Ze Tian Ji - Chapter 36 – Thank You

For the ten years she was the adopted daughter of the Lockwood Family, Isla Prescott had always been well-behaved.The only time she stepped out of line was to have a secret relationship with Silas Lockwood, whom she'd had a crush on for years.Because of their vast difference in status, the relationship came to a messy end.After Isla Prescott and Silas Lockwood broke up, she was pursued by Silas Lockwood's good friend, Shane Sterling.“He doesn't know how to cherish you. Why not consider me instead?”In Isla Prescott's eyes, Shane Sterlingwas mischievous, cunning, and full of nonsense, yet he was an even more unattainable figure than Silas Lockwood.Isla Prescott was sure she had never provoked him, but he cornered her by the bedside when he was drunk,caressing her red lips again and again, pleading with her over and over, “Isla Prescott, won't you give me a kiss?”What she didn't know was that, in places she couldn't see, he had been waiting with deep affection for a very, very long time.

Behind the calm smile lies a heart riddled with scars.Beneath the weight of fate burns an unyielding gaze.A body trapped in the abyss of despair—if it reaches out, can it grasp the light called hope?A soul locked upon the rack of destiny—if it prays sincerely, can it embrace the future called redemption?

(My new book “Sweet Love in the Countryside: His Little Plum of the Mountains” is out now, please add it to your collection)The village leader's son bullied her too much — in order to break off their engagement, he pushed her into a large water tank.She defiantly declared in front of the village leader's son that she would rather marry the ugliest man in the village than marry him!That hunchbacked, ugly man, the so-called “freak,” actually approached her: “Does your declaration still stand?”“Uhm...”And so, while you hunt, I water the vegetables; while you farm, I do the embroidery. Together, we work hard, become prosperous, and live a colorful and thriving life.However, this man who can hunt in the mountains, farm on land, and ride the waves on a boat is not as simple as he seems... he is actually...

...[Inside an underground basement]“You are going to die for nothing, hahahaha,” the old man's voice thundered through the room, sending chills down my spine.Step.With a swift and ruthless motion, he lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air and slashing my throat, crimson droplets staining the darkness.“We'll see,” I whispered defiantly, my final words escaping as a mere breath against the impending darkness.Slowly, inexorably, my consciousness slipped away, and I descended into a deep, unfathomable slumber.“Huh!?” My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself seated in a bustling tavern, the air thick with laughter and the clinking of glasses.In front of me stood a captivating lady, her beauty juxtaposed with an angry furrow upon her brow, threatening to shatter the harmony of the jovial scene.“Don't follow me around!” Her words pierced the air like shards of ice, the intensity of her emotions palpable as she cast a resentful glare in my direction, before swiftly departing from the tavern....Am I trapped within the confines of a game? The fragments of my shattered common sense scattered before me, leaving me to question the very fabric of my reality.