How did she endure so much pressure in her everyday life when she was so frail?
The more Si Zhengting observed her, the more anguish he felt. Eventually, he felt so much pain that he became numb – it was so painful that he went into a daze.
He threw those documents onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. His gaze was deep and thoughtful, but there was also a hint of guilt and pain in his eyes. He glanced toward the woman lying on the sickbed, looking at her gaunt face, her tightly closed eyes. He stared at her intently for about 30 minutes – the 30 minutes seemed to be an experience that lasted a lifetime. 
Why was he, such a strong and manly man, such a coward when it came to love?
Si Zhengting clenched his fists. He could not calm himself down for a long while. His emotions were also complicated.
On one hand, he deeply regretted the hardships that had befallen her.
On the other hand, he was jealous of Mother Zhuang, as she had all of Zhuang Nainai's attention…
—
When Si Jingyu arrived at the VIP ward of the hospital, she saw Si Zhengting silently standing on the balcony and smoking.
His usually straight-backed silhouette was unusually slumped over at the moment. His figure seemed sad and mournful as it was enveloped in the fog of smoke.
It was a chilly day in October. The cold air permeated the entire city of Beijing. 
But he was still wearing that thin dress shirt from yesterday, and it seemed like he was unaffected by the cold. 
Si Jingyu's heart clenched violently.
As she opened the glass door of the balcony, the pungent scent of the nicotine rushed over, and she could not help but cough twice. 
Si Zhengting put out his cigarette after he heard the noise. He then turned toward its source.
Si Jingyu was disappointed by Si Zhengting's actions. She scolded, "Don't you know that you're being a fool at the moment? You're not cherishing your body at all! Hurry home and get some rest, I'll help you watch over Zhuang Nainai here."
Si Zhengting's gaze was impassive. His face was pale and lacked vitality. His voice was monotonous. "There's no need for me to return home."
He immediately followed up with a question, "What are you doing here?"
Si Jingyu's heart clenched. She wanted to say something but remembered her motive in coming to the hospital; thus, she lowered her voice and replied, "Mother heard that Nainai has fallen sick from working excessively. So, she found an old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to check up on Nainai. We can help her get better and, conveniently, also get the practitioner to check up on you as well."
Si Zhengting had had a concussion. Although there seemed to be nothing wrong with him according to the scans that they had done, he had to go for a check up later on. As Ding Mengya was worried about her son, she allowed Si Jingyu to find a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to do a check-up on her son.
However, if they had told Si Zhengting that they had hired the practitioner to check on his concussion, he would definitely be unhappy about it. Thus, Si Jingyu used a roundabout method to inform him about the practitioner. 
As expected, Si Zhengting did not reject the notion. He opened all the windows and allowed the smoke to disperse, then opened the glass door and walked into the ward, which was slightly warmer than the outside air.
Upon seeing Si Zhengting's dedicated actions, Si Jingyu was shocked.
She knew that he had liked Zhuang Nainai a lot in the past, but she had never realized that he had liked her to this extent, such that he was careful about all these minute details.
In the sick ward, the old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner walked toward Si Zhengting and said, "Extend your elbow."
Si Zhengting pointed at the person on the sick bed. "Attend to her."
The practitioner was shocked, his expression confused. Wasn't he here to attend to Mr. Si? Why was he being asked to attend to someone else?
But after seeing Mr. Si's expression, the practitioner knew that he should not ask any more questions. He walked toward the bed and took Zhuang Nainai's pulse. 
The practitioner's facial expressions underwent a series of changes. He finally withdrew his hand.
Si Zhengting pulled a blanket over Zhuang Nainai, then turned to the practitioner. "So what's the result?"
The practitioner was very professional. "Mrs. Si has indeed been overworked. Do not worry, her constitution is very strong, she merely needs some time to recuperate. She also does not require any medication. Traditional Chinese medicinal meals will do the trick, but…"


He's the heir of the Imperial Group, ruthless and calculating. Yet, he dotes on his wife so much. 

"Hubby, I'm thinking of getting a pet. What do you think is good?"

"You are the pet."

"…"

"Hubby, is a rose or peony prettier?"

"You are the prettiest."

"…"

Zhuang Nainai: …Can you say something constructive?

One day, someone asks him, "Why are you always the one bowing your head first when you quarrel with her?"

Si Zhengting: "Because I'm 185 cm, and she's 165 cm. When am I not the first to bow my head?"

In short, this is a black-bellied CEO who dotes on his wife in every way you could think of and tries his best to build a family after marriage by baking a little bun baby.
 


Mae-Hyang seemed to know a lot about the driver's license exam system in China.
"How can I take a driver's license exam here? I don't know the Chinese language."
"You can bring an interpreter with you when you take the exam. I've done it before when I worked in my previous company."
"Really?"
"But renting a car is pricey."
"How much is it?"
"The price varies depending on the types of car you rent, but you can say it would be over 3,000 Yuan."
"Hmm… If I add the rental car payment to the apartment rent, that would be too much for me to pay every month."
"Why don't you commute by bus for now and think about renting a car later once you see how the restaurant business goes. President Byeon commuted by bike and he didn't drive a car. But, the Hobanhwawon apartment is too far and expensive. Do you really want to live there?"
"I'm not sure, but I want to receive Marwin's energy from there since he used to live in that apartment."
"Haha. Suit yourself then."
 
It was after 9 PM—time to close the restaurant.
The kitchen ladies were changing their clothes to get ready for home, and the two lady hall staffs started cleaning the hall. Mae-Hyang was arranging trash.
Dingming gave Gun-Ho a sales report. Today's sales were 3,100 Yun including credit card payments. Dingming said she would keep today's earnings and use it when she purchase fresh produce tomorrow, and she would give the earnings to Gun-Ho from tomorrow. She then added, "That's how I have done it with President Byeon as well."
Gun-Ho thought that made sense, so he said okay. He, then, went downstairs to his room.
Gun-Ho turned on the TV in his room. Since he didn't understand Chinese, the TV sound was a noise to him.
"It is good that I can have Korean food every day since my restaurant is a Korean restaurant. However, it's very inconvenient handling things without knowing the language."
Gun-Ho opened the Chinese conversation learning book that he brought from Korea.
"Ni Hao (Hello)."
"Cheu Pan Lo Ma? (Did you eat?)"
"Cheu Pan Lo Ma sounds like 'Shi Pal No Ma' (you, f*cker) in Korean."
He couldn't concentrate on studying. All he could think of was 3,100 Yuan that he made today.
"The earnings today was 3,100 Yuan. Assuming that I maintain the same level of sales as today, I can make 93,000 Yuan per month. The ingredients cost 30% of the sales which is almost 30,000 Yuan. The labor cost for eight staffs is 15,000 Yuan and maintenance fee is 5,000. If I subtract all these expenses, the profit will be 43,000 Yuan. I have to put aside 25,000 Yuan for the next period of rent, then the amount that falls into my hand is 18,000 Yuan. How much is this in Korean won? It's 2,160,000 won."
 
Gun-Ho calculated it with an electronic calculator several times.
"Wait a minute. I don't open the restaurant for a full 30 days per month; I have to close it for a few days. If say the restaurant will be open for 25 days each month, the earnings will be less than my earlier calculation. I have to consider the retirement payment for staffs and taxes as well. Then I could take only about 10,000 Yuan per month. It's 1,200,000 won."
He realized that if he had a family to support in Korea, he wouldn't be able to send money to Korea with 1,200,000 won income.
"It wouldn't even be enough for one person's living expense. Whew. If I was married, my wife would have left me already. Running my own business is hard everywhere, in Korea and in China. The restaurant looks good since it is situated in the hotel building, but actually, it is not good."
Gun-Ho kept thinking while rolling around on the bed.
"There is no chance of winning with this restaurant. I guess this is how people failed after having a business in China. If I can't save for the rent for the next period, I won't be able to keep the restaurant. I will have to pack my stuff and leave with nothing in my hand."
Gun-Ho clenched his teeth.
"Let's bet on real estate. I still have over 400 million won even after having invested in this Korean restaurant!"
Gun-Ho decided to visit the realtor's office again tomorrow and take a look at the apartment which Marwin had used to live.
"The land of this area is flat which makes it easy to ride a bike, unlike Korea. Let's just use a bike for commuting until I obtain a driver's license."
Gun-Ho calculated again.
"With a monthly income of 10,000 Yuan, I can pay 2,500 for the Hobanhwawon apartment rent. That would leave me 7,500 Yuan. I don't think I can save any money, but I can survive. I can have meals in my restaurant. What if I rent a car after I get my driver's license? Then I won't be able to cover my living expenses. Hmm. My head hurts. Let's decide later whether I want to rent a car or not."
Gun-Ho studied Chinese language a bit before he fell asleep.
 
Gun-Ho changed his usual morning greeting to "Ni Hao." When he came to work in the morning he always said: "Ni Hao" to each staff at the restaurant. He stuck his head into the kitchen door to say "Ni Hao" to the kitchen ladies. The ladies laughed and responded, "G-jjong, Ni Hao."
Mr. Byeon came to the restaurant with his luggage; he was going back to Korea.
"I am leaving today. It's good to see you, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, get used to the restaurant business in China. If you have any questions, just call me to Korea. I wish you prosperity in your business."
"Where do I get an Alien Resident Certificate?"
"You need to go to Public Security Office to apply for it. You will have a physical exam. They will check if you have any serious disease, especially a communicable disease."
"Then I will receive something like an ID card?"
"When I applied for it, I did receive an ID card, but these days I was told that they just put a sticker on your passport."
"What sticker?"
"It should be a sticker showing you have permission to stay in China for a certain period of time."
Gun-Ho was going to ask if he could acquire a real estate if he brought his passport with the sticker to a realtor's office, and then he decided not to.
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Byeon. I hope you every success with your business in Korea. I will visit your restaurant when I go to Korea. Please say hello to your nephew in Noryangjin."
Mr. Byeon looked around the restaurant before he headed out. He seemed to have mixed feelings. From the back, he looked lonely.
"He probably hadn't been able to support his family in Korea by sending any money."
Gun-Ho also felt mixed feelings.
 
Gun-Ho went to the realtor's office again with Mae-Hyang.
"Is there any apartment in this community smaller than 120㎡? I think it's a bit too big for me."
"There isn't. The smallest one is 120㎡. The one which Marwin used to live was 150㎡. Well, of course, he used the apartment for multipurpose: a residence and an office."
President Marwin had given a presentation to investors in this apartment. He gave an impassioned speech to attract investors in order to receive 500,000 Yuan (about 60,000,000 won at that time) and establish an e-commerce company. The picture of him giving the presentation can still be found on the Internet.
President Marwin was a great entrepreneur and he didn't cling to the government job exam. The government job exam was extremely competitive in China, just like in Korea due to high population.
"I will take the 120㎡ apartment."
Mae-Hyang who was sitting next to Gun-Ho was stunned.
"What? The 120㎡ apartment is so big that you can even play soccer. I was told that you are not married. Do you have a family and you didn't tell us?"
"No, I think I will have a guest from Korea from time to time. Haha."
"The unit 305 is 120㎡. Would you like to take a look?"
The realtor talked, Mae-Hyang interpreted, and Gun-Ho nodded.
Once Gun-Ho agreed to see the apartment, the realtor made a call to someone.
"The old lady is at home now. We can go see the apartment."

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

Being located in Avenue Bright, the Golden Roc Bank was the grandest architecture in the whole avenue. At the entrance of the bank were twelve stone pillars, each a diameter of one meter. In the middle of the building, between two stone pillars, was a huge relief of a four-winged golden roc which was over ten meters in length. This huge bird with four wings was the symbol of Golden Roc Bank and the ruler of the heavens, the land and the sea, the one who ate dragons in Chinese myths and legends.

Entering the hall, Zhang Tie felt like coming into a palace. The black marble floor was akin to a mirror. No service desks were set in the hall like in other banks, instead, there were two rows of service rooms for customers to enter. Each service room could only service one customer a time, thus guaranteeing absolute privacy. 

Customers who were waiting in line just stayed in the sofa area outside the service rooms for a rest. Only once the current people inside the small rooms left could the bank clerks open the doors and invited the next customers in. 

Although the ruler of Blackhot City had changed, the business of the Golden Roc Bank was not influenced at all; on the contrary, it became even hotter than before. No matter who ruled the city, Andaman Alliance or the Norman Empire, the Golden Roc Bank would not be influenced at all.

Chinese people could enjoy some privileged services in Golden Roc Bank such as not having to queue up!

Under jealous gazes of many pot-bellied gentlemen in tidy clothes, Zhang Tie with an average face mask came to the door of a service room. This room was exclusive for Chinese people in the Golden Roc Bank. Differently from other service rooms, the door of this one was not dark red, but golden yellow which Chinese people favored.

The bank clerk standing at the entrance of this service room was a 20-odd Chinese youth. At the sight of Zhang Tie coming here, he made a hand gesture in greeting before walking inside together with Zhang Tie. He then closed the door of the service room. 

The inside was not large, less than 20 square meters, but it was well arranged. Each part of furniture inside was delicate. There was only one desk, two chairs, and a group of sofas. Behind the desk was a trading window which was similar to other bank counters. 

After motioning for Zhang Tie to sit down on a chair near the desk, the young clerk spoke in Mandarin Chinese.

"Pleasure to serve you, what can I do for you, sir?"

Zhang Tie pulled out the 5000 gold coins' crystal note from his pocket and gave it to him. 

"I want to withdraw cash!"

The 20-odd bank clerk took the gold note. Not amazed by the amount, he carefully checked the anti-counterfeit label, the hidden grains and a series of special identification code on it, then finally nodded. 

"All of them?‘

"All of them!"

"Well, wait for a moment then please!" 

Taking the gold note, the young men turned back and came to a trading window behind the desk and slightly pressed the bell button on the window. After a 'ding' sound, the window opened. The clerk then passed Zhang Tie's note inside. 

"The customer wants to withdraw all the cash!‘

In the short seconds until he came back, Zhang Tie felt bored and took up a service card which introduced the scope of business of the Golden Roc Bank. Besides usual businesses like bank storage and credit loan, the Golden Roc Bank's business included all kinds of other things such as financial investment, asset entrustment management, auctioning and pawning, creditors' right handling, business group financing, armored transportation, stock raising, pioneering, special personnel employment, information inquiry and release... 

All this made Zhang Tie, who had come to the Golden Roc Bank for the first time, widely open his eyes. This was not a bank at all; this was obviously a monster combined of many super business groups!

Seeing Zhang Tie's amazement, that young bank clerk walked towards him. "Are you interested in our other services, sir?"

"You can provide all the services on the card?" 

Out of suspicion, Zhang Tie pointed at the content on card.

"Yes! We can provide all the services on it. Our bank has numerous powerful cooperative business groups and partners which passed rigid authentications. We can satisfy all your requirements!"

"Does Golden Roc Bank provide pioneering service?"

"The most powerful business group Home of the Wild in Blackhot City is our partner. They have a business representative here in our bank. If you need, I can call him here to negotiate with you!" 

Zhang Tie had not imagined that he could find a business group that provided pioneering services in Golden Roc Bank which really saved him a lot of time. Previously, he had planned to find a business group which provided pioneering services and purchase the materials needed for building houses there. Now, it would be much easier to deal with this.

"Fine! Thanks, I'm seeking for a business group that could provide pioneering services!"

"Wait for a moment then please!"

The 20-odd bank clerk left through another door in the room. Only one minute later, a 40-odd bald man came in with a pile of papers in his hands. Sitting down in front of Zhang Tie, he showed his exceptional respect, seemingly in-the-know of Zhang Tie's paying ability from the Golden Roc Bank. 

"Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Longe, the business representative of the business group Home of the Wild in Blackhot City, I heard you are very interested in what we can offer you."

"Yes, my friends and me have chosen a place in the wild and are planning to reclaim wasteland and settle down there. I heard you could help pioneers quickly build houses in the wild. Therefore, I want to have a consultation on that!" 

Hearing this, Longe became more lively. "You've found the right man, sir, this is our business group's advantage. If you want to settle and reclaim wasteland from the wild, you have to have a safe and comfortable base. Our business group can customize any house according to your requirements in the shortest time. Can you tell me your requirements?’

As it was very difficult to temporarily find raw materials in the wild to build a house, many pioneers who prepared to settle down wanted to customize their house in advance before bringign the components to where they had chosen to build their base. There were many business groups and commercial organizations in Blackhot City which could provide this service. Home of the Wild was the best among them as their services almost covered all the problems that pioneers would face when they tried to reclaim wasteland and settled down in the wild.

"Hmm, I need a house that could accommodate 20-odd people and a super huge food warehouse. The construction of the house should not be too sophisticated. It'd be better if it could be assembled by only one tough man..."

"Do you need the house to have great defense against wild beasts? If you need, we can provide special house building materials and externally-mounted movable residence' armor." 

While they were discussing it, Longe started to record everything they talked about with a pen.

"No need, there are few wild beasts over there. Even if there are, they're just our meals. The only concern is that there are few natural resources there that we could use to quickly build a house!"

"If so, we suggest you choose the No. 3 Wild House!" 

Saying this, Longe pulled out a paper and gave it to Zhang Tie. Picking it, Zhang Tie saw two refreshing log cabins with triangular roofs: one was one story high, the other two. Below them were several photos of the structures and perspective drawings of the two log cabins.

"Can this No. 3 log cabin satisfy all of our demands?‘

"Of course not. This is just a sample which tells you the general look and structure of this wild log cabin. No. 3 log cabin has two types: one and two stories high. For each of them, we could provide six sizes for you to choose from. The house sizes would variate from 30 square meters to 380 square meters. You can choose your specifications..."

"Can one person finish building this log cabin?"

"It won't be more difficult than stacking blocks for you to build this log cabin!" Longe revealed a smile. "This log cabin was especially designed for pioneers who settle in the wild. It consists of modules, and all the building materials are standard steel and wood. We will classify all the items. If you build it according to the instructions, you will easily be able to manage it."

"How much will it cost?" 

Zhang Tie's heart was hooked.

"Based on floor area, it would cost you 23 silver coins per square meter for the single-story log cabin. The fee rises to 34 silver coins per square meter for the two-story log cabin. As the two-story log cabin features a higher efficiency on using space and materials, it would be more cost-efficient.  

"As you understand, this is just the price for the building materials themselves. If you need, we can also help you build it, or at least pull the materials to the place outside the Blackhot City, but for that we'll ask for extra labor and transportation fees. 

"The longest transportation distance that we can provide right now is within the region of Blackhot City that has been explored on the map. You need to pay 1% of the building price of the log cabin for each 5 km."

"I can deal with the transportation. I've rented out a warehouse in Blackhot City. You only need to transport the items there!"

"If we just need to deliver the items within Blackhot City, you don't need to pay extra for transportation fees at all!"

Zhang Tie was already imagining the remodeling of the Castle of Black Iron, yet at the same time, he was calculating the price of these lob cabins in his mind. Two-story log cabin looked much more cost-efficient with a higher space utilization rate. However, the single-story log cabin seemed to be easier to build. 

After considering it for several seconds, Zhang Tie formed an image in his mind: in the Castle of Black Iron, north of the small tree that stood in the center, was a two-story log cabin that covered more than 200 square meters and was mainly used for living; in the west were two single-story log cabins which served as food warehouses; and to the east of the small tree was a slightly smaller two-story log cabin which performed as his lab.

The four log cabins surrounded the small tree and the spring, making it a small wild manor.

After the Catastrophe, every rule in the world was rewritten.
In the Age of Black Iron, steel, iron, steam engines and fighting force became the crux in which human beings depended on to survive.
A commoner boy by the name Zhang Tie was selected by the gods of fortune and was gifted a small tree which could constantly produce various marvelous fruits. At the same time, Zhang Tie was thrown into the flames of war, a three-hundred-year war between humans and demons on the vacant continent. Using crystals to tap into the potentials of the human body, one must cultivate to become stronger.
The thrilling legends of mysterious clans, secrets of Oriental fantasies, numerous treasures and legacies in the underground world — All in the Castle of Black Iron!
Written by Drunk Tiger, this novel is a prime example of fantasy steampunk. Let us journey through the world of limitless possibilities and inventions together!
------
**Warning: This novel contains mature content**


Wu Ji and his team went to Japan for an Asian MMA training camp. In addition to the training, there's a few friendship games and regular competitions, too.
The fighting conditions in Japan were considered very good in Asia, featuring both an excellent social foundation and atmosphere, as well as plenty of competition experience. Kyoto, especially, is the best site for large fight competitions in Asia outside of Macau.
When Wu Tong realized Wu Ji was going to Japan — and after finding out about events at the Singapore airport — she instantly called Meng Fan. It sounded like Meng Fan was staying a few days in Japan, so she instantly thought of having Meng Fan find Wu Ji.
She was still worried for Meng Fan!
While she was proud of Meng Fan, she was still concerned. She was afraid there was an organization behind the hijacking; if they found out Meng Fan's identity, they'd do him harm. Yet Meng Fan was so relaxed he still wanted to be out in Japan, which wouldn't be as safe as China. 
She heard previously that Meng Fan was going to Japan after Singapore — something to do with manga — now that Meng Fan told her the same thing, she didn't want to force him to come back to China. However, she still ordered Meng Fan to stay at the hotel and not go anywhere before Wu Ji's arrival.
After some more conversation, Wu Tong could hear Meng Fan was checking into the hotel, so she hung up.
The lobby for the Aman Kyoto Hotel was on the 33rd floor. The tallest part of the lobby was almost 30 meters high, crossing six levels, and proved to be a stunning sight when you looked up.
The interior of the hotel lobby featured a distinctive style similar to Japanese lanterns, presenting a different effect with the light and shadows, depending on the time of day. It was very unique.
The huge lobby offered check-in services as well as meals and drinks. One could enjoy an afternoon tea, all meals, plus drinks and coffee and more. In the afternoons and evenings, female artists in kimonos would play piano and provide art performances.
To Meng Fan, the most striking thing about the lobby, other than the grandiose size, was its symmetry.
When he was checking in, the employee offered him a welcome drink and hot towel. Then, he was led upstairs.
His second eldest sister, Meng Cailian, reserved a luxury suite of almost 80 sqm for him. Divided into a bedroom, lounge, office, and bathroom, the room was large and comfortable.
Since Meng Fan was Chinese, the employee taking him upstairs was bilingual in Chinese and Japanese. After she explained the facilities of the room and other services, she left after delivering a welcome letter, snacks, and a room entry card.
The entry card was built into a belt buckle and could be worn on his waist when he went out to prevent losses and make it easy to carry. Of course, this belt buckle was a custom design and made an ordinary belt look quite upscale.
What if you didn't have a belt?
Then you could put the entry card wherever you liked.
After Meng Fan closed the door, the first thing he did was take a shower. It had been more than 24 hours since he last bathed, not to mention the six-hour-plus flight he just had.
"Ahh, this is nice."
Meng Fan walked into the bathroom and turned to the right, which had a toilet next to the double counter. There's plenty of room in the bathroom; other than a shower and a jacuzzi, there's also a sauna.
All of the toiletry products in the bathroom were the Aman Kyoto Hotel brand, with great quality and a full selection.
After a shower, Meng Fan started soaking in the jacuzzi.
Then, he sweated for ten minutes in the sauna. So relaxing!
If Meng Fan wanted, a phone call would bring a massage therapist, male or female. Female therapists would undoubtedly be pretty; however, they were medical therapists, and there's nothing funny with their services.
After a relaxing time in the bathroom, Meng Fan ordered a meal and went toward the TV console in front of the bed.
The TV was hidden inside the console and could be moved up or down.
Behind the TV console was a minibar. After he opened it, he saw all kinds of beverage containers for tea, wine, coffee, and others. There was a fridge full of soft drinks, water, milk, and juice, all of which were free and were refilled daily. If one drank them all and wanted more, it could be refilled for free as well. In fact, if you didn't want the drinks in the minibar, handmade coffee could be delivered to you.
The environment was amazing; the service was comprehensive. After all, this hotel charged more than 100,000 Japanese Yen per day.
This time of year wasn't the peak tourism season, so the hotel charged 120,000 to 130,000 Yen for this kind of room. If it was the peak season, a smaller room would run to more than 10,000 Chinese yuan.
When it came to peak and off-peak tourism seasons in Japan, there was an interesting theory. For all southeast Asian countries including Japan, the peak and off-peak seasons depended largely on whether the Chinese people had holidays.
In a little while, Meng Fan's meal was delivered. It was a two-people dinner as requested. The food looked beautiful, the kind some girls would take photos of before reluctantly eating. The taste wasn't bad.
Meng Fan wasn't in the habit of checking food for poison. He inhaled the food quickly, then he started pacing in the hotel suite.
Even if Wu Tong didn't give the order, Meng Fan didn't plan to go out. He didn't even want to go to a CV meet and greet in the afternoon.
Why?
He was staying in to draw manga!
By now, he had +12 points in comic book Settings and Scriptwriting attributes. The story in his mind had been plotted over and over. He also had an outline and many sources of pictures, so he wanted to focus and draw today. He planned to have an opening chapter before visiting Shueisha Comics and Kodansha Comics — he wanted to submit his manuscript! 
There were also 10 points in attributes he didn't assign yet.
Meng Fan started thinking of how to assign them.
The 10 points weren't too many, but they weren't too few either.
Wait!
Meng Fan remembered something else. He hadn't completed [100 Champion Honor Points] yet. If he got this title, he'd receive +3 points in Drawing skill, Settings, and Scriptwriting as rewards in attributes.
Currently, in his bank card, in addition to the 500,000 yuan from Bai Zhi, he also got paid for the royalties from 8th Station streaming platform last month. In addition, there were the 100,000 dollars in reward from the airport and Japanese airline, which was given to Meng Fan after a conversion to Chinese yuan, so he definitely had more than a million yuan now.
He made money so he could spend it.
Meng Fan was perfectly happy using the one million yuan to get nine properties. Strictly speaking, it was 500,000 yuan; after all, half of what he rewarded him belonged to himself.
He logged onto his account on Penguin Animation and Comics Online, and in a flash, he added 100 million Penguin Bucks into his account!
He was going to use them all on "There's a Spirit Underground" but thought it was too selfish.
He clicked on "Create New Work" in the publishing platform. After careful consideration, he entered the name of his original comic, "Legend of the Mountains and Seas," and uploaded a book cover he drew earlier. Now the book was ready for review.
Meng Fan called his editor, Yixin, asking him to help review and approve the book.


To reward Meng Fan for his bravery before his heroic death, the cosmos rewarded him with a 'system', sending him back in time to three months ago, alive.

Li Yundong's view of the couple was soon blocked as the students in the library had abandoned their seats and were now forming a crowd around the couple. There were a lot of students at the library since the semester had just begun—when most students still bothered with self-studying.
Students, especially the seniors, preferred to use the library facilities for self-study because the library was relatively quiet. And, it certainly helped that the library was air-conditioned.
Before long, the whispers grew insistent. The students were freaking out. 
"Oh my God! What's happening to him?"
"Call an ambulance!" someone yelled.
Li Yundong grabbed his backpack from the floor and stood up from the reading chair he'd been sitting in, then quickly moved towards the crowd.
When Li Yundong got there seconds later, Shenkui guy appeared to be having a seizure on the floor. The woman who slapped him earlier was kneeling beside him, sobbing and begging him to wake up. White foams emerged from between Shenkui guy's lips as violent spasms shook his body.
Whatever was happening to the guy, it didn't look good at all.
Li Yundong slung his backpack onto his back, then tapped the shoulder of the guy in front.
"Run down to the university's health center," Li Yundong said to the guy. "Ask them to send a medic here or something."
That would probably be quicker than waiting for an ambulance.
The guy nodded and hurried away from the crowd.
"Excuse me, please," Li Yundong said as he shouldered his way through the crowd. "Coming through."
Li Yundong was beside Shenkui Guy in no time. Once there, he crouched down to examine the guy.
"H- Hey! What are you doing?!" Shenkui Guy's girlfriend cried out when she saw Li Yundong touching Shenkui Guy.
"Relax..." Li Yundong said in a reassuring tone. "I'm just trying to help."
The girl's face crumpled as she started crying again.
Before Li Yundong could do or say anything else, a man's voice rang out. 
"Hey! Don't crowd his space, you guys! Give him room to breathe!"
The voice didn't come from the crowd, but from somewhere behind the crowd.
"Let me through! Let me through!" yelled the voice. "Tsk! Why are you guys still standing around? I told you to give him room! You're going to suffocate him!"
When the crowd parted, Li Yundong saw Yan Hua making his way towards him.
Yan Hua stopped short the moment he saw Li Yundong. And for a split second that their eyes met, Li Yundong could see the surprise in Yan Hua's eyes.
Li Yundong looked away and started giving Shenkui Guy a pulse reading.
From the corner of his eyes, Li Yundong saw Yan Hua crouching down beside him. 
"You know Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
Li Yundong ignored Yan Hua's question and focused on Shenkui Guy's pulse instead.
Hmm... Li Yundong frowned. Pulse is weak, but rapid...
Li Yundong stared at Shenkui Guy for a moment. Fortunately, the convulsions had stopped, though the guy was still unconscious. Shenkui Guy's girlfriend had already wiped away the foam on the guy's mouth with her handkerchief.
Based on Shenkui Guy's pulse alone, Li Yundong would go with Su Chan's diagnosis of Renal Yin Deficiency, though he wasn't confident enough to see it as a final diagnosis. After all, he wasn't nearly as good as Su Chan when it came to Traditional Chinese Medicine, so it was probably best if he looked for more symptoms just to be sure.
I should check his tongue...
Li Yundong reached out and pulled Shenkui Guy's jaw downwards.
Tongue is red and covered with a light coating of fur...
Another symptom of Renal Yin Deficiency.
"So what's the diagnosis?" Yan Hua asked again. His tone sounded challenging.
Li Yundong ignored Yan Hua once again and pressed his palm on top of Shenkui Guy's head, right over his Baihui. Then, he performed the Qi-control technique that he had learned in order to pass the 7th dan of the Lianqi phase—Neiguan.
Closing his eyes, Li Yundong mobilized a tiny portion of his Qi into Shenkui Guy's body and then used it to observe the state of Shenkui Guy's internal organs.
Blobs of colors appeared inside his mind. The colors seemed faint and unhealthy. In particular, the black blob looked so dim that it was barely noticeable.
Black Qi...
Li Yundong knew from the Five-Organ Pathological Model that Kidney's Qi was black in color.
It was confirmed. This guy's Renal Yin Deficiency had gotten even worse since Su Chan gave him the diagnosis last semester.
Li Yundong removed his hand from the top of Shenkui Guy's head and opened his eyes.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Yan Hua taunted, making no attempts at all to hide the contempt in his eyes. "I doubt you can even come up with a relevant diagnosis."
"Aren't you supposed to be doing your military drills, freshman?" Li Yundong asked casually.
"I'm on the Special Admissions Program!" Yan Hua snapped. "I'm exempted from the drills." There was a pause. "Before you start getting any strange ideas… I'm not… I'm not skipping it because I'm some... some bookworm! I'm skipping it because there are better ways to make use of my time here."
Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say…
Li Yundong arranged Shenkui Guy into a meditative posture, then glanced at the woman beside him.
"Yo, girlfriend! Keep him in this position please."
"The guy clearly has Renal Yin Deficiency," Yan Hua snapped, clearly annoyed at being ignored. "All I need is a needle, and I can have him up and awake in no time."
Li Yundong froze, then turned to stare at Yan Hua.
Hmm... Acupuncture does work in this case. Plus, it would draw less attention.
Li Yundong smiled and gestured at Shenkui Guy's unconscious form, which was now upright—Miss Girlfriend was holding him up nicely.
"I agree," Li Yundong said with a nod.
A satisfied smirk formed on Yan Hua's face, though he didn't appear to be making any moves to take over Shenkui Guy's first aid.
"Well?" Li Yundong raised his brows, then gestured at Shenkui Guy again. "What are you waiting for? Go ahead. Do your acupuncture thing."
Yan Hua's smirk faltered. "I didn't have my needles with me…" His eyes widened slightly as though he'd just thought of something. A split second later, he turned towards the crowd. "Does anyone has a hairpin that I can use?"
Whispers washed over the crowd.
"Girls? Hairpin?" Yan Hua tried again. "Anyone?"
Nobody offered a hairpin.
Li Yundong turned towards Miss Girlfriend. "Keep him still, okay?"
The girlfriend nodded weakly.
Li Yundong rose to his feet and then moved to stand behind Shenkui guy. A few students stepped aside to give him room. The girlfriend shifted her position until she was kneeling on Shenkui Guy's left side, all the while keeping her hands on his back and shoulder to hold him upright.
"What kind of game are you playing here?" Yan Hua said angrily. "Stop messing around if you don't know what you're doing!"
Li Yundong ignored Yan Hua and performed the Three-Pronged Flower Gathering technique just like Su Chan had taught him. With his fingers, he applied firm pressure onto four acupoints on Shenkui Guy's head, and then waited.  
Seconds later, there was a soft moan, followed by a gasp. Shenkui Guy stirred and started groping around with his hands like he was panicking. When Shenkui Guy's hands found his girlfriend's, he visibly relaxed. 
"Whoa! Look! He's awake! He's awake!"
"Holy shit! That's amazing!"
"Man… He really is the Hero of Tiannan University…"
"This is gonna end up on the forums again for sure."
As soon as Li Yundong removed his fingers from Shenkui Guy's head, Miss Girlfriend burst into tears and threw herself into Shenkui Guy's arms.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, babe! I'm so, so sorry! God, you nearly frightened me to death!"
Shenkui Guy stroked the woman's hair and said, "I'm the one at fault here. I… I shouldn't have tried to break up with you..."
Well, would you look at that? They made up. Li Yundong chuckled in amusement. 
"Alright then. I'm glad that everything worked out despite your little lovers' quarrel back there," Li Yundong said, patting Shenkui Guy's shoulder. "One word of advice though." Li Yundong smirked. "Next time either of you wants to kick up a storm? Make sure you do it at a place other than a library, okay?" Li Yundong lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Coz… you know, this isn't exactly a filming location for a soap opera."
The crowd burst into laughter.
"O- Oh..." Shenkui Guy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Y- You're right, of course..."
Li Yundong smiled and patted the guy's shoulders two more times before stepping aside to give the couple more privacy.
A second later, Li Yundong heard Yan Hua's derisive snort. When he turned, he realized that Yan Hua's eyes weren't on him but on Shenkui Guy instead.
"And my advice to you, pal, is to keep your bedroom activities to a minimum." Another derisive snort. "At this rate, you're gonna die young."
The crowd burst into laughter once again. Li Yundong was honestly having a bit of a trouble to see what was funny.
Shenkui Guy was blushing so deeply that he didn't even look like a guy suffering from poor health. Meanwhile, poor Miss Girlfriend was practically bleeding from the pores of her cheeks.
Li Yundong glanced at Yan Hua and shook his head slightly. F*cking asshole...
Li Yundong looked towards Shenkui Guy and gave him reassuring smile. "Don't worry, man. You won't die young."
Shenkui Guy was staring at him hopefully. "I- I won't?"
"No, you won't," Li Yundong said, then shot a glare at Yan Hua. "That's just an over-exaggeration."
Shenkui Guy grinned at his girlfriend. "You heard that, babe? Hah! I won't die young!"
"However..." Li Yundong gave Shenkui Guy a stern look, then waited until he had Shenkui Guy's full attention before he continued speaking. "You do have severe Renal Yin Deficiency. Your Kidney's Qi is too weak and you have insufficient Yuanyang." Li Yundong paused to let his words sink in. "Although I won't go as far to say that you'll die young, what I can say for certain is that you'll start experiencing symptoms of impotence at a young age."
"I- Impotence?!" Shenkui Guy stammered, clearly aghast at Li Yundong's words. As if on cue, his girlfriend started sobbing again.
Li Yundong nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so, pal. You'll run into all kinds of problems soon. Early aging. Reduced libido. Erectile dysfun—"
Shenkui Guy raised his palm. "Okay! Okay! I... I get the idea..."
The crowd burst into laughter again.
Li Yundong adjusted the straps of his backpack and backed away from the couple. "You take good care of yourself, man."
Li Yundong turned around to leave.
"Hey! Boss! Wait!"
The next thing Li Yundong knew, Shenkui Guy was on his feet and pulling him away from the crowd.
"You can't just up and leave after dropping a bomb like that! Geez!" Shenkui Guy hissed.
Li Yundong raised his brows. Dropping a bomb? Uh… Hello? You were given the same diagnosis months ago.
Shenkui Guy groaned into his palms. "Ugh. How am I supposed to show my face around here again...?"
"What do you want me to do, man?" Li Yundong sighed. "My girlfriend gave you the same diagnosis last semester, remember? She warned you to ease up on your sex life. But you didn't listen."
Shenkui Guy groaned into his palms once again.
Li Yundong decided to take pity on the guy.
"Look, do you understand what happened earlier?" Li Yundong asked. "Do you know why you passed out and went into a seizure the moment you became emotionally distressed?"
Shenkui Guy lowered his hands from his face and shook his head.
"That's because you've lost too much of your Essence through ejaculation," Li Yundong explained. "Losing Essence leads to weak Qi, and one of the things your Qi does is to promote blood flow." Li Yundong paused for a few beats. "Just now, you passed out due to insufficient blood flow into your brain." Li Yundong sighed. "Just don't let things get out of hand, okay? What if you passed out while you're driving? Ever thought about that? If things get worse, premature death might not be too far from your doorstep."
Li Yundong turned around to walk away. Again, Shenkui Guy wouldn't let him. He clung onto Li Yundong's arm as though it was a lifeline.
"Boss! You've gotta help me! Please! Help me," Shenkui Guy said. "Is there... Um… Do you know of any remedies?"
Li Yundong thought for a moment. "Do you have a pen and piece of paper?"
Shenkui Guy's expression turned hopeful again. "Please gimme a moment! I'll go get them right away."
A minute later, Shenkui Guy returned with a pen and a piece of paper torn off a page of a notebook. Li Yundong took the pen and wrote down a list of some kidney-strengthening herbs that he knew. He even added in a few general recommendations based on the Canon of the Yellow Thearch.
"You know there's this old saying," Li Yundong said when he handed the piece of paper to Shenkui Guy.
The latter took the paper and folded it carefully. "What saying?"
Li Yundong smiled. "When it comes to general health, nutrition triumphs over medicine, mental health triumphs over nutrition, and physical health triumphs over mental health."
Shenkui Guy slid the paper into his pocket and then stared at Li Yundong blankly.
"You..." Li Yundong sighed heavily "You didn't understand a single thing I said, did you?"
Shenkui Guy shook his head. "I kinda agree that nutrition triumphs over medicine. But mental health?"
Li Yundong smiled. "Here. Let me explain to you what I mean."
Shenkui Guy shared a glance with his girlfriend, then nodded.
"Traditional Chinese Medicine speaks of the seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures." Li Yundong glanced at Shenkui Guy. "Ever heard of that?"
Shenkui Guy nodded but said nothing.
"Well, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, all those things are bad for your health," Li Yundong continued, "which is why it is important to be mentally healthy and stable. But you might wonder why it triumphs over nutrition when it comes to maintaining general well-being. Well. Let me give you a simple example." Li Yundong raised a ringer. "Suppose that a person's mind is f*cked up, like they have a lot of emotional issues and all that crap. Chances are that they would turn to stuff like alcohol or even drugs to dull that emotional pain, because they aren't mentally strong enough to deal with their emotions the healthy way. In mild cases, they might end up overeating and eventually become obese. Look, the point is, if you're mentally unhealthy, then you're not in the right mindset to lead a healthy life." Li Yundong smiled, then shrugged. "Sure, you could consume highly nutritious foods for every meal, but that's not gonna do much for your health if you swallow a bunch of junk the moment you feel stressed out. Being mentally healthy means having the ability to handle stress and emotions, you see?"
A look of understanding formed on Shenkui Guy's face. "That... That actually makes sense..." Then, his eyes went wide. "Wait, what about the last part? The part about physical health and mental health."
"Well, that one's kinda obvious, isn't it?" Li Yundong said with a smile. "How can you be mentally healthy when you're sick all the time? If your body feels like shit every day, you would probably end up depressed."
"Oh."
"Even if you're happy and you aren't physically ill, you might still end up obese as well if you aren't careful."
"Right."
"Which is why exercise is so important," Li Yundong added.
Shenkui Guy shared a teasing grin with his girlfriend.
Li Yundong rolled his eyes. "Oh get your minds out of the gutter, both of you," he said. "By exercise, I don't mean doing the horizontal tango." Li Yundong pointed a finger at Shenkui Guy's face. "In fact, too much sex is what got you here in the first place!" 
Shenkui Guy blushed. "So... Um... Should I hit the weight room from now on?"
"It would be nice if you can," Li Yundong said. "But you don't have to lift weights to experience the benefits of exercise. Just go for a ten-minute walk or a slow jog or something. Preferably about an hour after your meals." Li Yundong chuckled. "Which reminds me of another old saying. They say that if you take a hundred steps after your meals every day, you get to live to ninety-nine." He shrugged. "Don't really know if it's true, but it does emphasize on the importance of exercise." 
"Got it, Boss!" Shenkui Guy beamed. "Go for a light jog or a walk after meals!"
Li Yundong smiled. "No biggie."
Shenkui Guy gave him a strange look. "Why aren't you running your own clinic right now, Boss?"
Truth be told, the idea did occur to him earlier when Feng Na was talking about career prospects. 
"Well… I can't exactly compete with modern medicine, can I?" Li Yundong smiled. "Not a lot of people believe in Traditional Chinese Medicine these days."
But at least he would be able to make a living, so it was definitely something that he would consider doing in the future. Plus, he didn't even need an actual clinic; he could just do travelling consultations. Heck, he bet he could make a lot of people feel better just by performing the Three-Pronged Flower Gathering technique alone.
Note to self: study more medical texts.
"It might not be popular now, Boss, but I'm sure it will be once you start popularizing it!" Shenkui Guy said excitedly. "I mean, you already have the skills. If they really work, then there's no reason why they won't become a big hit." 
Li Yundong froze and stared at the guy for a moment. Then, he smiled and patted the guy's shoulder. The guy was right, of course. He could definitely make it as TCM practitioner if he wanted to. After all, being a Cultivator had already given him an edge over other practitioners of the same field. The best part about it was that he could help keep the Chinese culture alive while earning a living at the same time.
Someday, maybe. Someday...
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What happens when an ordinary university student runs into a cute, coquettish little fox? What if the little fox is actually a Cultivator? What future awaits the university student after this fateful meeting? Is he heading towards the path of doom? Or is he heading towards ultimate greatness? Read on to find out! Join us and let us embark on an epic journey where we follow the twists and turns of this human-animal... *cough*... human-demon love story.

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Mama Fang paused before the empty storefront, where dust inside glittered in a beam of sunlight. The counter could go there, by that pile of papers, and the desks back there, by the heap of metal fixtures. This location had good feng shui—though perhaps not so favorable after all, because the last business here had presumably failed. Yet the Chinese supermarket and the bank drew a steady stream of traffic to the strip mall, and most important, it was located down the street from the top-ranked middle school in Cupertino. She jotted down the phone number of the real estate agent listed in the window. On the drive here, she'd passed a shopping mall packed with cars between light poles adorned with banners of pumpkins and autumn leaves. Soon after Scarlett and Daisy went missing from Perfume Bay, her neighbors had complained to police about the frequent turnover of pregnant women—a brothel in reverse—and the stink from the industrial-sized trash cans overflowing with diapers. During the predawn raid, the sound of heavy pounding reverberated through the house, the front door shook, and then the men in black uniforms and helmets burst in. Babies cried without end. The guests had to submit to hours-long interrogations. Within the week, Perfume Bay had been condemned as structurally unsound, the regrettable outcome of an unlicensed contractor and unpermitted renovations. Mama Fang had to refund her guests, in addition to covering their meals and hotel stays until they returned home to China and Hong Kong. Uncle Lo had lost his entire investment, but even worse, he'd lost face to all the clients he'd referred to Perfume Bay. As soon as she could, Mama Fang moved north to Cupertino, a Chinese enclave in the heart of Silicon Valley, where no one would know her, a sprawling city of low-slung ranch houses and office parks surrounded by rolling hills. She had settled in quickly, for Chinatowns the world over shared markets selling live fish and dusty imported foods, cultural centers with the familiar clack of mahjong tiles and the whine of the opera, all attempts to remake, remember, and reclaim. It wasn't the first time she'd started over. Back in Hong Kong, she'd opened a series of businesses that expanded in scope and ambition, but with the handover to China looming in 1997, she joined the many who left. The wealthiest immigrated to Canada, the United States, and Australia, while Mama Fang arrived in Panama after sinking her savings into a residency permit she could afford. She'd heard the little curve of a country was a back door to the United States, and she married a retired American serviceman who wanted a nurse on the cheap. Medicine wasn't too hard to learn with a bit of practice, and Mama Fang was a quick study. She'd changed his bedpans, administered an IV, and fetched him the beer he drank most hours of most days, its sourness leaking from his pores. She'd divorced him soon after her green card arrived. With the money from her settlement, she'd bought a plane ticket and rented a cheap room fifteen minutes down the freeway from the Tuscan-style mansions with three-car garages popular with Chinese who were settling in the hills east of Los Angeles. After embarking upon several ventures, she'd eventually written Uncle Lo with her business proposal for Perfume Bay. She had to give up the expansion she'd been planning: a private villa or two in the backyard of Perfume Bay; tours of Stanford and Harvard, the future alma mater of these American-born children, tacked onto the beginning or end of the trips; and even surrogates. You could get a baby with U.S. citizenship, without going through the indignities of pregnancy, and without traveling abroad—services that many of her clients would have eagerly added after spending tens of thousands of dollars on fertility treatments and sex selection, rounds of acupuncture, and offerings to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. She had to set her ambitions elsewhere now, but she'd always had more ideas than lifetimes.
—
Mama Fang returned to her car, and as she strapped herself in, her mobile phone rang—Uncle Lo. "Any news?" he asked. News about Daisy and Scarlett. If his detectives couldn't find them, how could she? Although she'd learned never to look back, she hoped they were safe, clean, dry, and well-fed, or living on the streets after their money ran out. Or if they were dead. They'd been spotted heading north, and Mama Fang sometimes wondered if they might have taken shelter in Cupertino, too, if she might come upon them at any minute. By now, they both would have delivered their babies. Each day Scarlett remained on the run, each day she survived without Boss Yeung, she triumphed over him and men like him. Scarlett would never know how closely Mama Fang's convictions echoed her own. "How's Boss Yeung?" Mama Fang had despised him—he'd all but wanted her to track the frequency and quantity of Scarlett's bowel movements. She blamed him more than herself for Scarlett's disappearance. A long pause. "It's hard to know. He's still in the hospital. His condition changes from moment to moment." He exhaled, and she pictured him blowing out cigarette smoke. "Just find her." "The newspaper," Mama Fang said. "Advertise in the classifieds of your newspaper, in all the Chinese newspapers. Offer a reward." Uncle Lo couldn't hide his scorn. "You think they're telling people their names? Why not hire a skywriter?" "Offer her a reward," Mama Fang said. "So much she can't refuse." Silence, not the click of a hang-up. Her heart lurched. "Money makes the mare go," she added. A proverb, of the kind he used to teach her, long ago in Hong Kong. "Even a nag like Scarlett." He didn't laugh, gave no salty grunt of appreciation. "She won't go anywhere after we find her." Taking Scarlett's child from her seemed punishment enough, but Uncle Lo appeared to have harsher retribution in mind. "Call me if you hear something," he barked, and hung up. She studied the phone, willing it to flash with an incoming call—Scarlett's. The phone remained silent. Mama Fang couldn't allow herself such foolish thinking. Even if Scarlett had the number, she wouldn't have called for help. Scarlett would find her way, just like Mama Fang always had. A car honked, and the driver motioned with his hands, checking if Mama Fang was going to pull out. She shook her head. She might never find Scarlett, but she could still return to the good graces of Uncle Lo. Her ideas intrigued him—always had, and always would, so long as he profited from them. She'd been planning to call the real estate agent after the weekend, but now found herself dialing the number. The name was Chinese. Would the agent be taking the weekend off, or like so many immigrant Chinese, did she work every day except during the Spring Festival? The agent answered on the first ring.

In a powerful debut novel about motherhood, immigration, and identity, a pregnant Chinese woman makes her way to California and stakes a claim to the American dream.

Holed up with other moms-to-be in a secret maternity home in Los Angeles, Scarlett Chen is far from her native China, where she worked in a factory job and fell in love with the owner, Boss Yeung. Now she's carrying his baby. Already married with three daughters, he's overjoyed because the doctors confirmed he will finally have the son he has always wanted. To ensure that his son has every advantage, he has shipped Scarlett off to give birth on American soil. U.S. citizenship will open doors for their little prince.

As Scarlett awaits the baby's arrival, she chokes down bitter medicinal stews and spars with her imperious housemates. The only one who fits in even less is Daisy, a spirited teenager and fellow unwed mother who is being kept apart from her American boyfriend.

Su Yue shot him a questioning look. "It's the eve of the Chinese New Year. Would there be any open stalls?"
Shouldn't everyone be sitting in front of the TV, watching festive variety shows after dinner? 
Jiao Chen grinned. "Certainly."
He turned around and walked to the car. He opened the door before getting in.
Su Yue trailed behind Jiao Chen and sat on the front passenger seat.
He drove towards the suburbs around A University.
Su Yue had no idea where they were headed to. But she was incredibly relaxed and at ease whenever she was with him.
She began to doze off.
This was the first time she felt sleepy after breaking up with Ming Ansheng.
So many days went past and there wasn't a night where she didn't toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep. Even if she fell asleep, she would wake up several times in the night.
When she woke up, the car had already stopped. Su Yue fluttered her eyelids as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. She glanced out of the car.
She had no idea where they were.
There was a shopping mall and it felt familiar to her.
But the mall was closed and it was dark everywhere.
Su Yue saw the shopping mall's name and she suddenly remembered. This was where they came on their first date. It was the place where she met Jiao Chen's sister.
So, this was the place he wanted to bring her for supper?
Su Yue glanced back at him, looking puzzled.
The man was resting with his eyes closed.
He always appeared so calm and gentle. Su Yue pressed her lips, swallowing her words.
He came back to the capital city after dinner. Driving for hours must have exhausted him.
Jiao Chen probably didn't want to wake her up, and hence he fell asleep while waiting for her to wake up.
She turned her head to look out of the window.
She wanted Jiao Chen to rest for a while more, but his phone unexpectedly rang at that moment.
Jiao Chen opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was to glance at Su Yue. He smiled when he saw that she was awake. He found his phone and answered the call.
"Hello. Yeah."
"I fell asleep for a while in the car. Give me a minute."
After talking briefly, he ended the call.
He glanced back at Su Yue. "Did you wait for a long time?"
"Nope." Su Yue shook her head. "I just woke up."
"It's cold, put on your coat." Jiao Chen extended his hand to get Su Yue's coat from the back seats.
"Thank you." Su Yue received it and put it on.
Warm light had illuminated the interior of the car.
The heater in the car caused Su Yue's cheeks to turn rosy, as though she had put on blusher.
She was about to get off the car when Jiao Chen interjected, "Su Yue, wait."
Su Yue stopped and turned her head.
Jiao Chen smiled and put on the hood for her. "It's cold."
Love and concern filled his every action.
His concern was as gentle as his personality and no one could resist. 
Su Yue seemed dumbfounded.
She felt that Jiao Chen seemed different tonight. When they were dating, he was usually quiet and nonchalant towards her.
He bought food for her and would also remind her to take her meals. But he had never been this caring towards her.
What was wrong with him today?
Jiao Chen saw that Su Yue was staring at him, and he raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Su Yue dismissed his question and she leaned against her seat and shut the door.


Wen Xuxu is a tenacious, talented, smart and brave woman who was fostered by the Yan family at the age of four when she lost both her parents. 

Brought up to be the successor of a huge conglomerate, Yan Rusheng is an aloof, intelligent and arrogant man who is the most sought-after bachelor in the capital city. 

Despite growing up together, both of them seem to treat each other as an eyesore. She labels him as a jerk and womanizer while in his eyes, she is a shrew. 

Over time, they fall for each other, but they continue to conceal their feelings for each other. By a twist of fate, they are forced into a marriage. And unknown to everyone else and Yan Rusheng, she has harbored a deep secret for many years… 

Keywords: Childhood sweetheart, Womanizer, Aloof, Soulmates, Forced marriage, Orphan, Secretary 

Sugary Scene： 

Suddenly, Wen Xuxu stretched her hand to clutch his wrist and pulled him forcefully. 
Yan Rusheng was caught off guard and he lost his footing. He fell on the bed and then his breathing became sluggish. 
Young Master Yan was afraid that he might lose control of himself and do something to Wen Xuxu... the woman he loathed. So he hastily raised his head. 
But he had barely moved away when Wen Xuxu stretched out her hands and put them around his neck. "Don't leave."

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"Where are you taking me" Natalia Lu asked in a surprised voice, "To the terrace" Bao Xing answered in a calm tone, "Why" Natalia Lu once again questioned him. He did not answer till they reached the terrace, "Tell me why are you yet to tell them who you are" Bao Xing was curious and his curiousness was getting the best of him. 

"Mummy's order" Natalia Lu simply said but Bao Xing almost choked due to these two words. "But Aunt is in Beijing as well did you not see her yet" Bao Xing asked in a curious tone. "Tomorrow we will meet" Natalia Lu said in a calm tone and sighed. Bao Xing nodded and said "let's go to canteen then" saying this he dragged Natalia Lu once again through the corridor and inside the canteen.

"I'm handing over Natalia back to you" Bao Xing saying it to Lu Shuan gave Natalia Lu's hand in Lu Shuan's hand and left the canteen. Everyone looked at Natalia Lu with confusion evident on their faces. "Have lunch first" Lu Chao said before anyone else could react or question Natalia Lu. The latter nodded and took her seat in between Lu Shuan and Nova Park. 

Natalia Lu looked at the plate in front of her, after looking at the number of dishes in it she frowned. Noticing her reaction Li Chang said, "I apologize but this was not what we had planned for today but due to some misunderstanding the menu changed, I know this is quite inadequate but I will have to request you to make do with it just for today" he said it in an apologizing and guilty tone.

Natalia Lu was stunned for a moment, she looked at Nova Park first who could not help but sigh at Natalia Lu's reaction. The latter then turned her focus on Li Chang who was feeling guilty for no reason, "I might sound rude but as per you what is adequate if this is not" Natalia Lu asked in a confused tone, she was surprised as to how they could feel guilty about the food being inadequate after serving so much.

Li Chang was shocked by what Natalia Lu said; others were surprised as well by Natalia Lu's statement. "Pardon" Li Chang somehow managed to speak after recovering from his shock, "I'm quite curious because the quantity is something we would eat for two or three meals together and about the number of dishes it is more than adequate, so I'm curious about what adequate means in your dictionary" Natalia Lu said in an amused tone.

Li Chang was dumbstruck with Natalia Lu's reply; he froze for a minute before he could digest what she said. "That might be the western culture Ms.Natalia but our Chinese culture believes in treating guests as god and this is something less in comparison to what we usually serve other exchange students" Lu Chao said in a calm and composed manner.

Natalia Lu nodded and said, "I hope my plate can be exchanged with just a salad, soup and steak" she said this in a very requesting manner and apologizing tone. Lu Chao nodded and said, "I'll bring it" he got up took Natalia Lu's plate and went towards the counter and exchanged for a new plate with only dishes which Natalia Lu wanted to have.

He brought back the plate and placed it in front of Natalia Lu, the latter thanked Lu Chao and started eating her food. After half an hour or so all of them were done eating their lunch, "We have self study for one hour and then physical education for two hours" Su Chen said in an excited tone. Others nodded to it and stood up to leave canteen, "What do you all usually do during physical education" Benjamin Stevenson asked a bit excited to know.

De Xi who is a internationally recognized lady not just in single field but in enumerated fields. She is a dream woman for all the men not only inside the nation but also outside the nation as well.

But destiny already bounded her in the relationship called marriage and is also gifted with two beautiful and charming children, but this beauty also has a problem no human would want to have...

Lu Bai who is a world renowned business tycoon and is feared by all, his business empire among the top businesses around the world. He had no hope in love, until he met the with the woman he was bethroned to. Unaware to him he fell head over heels for her.

But fate played in their blooming love and threw them to different corners of the world. Even though they stayed apart, their family always supported them...

In their journey of love and hate, what will happen ? will love win over hate or the converse, let's join their journey of love, hate and family to learn what happens next?
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Updates: Two Chapters per day...
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This is My First Book, so show support with your comments, Thank You :):):)

The next day.
A restaurant inside a five-star hotel.
Lunch time.
The tables and chairs covered in pristine white cloths looked like clouds floating over a carpet of lava. Tall stalks of yellow calla lilies were simply yet artfully arranged in transparent glass vases at the centre of the tables. Golden chandeliers casted soft light throughout the restaurant, complementing the gold and red walls.
Jiong Jun sat at a table by the windows, sipping a glass of dry martini. He looked at his watch. Two minutes before the agreed time. He was already feeling impatient.
The girl better not be late. He, a famous and award-winning music producer, was giving the time and effort to meet her personally. She should be grateful and arrive on time.
One minute left.
He once again looked at the entrance. He saw the maître d' greet an elegant young woman.
The two spoke for a few seconds. The maître d' glanced at Jiong Jun, and began leading the young woman to his direction.
Jiong Jun subconsciously straightened, sitting tall and puffing his chest out while he observed the woman walking closer to his table.
She was tall. Not model tall, but taller than the average height of Chinese women. Great hourglass body, but a little bit on the thin side.
She was wearing a black, long-sleeved wrap dress with bright pink lotus flowers print. The V-neck provided just a tiny glimpse of full cleavage. A waist tie accentuated her tiny waist, while the rest of the dress hugged her hips and flowed past her knees.
A simple yet elegant black high heels added to her height. Her long, straight, silky black hair framed a small face. Big, mirrored aviator sunglasses covered her eyes but could not cover her beauty.
Jiong Jun gasped inwardly and narrowed his eyes, as the maître d' led the beautiful woman to his table. The woman stopped in front of him.
"Mr. JJ. I hope you didn't wait long." It was the same lovely voice as the one he talked to on the phone yesterday.
"Miss Iris Long?" He frowned, a bit taken aback.
The woman nodded and held out a hand.
He blinked, looking at her pale white hand. No rings. No colourful nail polish. Just a simple clear French manicure.
After a few seconds, he finally regained his senses and stood up to shake her offered hand. 
"Miss Long, wow! I didn't recognize you! You look...different!"
She just smiled at him, her expression half-covered by her big sunglasses.
The maître d' pulled a seat for Iris and waited for the two of them to sit down. He took their orders and left. In the meantime, hot herbal tea blend was delivered to Iris.
Jiong Jun, or more known as JJ in the music industry, watched the beautiful young woman sitting across him as she blew over her steaming cup and sipped tea. Her actions were delicate and elegant. They were very natural and not contrived at all.
He was shocked. The young woman sitting in front of him was not the one who he expected to meet today. He found it difficult to match this young woman to the image of Iris Long in his head.
"Be honest. Are you Iris Long's twin sister?"
A sweet, light chuckle. "Of course not, Mr. JJ. I am Iris Long and I don't have a twin sister."
"No way." He leaned back, shaking his head.
She just smiled, continuing to sip her tea.
Their food arrived and they began eating while chatting about the weather and other harmless topics. Finally, the atmosphere turned serious after they finished their meals.
"Alright. Let's talk business." JJ leaned back on his seat.
Iris nodded.
"You already know that I love the demo tapes you sent me. But I'm not convinced by you because of your bad reputation, and you won't agree to have my other singers sing them. I invited you here today because I initially planned on persuading you to hand over your songs and release them as the composer."
Her eyes narrowed a little, an imperceptible sharp look glinting on them, hidden behind her sunglasses. Only her lips pressing together into a straight line showed her reaction.


A world-famous hacker and daughter of the most powerful criminal family who ruled the international Underworld for many generations is killed when their organization is annihilated in a single night.

She is reborn into the body of Iris Long, a teenage pop singer, wild party girl, and spoiled brat. For the former princess of the Underworld who lived an overprotected and shackled life, this new life is a chance to finally live the life of freedom and independence that she always wanted.

Jin Liwei is the most powerful man in the country's business world. Cold and ruthless, he is someone only a few dare offend. When the infamous Iris Long, who used to chase his younger brother, wakes up from a year-long coma, his unfeeling heart moves for the first time and he falls hard for this unexpected genius girl.

She wants to fly freely and soar high beyond the sky. He wants her everything, to tie her to himself and to never let her go.

This is her journey to super stardom. This is his journey in accompanying her. Together, they will rock the world while facing many challenges.

But what will happen when she discovers that she can never escape from the shadows of her previous life? Will she still be able to live her dream life of freedom and independence? Will he be able to protect her from the dangers?

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Instagram: Arria Cross (@arriacross)

HGWS Discord Server: 
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WARNING!!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!!

This novel is rated 18+ (no one 17 and under allowed). It contains mature adult themes, coarse language, explicit sexual content, and occasional graphic violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Please do NOT read if you are under 18 or if you feel uncomfortable with any of these elements. 

And despite of what some of the negative reviews are claiming, there is NO rape in this novel. Many scenes are deliberately made uncomfortable (clear 18+ warning), but there is NO rape.

Also please remember that this is a work of "fiction". Thank you!

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