A Journey of Black and Red - Chapter 10: No rest for the wicked

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

Has it ever crossed your mind? There are monsters from ancient mythology lurking within brightly lit metropolises.Has it ever crossed your mind? There are gods watching over us on the moon over our heads.Has it ever crossed your mind? There are transcendent humans roaming the streets in bustling cities as gods’ apostles.Within human societies, there hides countless supernatural beings lurking.The ancient gods reside in Forbidden Zones untouched by humans.Archangel Michael, the Underworld King — Hades, the God of the Sea — PoseidonBut, where did the Chinese deities go?In a mortal world, all “divinities” have to be purged.

In the territory of Zhao State, there are Liuxuanmen of the martial arts sect of Jianghu.

Su Yu became a handyman disciple who was just getting started.

Having obtained the sign-in system, he signs in at different places every day, and there will be various rewards.

Sign in at the center of the training ground and get the reward [Jiuyang Zhenjing]!

Sign in on the cliff near the residence of the handyman disciple and get the reward [Millennium Snow Lotus]!

Sign in in front of the sect library and get the reward [Lingbo Weibu]!

…

In this way, it was not until decades later that Su Yu discovered that he seemed to have surpassed the peak of martial arts and reached the level of cultivating immortals before he knew it…

Ninety-eight years later, a martial arts devil who was born out of nowhere made waves in the territory of Zhao, and no one in the martial arts world was his opponent.

Until this day, the martial arts devil killed Liuxuanmen and met Su Yu who was sitting outside the library, basking in the sun on a rocking chair…

- Description from novelbuddy

Transported to a garbage-filled planet in the interstellar era, Ji You was so poor she was nearly digging the soil to eat, but... the soil was toxic and inedible... With no other choice, she had to lower her standards and pick up trash and sell scrap, such as these beautiful grass seeds that no one wanted. She gathered them and threaded them into beads to sell online.But once she posted them online, someone left a negative review: 'Selling grass seeds? Are you crazy for money?'Days later, this person was pounding the wall in regret: 'I beg you, sell me a grass seed bead, just one! Just one is enough.'Ji You coldly responded: 'Not selling!'And then there's the sparkling stones lying all over the streets that nobody wanted. She picked them up, polished them into bracelets, and sold them online.People lashed out with their words: 'Selling such broken rocks - have you never seen money?'Days later, those same people were crying and wailing: 'I was blind, I was so shortsighted, to overlook such beautiful and pretty stones. I beg you, sell me one.'Ji You spread her hands: 'Gone.'