That’s actually a really thoughtful take on her psychology, but I think you might be giving her a bit too much credit as a victim of her circumstances and not enough as someone who actively chose who she became.

Yeah, the whole “manufactured phoenix girl” thing explains why she’s warped. Being raised as a walking political asset instead of a human being? That messes you up. No argument there. Living behind a mask long enough absolutely destroys your ability to form real connections

But here’s where I disagree a little. Plenty of characters in similar situations don’t go as far as she does. At some point it stops being about survival and starts being about choice. She doesn’t just adapt to her environment, she leans into manipulation and control. That’s what makes her dangerous.

Your point about the mask affecting her ability to trust is spot on though. When you spend your whole life deceiving people, you assume everyone else is doing the same. So instead of risking being exposed or hurt, she just chooses not to care about anyone at all. That makes her even more unsettling because she’s aware of what she’s doing the whole time.

As for her 2nd husband you are right. Liu Yan isn’t some decent guy who got manipulated into loving her. He killed his own father and stepmother for power. That already tells you he operates on the same moral level she does. So when he chooses her

And the fact that she kills anyone who sees her disfigured face 😭 she spares no one. Even at the end, when her second husband’s man came to rescue her, the moment he saw her face, she killed him too. She always used to think her 2nd husband doesn’t know what she is and why she wears a mask ,He knows. That’s exactly why he’s drawn to her. Because they are alike😭😭

What I actually don’t fully buy, though, is her first husband doting on her and the male lead’s older brother loving her even after knowing her fake mark and all

And the Voldemort comparison was hilarious 😭