The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era - Chapter 100: The Forceful Kiss

After years of exile, Marcus is coming back home. A powerful mage with few equals, Marcus lives in a world full of monsters and powerful adepts, many of which have bad histories with him. But he has not come back to pursue vengeance or start a fight. All Marcus wants to do is reconnect with old friends, build himself a house, and maybe train a successor or two.Alas, the world didn’t stop just because Marcus went into exile, and not everyone is content to let go of old grievances. Strange things are happening in the world at large, too, hinting at a looming disaster of unknown nature. Still, where there is a will, there is a way.If nothing else, Marcus has a lot of magical power to throw at problems.+++Zenith of Sorcery is set in its own original setting and isn’t related to Mother of Learning… beyond being written by the same person, of course. This is a more classical fantasy story than my previous one, with a lower level of technology and stuff like elves and dwarves, but it has a lot of worldbuilding effort put into it and its own complex magical system. The story has significant xianxia influences, but isn’t meant to be a xianxia story.For those of you not familiar with my previous work, I write relatively slowly. I intend to publish chapters at the rate of one chapter every three or four weeks, subject to further delays as life intervenes.

Tristan never thought his life would lead where he would be signing all his freedom away, makeup masking his true identity, and walking toward a bond he never agreed to. All to protect his family and survive a world that thought little of him.Alpha King Mitch is powerful, feared, and completely uninterested in love. For him, this is just another duty—an arranged union meant to quiet the pack elders. But when their eyes meet, something shifts. Tristan feels it, even if he’s terrified of what it might mean.Tangled in secrets and bound by a lie, Tristan must navigate a fragile dance between duty and desire… all while hiding the one truth that could destroy everything.

Jiang Li, the legitimate daughter of a noble house, has traveled through time, becoming an insignificant character in a domineering CEO romance, who quickly meets her demise.Confronted with the most saintly female lead and the domineering male lead of the novel, Jiang Li instantly decides to stay away from these two 'idiots', focusing instead on making her own family illustrious.What to do with her genuine brother, who plays a lovestruck second male lead and is a complete wastrel?Jiang Li ships him off to a transformational variety show where the prodigal son becomes instantly famous, eventually becoming a movie emperor;What about the illegitimate younger brother who's always acting like a goody two shoes to win favor in the family?Jiang Li leads by example as the top student, turning the faker into a model student, and paves his way from undergraduate to doctoral studies;And what of her autistic cousin who constantly locks himself away in a dark room, weeping?Jiang Li prescribes the right remedy, turning the melancholic poet into the king of songs at the Temple of Heaven, his love ballads bringing millions of young girls to tears;Thus, the once wavering and declining noble Jiang family rises under Jiang Li's management, becoming the most respected and well-mannered leading family in the capital.The first time Jiang Li meets that man, he had just finished chasing a herd of runaway cows, his face redder than the sun with high altitude flush.He extends his hand to her with a grin, introducing himself, “Hello, I am Zhao Daniu.”Jiang Li stares at his muddy hand, still emitting an unidentified smell: “......” A silent rejection, thank you.Upon their next encounter, he has transformed completely, now the distinguished and formidable heir of the Gu family, his presence as refreshing as a breeze in the moonlight, peerlessly noble.He extends his hand again: “Hello, I am Gu Yu, I hear your family is in need of a man to take charge, do you think I'm suitable?”All members of the Jiang family leap out: “No! We don't need one!”

The person that Pei Zhen hates most in his life is the perfect Fu Sichen. Alas, life is full of surprises and unpredictability. One fine day, an accident turns Pei Zhen into Fu Sichen’s pet cat! As Fu Sichen’s pet cat, he makes a shocking discovery about his sworn enemy – a deep dark secret that the perfect Fu Sichen has kept hidden for years. Trapped in his cat body, Pei Zhen moves from one adventure into another while trying hard to find a way of turning back into his human self. When he finally does, the world as he once knew, has become a completely different place!