when he smiles like that, when his voice softens, when his smallest gestures feel too genuine to be scripted?

So she lets herself believe, just a little… that maybe this story could change.

Maybe this time, she could change her roles.

But stories have rules. And when the truth surfaces, it cuts deep.

She was never the one. Just a substitute. A pawn in his plan to lure the real heroine back.

And yet, when everything falls apart, when the truth burns through their carefully built lies, Lucian is the one left chasing after the phoenix he broke.

If Seraphina wants to escape, she’ll have to survive office politics, respawn cycles, and a love that was never meant to be hers. Because even if the coldest dragon learns to love her too late... it might already be her turn to fly away.

[Transmigration] [Fantasy Romance] [Enemies to Lovers] [Rebirth Loop] [Substitute Female Lead] [Cold CEO Dragon] [Phoenix FL] [Chasing Her Back] [Emotional Betrayal] [Second Male Lead Redemption] [Slow Burn] 

P/s : This story is written primarily in first-person (Seraphina’s POV) with occasional third-person scenes from Lucian’s perspective to show events outside her knowledge. Expect sarcasm, emotional chaos, and dragons with communication issues.

I blinked, my eyes opened and saw Lucian was crouching beside the bed looking at me.


"Good morning draggy…" I still felt sleepy.


I could hear him chuckling from the side.


"Hmm, like the endearment name for you…" I mumbled with my eyes closed.


"That didn't sound endearment at all, I am not draggy…"


I opened my eyes and looked at him, "Draggy is like a cute way to call a dragon… no?" 


"No," He pinched my nose lightly, "Now wake up, we need to head home…"


I pushed myself to sit up and looked at him, "This question has been bugging me since we've met… Did you sleep at all? I mean…" I furrowed, "I don't think I saw you ever sleep…"


"Really?" he echoed, feigning surprise. "You've never once seen me sleeping—"


"Yes! Never," I cut in, glaring at him. "Not even a nap."


Lucian laughed softly and straightened, resting his hand on the edge of the bed. "That's because you always fall asleep first," he said calmly.


Chapter 136 - Too Kind To Hide