I often see an MC with a cannon fodder ex who cheated. Then MC finds someone better, and the ex is face-slapped. I want to see a plot in which the betrayal is not cheating. Maybe the ex stole MC's research results. Maybe they tricked them out of money. Maybe they sent MC to someone else's bed. It's fine if there's also cheating, but there should be some other form of betrayal. BG, BL, GL are all okay. No rapist-becomes-lover, abusive lead, or incest. It's fine if the ex is abusive, but the MC's ultimate partner should be a green flag. Some examples: After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage - MC deals with several suitors some of which are scum before getting together with ML Great At Acting, Now I’m Reborn - murder Green Plum Island - bullying and internalized homophobia The Long-awaited Mr Han - murder Rebirth of Weak Daughter of the General’s Family - murders the whole family Rebirth on the Doors to the Civil Affairs Bureau - abandonment Rebirth of a Star General - murder Reborn As The Villain President’s Lover - abuse After Becoming the Heroine, I Just Want to Be a Widow - kidnapping and abuse The Abandoned Child Bride is a Koi - treated as a maid New Marriage (Rebirth) - physical abuse, financial abuse Wonderful Life After Exchanging Fate - controlling behavior Everyone Hates the Substitute Until He’s Reborn - abuse The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage - killed the whole family Second Marriage in the 1970s - let the wife take the fall for "infertility" Married the Scum Gong’s Villain Brother - disrespect, bullying Second Marriage - murder The Substitute Awakens - murder 80s Wife Is Sweet and Sassy - keep the child, let the adult (MC) die I was surprised how much murder was on this list.
All of these are rebirth novels with ex in previous life The Green Lotus Peasant Girl - murder / abuse Hidden Marriage Sweet Pampering: The Conglomerate’s Little Wife - murder Spoiler transplanted her heart From Sidekick to Bigshot - not really ex, but someone MC was in love with and pursued. Had MC kicked out of family Rebirth Era: The Tale of A Resilient Daughter-in-Law with a Hidden Space - abuse / exploitation / ex had vasectomy while accusing MC of being unable to have children. Ongoing
In Chongfei Manual, the stepmother tries to sell the MC to traffickers. There's Mulberry Song, where ML refuses to rescue his wife from his enemy. They're at war for the throne and the wife is a hostage. There's all kinds of betrayal in Fei Ping Ying Chang, but I can't remember them all. In one case, a concubine poisons her own kid to frame her rival.
I just want to clarify: I don't want an ML who betrayed MC. The ML should be good. MC should have a scum ex who betrayed MC before MC fell in love with ML/FL.