evening standard stories competition

Introducing the new story "Return to '81: The Struggle of the Eldest Sister" – a heartwarming pampering tale, a tale of marital love, a tale of a woman's self-empowerment. That year, Ning Yunxi willingly married. On the day she took her vows, everyone around doubted the union, and her family declared, she shouldn't expect to receive a single penny from home. Her husband was an orphan with a bunch of little radish head siblings? No one believed her soldier husband would one day become a high-ranking official, no one imagined her Second Uncle would become a great scientist, and no one conceived that her young aunt would be a future superstar, let alone that the fourth child would be a natural-born tycoon. But truly, one day, all the futures Ning Yunxi saw came to fruition. Today, she has married a poor soldier and has become the sister-in-law in the military; raising the children of soldiers without fear, convinced she's betting not just on one potential stock, but on a multitude of leading stocks – with her newly acquired special abilities, she becomes a super teacher for the people! ----------------------------------------------------- All along, she had been recognized by the Wen Family as the least promising daughter, unremarkable in appearance and unnoticed, still unable to marry at the ripe age of twenty-nine. He, the son of a military family, born with privileges, deliberately concealed his identity at the matchmaking banquet, posing as an ordinary man. When they married, people sneered, "A pair of worn-out shoes matched with a bankrupt family, just perfect." Then one day, the gold buried in the sand shone with an immense brilliance...

In the eyes of Chi Zuxu, Chi Yi is a typical delinquent with the three big ‘NOs’— no morals, no virtues, no principles. To her, though, he is a classic baddie who is heartless, soulless, and inhuman. After the girl breaks and climbs through his glass window on the second story, she peeps at him with an innocent demeanor. “Chi Zuxu, lend me the other half of your bed!” she wolf-whistles at him blatantly. The man admonishes with a scowl, “Chi Yi, aren’t you shameless!” Inside the cinema, as Chi Yi’s little hands restlessly grope the man’s body without chagrin, she tells him smilingly, “Chi Zuxu, I want to do bad things with you!” Holding a look of woeful disgrace, he knocks her head. “Chi Yi, aren’t you embarrassed!” It is a lovely love story between a barefaced and a reticent. But, Mr Reticient, please don’t cry when Miss Barefaced finally slips away.

Not to fall into the cycle of reincarnation within the vast world, The heart transmits the Dao among humans. Willing to wield a sword to end myriad calamities, Exchange ruthlessness for a world of emotions!

Silas Sotos started as an outsider, dabbling in arts best left unknown. Now, can he harness his god-touched powers and navigate the treacherous currents of faith, law, and cosmic dread to save a city that barely understands the forces threatening to consume it? And what will be the price of his unique salvation? If you crave a dark fantasy that masterfully blends occult beginnings, thrilling detective work, Lovecraftian horror, and a protagonist whose power is as dangerous as it is extraordinary, then prepare to be captivated. The true shadows of Bayne City are calling.

Chapters and Release: Release days: Everyday Release time: 3pm UTC Status: Unedited. (Will edit after main story conclusion. Specifically from the start.) *** Synopsis: A fifteen years-old schoolgirl comes across a woman who was handing out leaflets for a confidential competition. Unknown to her, the competition took her out of Earth and into another dimension where she has to struggle to find clues behind why multiple worlds are having to be destroyed. The competition forces her to meet unknown entities who are both, good and bad. Sometimes, they would work for her and other times, they would work against her. The universe she goes to, causes her endless suffering until she finally solves the issue and head back to Earth. But that too, is of uncertainty. *** (Prologue) The dream of a child, is to grow up. While the dream of an adult, is to become a kid again. The dream of a poor person, is to be so wealthy and powerful, that the whole city would know their names. While the dream of a businessman, is to get the time in a day to sit and talk to his family for a second. Meanwhile, the dream of a missing or abducted person, is to go back home, to their family. And the dream of a teenager, is to simply be able to survive everything they are going through. Sometimes, people don't even know which category they belong to and move the way life moves them. Sometimes, they find a new path which leads them to even more difficulty. And in other times, they accept the hard truth, and choose to die. Thinking about the number of things that could happen instead, made her feel even more guilty for not listening to the advice of never wandering off alone. Now, she is homesick with extreme pressure of trying to grow strong, surpressing her from different direction. A normal fifteen years-old schoolgirl, comes across an opportunity to escape the hateful life she was leading. But the question is, was it really worst compared to the new life she was living? The competition grants her the things she wanted, but did it not have her pay the price for her choice? But of course, her reply would be, "I just accidentally joined it. It's no big deal compared to Earth." They are told that the worlds are all just novels they had read back at Earth, but if it were really true, why are certain things not matching with what seemed to be true in the novel compared to its world? As reckless she was, she got summoned into a different dimension where it was clearly uncertain whether she would ever be able to return back to Earth, to her previous life. But the more she got closer to Earth, the more the route got covered in blades. Turns out, the only way back, is to sacrifice the things that made her happy, and go on harsh adventures across the entire universe, while suffering threats from powerful enemies coming from the competition. (Author's note: I plan on making things more emotionally intense in the future.)

Lee Minho, a bright but impoverished college student, stumbles upon a mysterious system. The system offers him unlimited wealth by drawing, but with a peculiar condition: he must constantly flaunt his newfound riches. Initially hesitant, Minho accepts the offer out of desperation, hoping to secure a better future for himself. As Minho's life transforms into a whirlwind of luxury, he grapples with the moral implications of his newfound wealth. He must navigate the challenges of maintaining his lavish lifestyle while trying to remain grounded and true to himself. Along the way, he encounters both envy and admiration, forming complex relationships with his peers and family. The system's demands push Minho to the brink, forcing him to question the true meaning of happiness and success. As he becomes increasingly entangled in the system's web, Minho must decide whether the pursuit of wealth is worth sacrificing his integrity and the relationships he holds dear. *[It's a BL Story] as per input in the tags (Yaoi) *The picture is not mine. #CTTO

Wen Meng transmigrated into a melodramatic interstellar novel, becoming the malicious supporting character and fake heiress. As a result, she was thrown into a desolate star's lake at the beginning and nearly drowned. Fortunately, she awakened the beast-taming ability, and with the help of the system, she successively tamed various young disaster beasts and lived together with the little ones. One day.. A pitch-black serpent coiled around Wen Meng's body, its head affectionately resting against her cheek. "Get off her!!" The white wolf at his feet suddenly transformed into a handsome man He clenched his fists and roared at the black serpent. "What's it to you?" The black snake spoke, its voice human-like. To assert its dominance, it coiled around her even tighter and flicked its tongue against her ear. "Can't you understand?" The man, burning with jealousy, grabbed the snake by the neck. "If you play like this, it won't be fun anymore." The black snake unexpectedly transformed into the handsome 858. The smoke cleared, and the two men were grappling with each other. The scene was extremely ugly. "How did they... turn into humans?!" Wen Meng couldn't believe her eyes. "So childish, still fighting." The big eagle spread his arms and hugged Wen Meng's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, greedily inhaling the fragrance of her neck. "Only beasts without confidence compete for mates." "Exactly!" The little bear comfortably rested its head on Wen Meng's snow-white thigh, rubbing its furry face vigorously. One of its paws was stretched out, and Wen Meng was trimming its nails. The little bear spoke in a soft, childish voice, "Not like me, I'm a good baby." But at this moment, Wen Meng had already come to her senses. She murmured, "You too can turn into humans, right?" Big Eagle: "..." Little Bear: "..." Later, they all wanted to have her to themselves. Using all their tricks to ruin the reputation of other disaster beasts, Filial piety turns sour, consumed by jealousy. Bai E: "Say you love me, that you love me the most, right?" Wen Meng: ... (I love, universal love) Anaconda: "Why can't we be together? Did you give birth to me?" Wen Meng: ... (You've grown up and become disobedient) Thunderbird: "Open your eyes and look at me. I don't believe your eyes are empty." Wen Meng: "Put your clothes on!!" (nosebleed gushing) Bear King: You think I have no feelings for you? I just go into heat a bit later. Wen Meng: ? (Bear hug, uh, can't breathe) And then later— Wen Meng found the culprit who had plotted against her. "Compete with me? You're not even worthy." That person glanced at Wen Meng with disdain Not a trace of remorse. She had never taken Wen Meng seriously. Wen Meng opened the space card. The most terrifying disaster beast in the galaxy appeared at the same time. The magnetic field and celestial phenomena of the Emperor Star were in complete chaos, as if it were the end of the world. These ancient god-like beasts of calamity bowed to her, Glaring at the enemy with fierce eyes. The woman's face turned pale, filled with terror "Did that scare you?" Wen Meng laughed "I've always wanted to ask you, do you really know, "Actually, you are the impostor?" Finally.. Wen Meng's former fiancé, General of the Empire, roared with reddened eyes, "Tell me! How many more men do I have to defeat to win your heart??" Chief Inspector of the police station, the mad scientist director, the aristocratic business tycoon... all being called out at the same time. And the one, two, three standing behind her... there were too many, Wen Meng couldn't remember them all. This world is a vast battlefield of Asuras.

[ Lynn, Sam and Mahone ] I put my t-shirt down, my hands shaking. I try to ignore them and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My hair color is dark brown and a vague hint of golden. My dad used to say that my eyes are ocean blue. A guy in my history class once said that I had perfect lips. Another guy said that I had a great body. They wanted to date me. And I dated few of them, too. I brush my fingers in my forehead. Then my dark, thick eyelashes. The side of my nose. My lips. I run my hand at my neck, then across my collarbone. Am I beautiful? Honestly, I don't know. Maybe I'm not. "You were wrong, Samlin Greenham." A voice inside my head suddenly whispers. "Calm down, Sammy," another voice whispers. It's the voice I loved. His voice is fading away. My hands start shake again, my breath rapidly quickening. I am losing control. I have to do something. "Goddammit!" I punch the mirror with my fist. It shatters into thousand pieces. My reflection has shattered into thousand pieces, too. The mirror now looks to me like an art. And my bloody knuckles. "I am sorry, Lynn. I can't promise you anymore, because you left me." I bite my lip to stop myself from crying. I won't cry. What's the point of crying? My sixth sense is suddenly alert. Somebody is watching me. I spin around. A guy is standing in front of the door, leaning against it. He wears a tight blue shirt, the sleeves folded. His black hair is ruffled and his hands are folded across his chest. The probable most amazing thing about him is his eyes. They are dark green. They are dangerous, beautiful and incredibly unreadable. And they are watching me.

Male Lead: He Zhiyun（贺知韫） (Illegitimate son of a prominent aristocratic family in capital of a country, 6 years older than the female lead) Female Lead: Song Huaiyue（宋淮月） (Only daughter from yang Cheng, passionate about interior design, forced to study finance) Core Tone: Repressed Unrequited Love → Missed Encounters → Anguished Pulling & Tugging → Perfect Reunion & Eternal Devotion

A stubborn young Duke on the verge of being replaced by his heartless and greedy uncle comes to the realization that he needs to fight if he wants to keep what is his. But after the war he lost his will to fight, to live. He no longer fit in with high society, he was scared inside and out and he didn't know how to fight a battle with reputation instead of swords. On a mission to find an imposter, he runs into his late captain's younger sister. In a strange turn of events, she swears a life debt to him and immediately begins to improve his broken reputation with her wild and bright demeanor. The orphaned daughter of an Earl runs circles around her conniving guardians constantly ruining their attempts to marry her off so they can inherit the Earldom, all while secretly preventing the Poor Earldom she loves from going to ruin. Strong-willed and smart she thinks she's got it all figured out. She just needs to block all potential marriages and keep her land and people afloat for another year and a half and she'll be free. But what happens when she's outsmarted and out-maneuvered by someone unexpected? And is she really as immune to good looks and charm as she thought... or was she way overestimating herself?