Risa walked down the hallway of apartments, getting closer and closer to No. 87, April and Korrin's home. She chuckled as she gazed upon the pumpkins at people's doorsteps, smashing a few on her way. Soon she arrived at the apartment and she soon melded with the shadows on the wall and slithered between the cracks in the door and materialising in the apartment, the tin can was in her charging station while the human was asleep on the couch, she smiled as she turned off any remaining lights and made sure the charging station was locked tight. "Might as well finish the job, righ, Tin Can.." She giggled, quietly as she sauntered over to the couch and lifted the human, whispering unintelligible things, things only the insane could understand before exiting the apartment.

                                                              ~
April glared at the Children in front of her, Korrin had told her about this thing's kind, born of malice and the hatred of humanity. The Children smiled at her, the female had been around for a long time, Risa Kim, the sharp, toothy grinned was met with a cold, metallic scowl. "And why you, a defective bag of bolts, would care of my business?", "Well, You took my human, wrecked my garden and I'm not happy, I'm pissed.", The Children laughed at the Android, which only made her even more pissed. Risa took off her gloves which revealed dark, grey claws while the Androids equipped her blade, a long spear-like blade which split in two. April, in her rage, charge forward and blindly slashed while Risa used the thick hide of her claws to shield herself and then kicked the android backwards which resulted in April stumbling back and getting clawed at, which made the android squeal, slightly, her pain sensors hadn't been properly deactivated. April retaliated with a stab to the thigh to the Children, which made her smile more, the android growled with ferocity as she pushed her back and threw the other blade which Risa caught in her right claw, the other blade still lodged into her thigh and her leg was trembling from the overexertion. The android laughed with her slight satisfaction as Risa whined when she dropped the blade in her claw and tried to pull out the other in her thigh. April used this chance to get past her to get to Korrin but April had better ideas as she grabbed the other blade and threw it at the android's leg which resulted in the android falling down. 

"..Not today Tin Can."

The History of The Citadel and other documents.

Suddenly, He Haotian had decided to test his suspicion. He needed to know how sensitive Lu Xinyi's tongue was. 

"Meina, do you think you can serve us some pumpkin soup you made earlier?" He told Gu Meina. She smiled back on him, knowing well what he was planning to do. 

"Of course," she replied before facing their visitors. "Madam Shen, Miss Mo, can you give my pumpkin soup a taste? This is my first time trying to cook it for Anyang, but I'm not sure if I did well." 

He Haotian had given the soup a taste earlier. By using the same soup, he wanted to know if Lu Xinyi also had the same 'Absolute Tongue' that Lu Sibai had. 

"Sure. If we could help, why not?" Mo Lihui nodded slightly. Having a good pumpkin soup in such cold weather was already gratifying. 

Once Gu Meina came back, she served three bowls of hot pumpkin soup at the table. They let Lu Xinyi and Mo Lihui had a taste of it and waited for their opinions. 

"So?" Gu Meina asked nervously. When she served this soup to He Haotian, he only took a spoonful and left the bowl untouched.

"This is really good." Mo Lihui exclaimed. "This is one of the best pumpkin soups I have tried in my life!" 

Meanwhile, Lu Xinyi frowned and brought her spoon down. She kept silent while Mo Lihui approved Miss Gu's cooking. 

"What's wrong? Didn't you like the taste?" He Haotian asked her, waiting patiently for her to explain what the mistakes of the pumpkin soup were. 

"This…" Lu Xinyi hesitated. Gu Meina noticed her hesitation and held one of Lu Xinyi's hands, surprising the younger woman. 

"It's okay, Madam Shen. I know it's not perfect. You can tell me what's wrong and what I can do. I'll try my best next time to improve it." 

"If Miss Gu insists, then…" Lu Xinyi released a deep breath. 

"The soup is a little watery and a little salty. I'm guessing Miss Gu used soft fleshed pumpkins?" Gu Meina nodded. 

"That's the main issue I noticed, Miss Gu. You've used the wrong kind of pumpkin. In making a good pumpkin soup, the best pumpkins to be used are the harder pumpkins. It has a dense texture and sweet flavor to make an excellent soup. 

"Pumpkins have natural sweetness but need a little back-up to really shine. Your soup doesn't have much flavor in it aside from the pumpkin and the stock you've used. I suggest sweating[1] a chopped leek with—or instead of—onion when you start cooking.

"To make the texture a little thicker and more velvety, you may add some potatoes. Potatoes wouldn't ruin the natural flavor of your pumpkin, but it will really help make your soup thicker. You may also want to roast the pumpkin first to give it a caramelized flavor. This way, it will make your soup extra rich and intense.

"Scattering herbs at the end will make the soup look and taste fresh. Even better, put a little in from the start as well. If you add it into the cooking, you will get a more subtle flavor. If you want a blast of flavor, then at the end, add it fresh."

Gu Meina and Mo Liwei stared blankly at Lu Xinyi while He Haotian nodded in understanding. Lu Xinyi had exceeded his expectations. Now, he could truly say that this woman had a lot of potential in her. However, in his opinion, Lu Xinyi was wasting her time by going to Silver Leaf Academy. 

Having an 'Absolute Tongue' and not utilizing it was such a waste. Lu Xinyi should become a professional food taster. With her superior sense of taste—one that allowed her to focus on multiple layers of flavors and differentiate them, she was above the students and professional chefs. 

A tongue that could deconstruct the ingredients used in a dish by merely tasting it, knowing the tweaks to improve it, and replicate it was such a highly valued asset within the culinary world.

In He Haotian's opinion, Lu Xinyi didn't need to have to attend a culinary school. She only needed to hone her talent and develop her palate.

The trance was broken when Gu Meina clapped her hand and smiled happily at Lu Xinyi. 

Mo Lihui shook her head. "Wow, I couldn't even pinpoint the problem. Now that you mention it, Miss Gu's pumpkin soup was a little watery than usual." 

Witnessing this scene in front of her, Mo Lihui now realized the difference between her and Lu Xinyi. 

"As expected to the Silver Leaf's top rookie of the year." Gu Meina added. 

"Madam Shen, do you know the difference between a cook and a chef?" He Haotian crossed his arms before asking Lu Xinyi.

"Doesn't a chef have official training or certification?"

"They do, but not only that. A chef has keen attention to detail. He should know and understand how a change in temperature affects the flavor of his dish, how using good quality ingredients are necessary to produce better dishes. He should know when to turn the meat when cooking to avoid drying and ruining its flavor. What I mean is…  you really have great potential as a chef, but I believe you don't need to attend Silver Leaf to reach the pinnacle of success."

[1]Sweating means cooking a veggie in butter or oil over low heat until soft, not browned.

[Status: Completed]

“You’re not taking me to bed. Ever.” 
“Who said it had to be on the bed?” 
“What?! You wouldn’t dare kick me off the bed, and I will not share it with you!” 
“The only reason I would force you out is so I can have you on the floor.” She gritted her teeth and glared at her grinning husband. 
“Go fuck yourself!” she hissed. 
“Only if you show me how,” he winked back. 

Once the tabloids released an article claiming business tycoon Shen Yi was gay, his family forced him to date and seek a relationship to stave off the false accusations. After many failed encounters, Shen Yi came upon Lu Xinyi.

Orphaned since childhood, Lu Xinyi had no safe haven left the moment her boyfriend and her best friend betrayed her. Losing her only treasures left, she felt like dying inside as soon as she boarded that ship. However, after a week-long cruise with Shen Yi, she struck a deal with him. Now the Young Madam of the most powerful Shen family, Lu Xinyi turned into a better version of herself. She would not only fight back against those who had hurt her, but she had also taken a shot at accomplishing her father's broken dream.

Attending the country's most prestigious culinary school, Silver Leaf Academy, Lu Xinyi was compelled to compete not only for herself but also for her husband’s pride. Through Shen Yi's love and support, she dreamed to emerge victorious one assault after another from a family that she had long abandoned. Oh, but love for food can be a dangerous thing! As Lu Xinyi and her friends struggle to survive the competition and schemes, more and greater challenges await her, putting her love (for food and Shen Yi) to the test. 

---------------------
Little Miss Series
(1) Little Miss Devil: The President's Mischievous Wife
(2) Little Miss Witch: Revenge of the Tainted Angel
(3) Little Miss Sunshine: Conquer the Emperor's Heart
(4) Little Miss Trouble: The Emperor's Rebellious Consort
(5) Little Miss Heiress: The 30 Days Free Trial Lover
(6) Little Miss Fae: Banshee in the Modern World
(7) Little Miss Immortal: The Nine-Tailed Imperial Consort
---------------------
My Other Books
(1) PS I'm (Not) Over You
(2) Gourmet Empress: Hubby, Why's Your Name on the Menu?

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Little Miss Devil Book Cover 2019 anjeeriku

"She's in Hawai?" I asked.

Ryder nodded, "I wasn't sure about that before I heard the news of Jane." 

"What are we waiting for? Let's go and get that bitch!" Char snapped, wiping off her tears. 

"I suggest it'll be better if only Leonardo and I go." Ryder suggested, and I nodded in approval. "While we're in Hawai, rest will be here to gain information from cops if there's happened to be any news about Jane." 

"We'll let you know if we succeed in doing a trick to get information from her." He added. 
___________________

𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙫>>

My eyes flutter opened as a ray of sunshine hit my face only to experience a terrible sting at the back of my head. 

Once I retrieved myself from the sting I came face to face with.....pumpkins. Lots and lots of pumpkins. 

And I sneezed. 

Not because I was allergic to pumpkin. That I wasn't, indeed. But a strand of my hair that had been trying to intrude in my left nostril. I made an attempt to remove them but unfortunately my arms were tied up behind my back and my ankles as well. 

To make it go away I rattled my face, give couple of blows but those darn strands hadn't seemed to budge. 

I let the darn strands have their way and committed myself to my Surrounding. 

I was in a freaking chevy truck with freaking pumpkins. There was a slow cowboy music playing in the radio. I peeped through the tiny window provided between the front and the back of the truck and watched the driver as he placed a hay strand between the seam of his lips. 
It was hard to see his face as it was covered with a cowboy hat. 

Suddenly the truck halted and stopped in front of what seemed like a farm. 

I felt sick with apprehension. My heart began pounding against my chest and I dreaded that it would burst. I wriggled and put so much efforts to free my arms but it was no avail as the cowboy who was in driver seat awhile ago appeared before me and took off his hat. 

"Rise and shine!" My eyes widened and I couldn't help as a horrific scream erupted from my lips hearing his creepy voice. 

His lips lifted up to form a cheshire grin and I couldn't help but cringe and crawl back in response. 

I thought pennywise was more scary. 

He looked even more horrible than I last saw him two years ago in an interview. 

"Don't you fucking dare to touch me, Roberto! I swear I'll boil your teeth!" Seriously, Jane? That was the threat you came up with? Roberto began laughing as if I threw a joke. A very lame joke, indeed. But soon his laughter subsided and face turned sinistral. "W-What do you w-want from me? Why did you kidnap me, Roberto?" 
He didn't say anything just stared at me like a sicko.

"Ms. Sanders?" He said in his deep and sexy voice after scrutinising me from head to toe.

"Sir." I gulped loudly before I said, "I'd like to give you a blow job."

Short introduction of my boss:-

He is sexy. He knows it. He is handsome. He knows it. He has fangirls dropping to their knees at the sight of him. He knows it. If he wasn't let's say, a businessman, he could have been a supermodel...and he knows it.
It's written all over his face. That overconfident and cheeky smile of him is enough for women to clench their thighs.
He is Leonardo Vincenzo-a self made billionaire and infamous womanizer. 

Ps- He only dates blondes.

Jane Sanders-personal assistant of a playboy billionaire Leonardo Vincenzo. He hardly noticed her as a person. For him, she is a Robot who follows his commands. 
But all of this boring office life changes when an unexpected event becomes the turning point.

After asking some laborers to send the iron ores to an earthen kiln outside of the city and making an appointment for the next day, Ren Baqian went to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock to find Ge Yihong. Then, he taught Ge Yihong how the sweet potatoes germinate, how to cultivate them, where they should be planted, and so on and so forth.
Everyone already knew the potential output and the taste of sweet potatoes; therefore, they had no doubt about this new crop. Ren Baqian merely gave them some information to note. He did not need to worry about the rest as everyone already knew what should be done.
Even if every sweet potato could germinate, they could only cultivate them on one hundred mu of land. After more sweet potatoes were cultivated, they could slowly release them onto the market. This would allow the citizens of Dayao to gradually accept sweet potatoes into their diets. After the production of sweet potatoes stabilized, he could teach them the methods of making sweet potato wine, sweet potato fries, etc.
There were also some areas that the Department of Agriculture and Livestock had to take note of. For example, a plot of land that had sweet potatoes planted on it had to be planted with other crops after the sweet potatoes were harvested to avoid exhausting the soil. Also, eating too many sweet potatoes would cause heartburn.
Ren Baqian also brought another two crops to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock. One was potatoes and the other one was pumpkins. The potential output of potatoes was lower than sweet potatoes, having an output of roughly three thousand catties per mu of land. As for pumpkins, their potential output was about the same as potatoes'.
Sweet potatoes, potatoes, and pumpkins had something in common, that was, they had high starch content. They could be eaten as non-staple or staple food. Furthermore, they had high potential output, which made them perfect as staple food.
With these three crops, Ren Baqian could proudly claim that Dayao would no longer face the issue of food scarcity in the future. Ten years later, the food output of the other nations would increase greatly as well. After all, all these nations were situated so near to each other. These crops spread to other nations easily.
Ren Baqian did not consider a potential output of three thousand catties of potatoes to be something amazing. However, when Ge Yihong heard this number, his mouth gaped open without making any sound for a long while. Following which, he faced upwards and burst out laughing, causing the dust collected on the beam of the roof to fall down.
If someone told him there were crops that had a potential output of three thousand catties a few days ago, he would laugh out loud and chase the person away. He would have felt what the person said was complete bullsh*t. However, after he witnessed six thousand catties of sweet potatoes being dug from the ground, he valued anything that Ren Baqian took out.
"Pah!" Ren Baqian swiped off the dust on his head. His entire head and face were covered with dust. The main culprit, Ge Yihong, dodged the dust and appeared beside the door, leaving Ren Baqian alone under the rain of dust.
Even after swiping a huge amount of dust off his body, Ren Baqian did not seem any better. He was so angry that he glared at Ge Yihong. Even though Ge Yihong's rank was Secondary class, Rank 3 and his rank was Secondary class, Rank 5, he did not fear him at all.
After all, there was a powerful woman behind him.
Ren Baqian agreed fully with the phrase "Behind every successful man there is a woman". Even though he wasn't successful, he had an extremely powerful woman behind him.
Ge Yihong did not mind Ren Baqian glaring at him, and his facial expression did not change. Ren Baqian was glaring at him with utmost effort, but he acted as though he never saw it. Instead, he continued to ask Ren Baqian for the cultivation methods of the potatoes and the pumpkins.
Even though Ren Baqian was enraged, he still provided Ge Yihong with all the information he needed. Otherwise, he would need to return here again.
Ren Baqian reminded Ge Yihong of a few important points regarding the potatoes and pumpkins. One important point was that pumpkins couldn't be consumed together with mutton. And Dayao people often ate mutton.
After giving all the essential information to Ge Yihong, Re Baqian quickly bade him farewell.
"Deputy Prefect Ren, why don't you come over to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock to work? It just so happens that we are in need of a junior official. Deputy Prefect Ren, you're perfect for this position." Ge Yihong still wanted to persuade Ren Baqian to stay. At the doorway, there was a Secondary class, Rank 4 official staring at Ge Yihong with hidden bitterness, resembling a shrew that had been abandoned.
"I'm not interested, goodbye." Without saying anything else, Ren Baqian immediately left. Until now, he could still feel there was dust in his mouth.
"Sir!" After Ren Baqian had left, the junior official was still looking at Ge Yihong with bitterness.
"Sigh. If he can come and work here, I can retire and leave this place to you," Ge Yihong told the junior official sincerely without any sign of shame on his face.
The junior official rolled his eyes.
You speak as if you can make all the decisions.
You alone can't decide who takes up this position…
…..
Ren Baqian came out of the palace clean and tidy in the morning and returned to the place dusty and filthy in the afternoon. After taking a quick bath, he headed to Qingxin Palace to learn words.
At night, Ren Baqian felt bored and took a stroll around the courtyard. Raising his head, he saw two moons in the sky, one big and one small. The big one was slightly larger than Earth's moon. The big moon was slightly red in color. Using his naked eyes, not only could he see craters on the moon, he could also see a small dot in its center.
"What is that?" Doubt arose in Ren Baqian's mind.
In the past, he would occasionally raise his head and gaze at the two moons. Today, upon taking a closer look, he discovered that there was a small dot on the center of the big moon. He quickly went to get his binoculars to look at it again. With the binoculars, he could see the small dot slightly clearer.
Through the binoculars, the moon also became bigger. Soon after, he managed to find the small dot with his binoculars and realized that it was oval-shaped silhouette. Previously, he had never taken notice of it. Now that he took a closer look at it with the binoculars, he discovered that it looked like an eye. He felt weird, feeling as though someone was looking at him.
However, Ren Baqian knew this was impossible. The small dot must be some oddly shaped terrain.
One day, he had to bring a telescope here to look closer at the two moons in this world.
Of course, he thought of this idea in the heat of the moment. He would completely forget about it the next morning.
Sitting on a stone bench in the garden, Ren Baqian took out the walkie-talkie and called the empress. After a while, he heard some noise from his walkie-talkie. The empress had picked up the call, but she did not say anything. She was waiting for Ren Baqian to say something.
"Your Majesty… The moons tonight are really beautiful… I just wanted to tell you about it," Ren Baqian said after racking his brain for a long while. Right now, he resembled a young boy who was tugging the ponytail of a girl he liked sitting in front of him. Instead of tugging the empress's hair, he was harassing her with the walkie-talkie. He was simply too bored at this moment.
After all, back on Earth, he could watch a movie or surf the Internet. There was nothing to do in this world. Right now, he was also not in the mood to cultivate, therefore he played with the walkie-talkie.
After finished speaking, he waited for the empress to reply him. After a while, he realized the empress had already switched off the walkie-talkie.
With a listless look on his face, Ren Baqian raised his head and yelled, "Such is life!"
After standing in the courtyard for a while more, he returned to the house to begin his cultivation.
Meanwhile, the empress was lying on the rooftop of Yangxin Palace Hall. Every now and then, she would pour some wine from the wine flask in her hand into her mouth. She was looking at the big and small moons in the sky. Her face was flushed, appearing as though the wine had really gone to her head. Her gaze seemed to be in a light trance.
"What is Her Majesty looking at?" Qing Yuan and Hong Luan were looking up at the rooftop.
"I don't know, recently she has become weirder and weirder."
"But Her Majesty seldom gets angry these days." Upon hearing Qing Yuan's words, Hong Luan nodded her head. Also, recently Her Majesty wasn't as cold as usual. Sometimes, she would smile at them as well. Both of them were very happy with these changes.
"Clang!" A roof tile landed on the ground not far away from them, giving them a fright. Both of them immediately covered their mouths and stopped talking. Looking at each other, their eyes curled down, smirking.
After looking at the moons for a long time, the empress still couldn't tell in what ways they were beautiful. However, she wasn't in a bad mood. She felt a warm feeling bubbling in her heart.
She liked this feeling very much.
As this feeling gushed out from her heart, she suddenly felt that the moons were indeed beautiful.


In a world where its inhabitants can destroy a city wall single-handedly, the empress has a kirin as her pet, and the imperial palace of Great Xia has a pool containing a dragon. There is also a Sword Mountain where spirit swords occasionally leave in search of a master .

Bootlicking the empress, Ren Baqian ascended to the apex of life.　　

In the year 2030 after world events, technology will start to become even more part of the daily lives of people in general and thanks to this advance, virtual reality games have taken new directions and thus a new VR game called MMO: Isekai no RPG has emerged, where players when putting on glasses are taken to another world, a typically medieval fantasy world where they become the characters themselves, going through epic adventures and struggles. 

The success was such that in one week thousands already had an account in the game, the Japanese developers were so surprised with what they celebrate the feat never seen before, however something happened, the players did not want to leave the game anymore and many abandoned their real lives to live "a virtual life in another world."

After the rugby ball was thrown, Westin chased after it with his cheeks puffed, running with all his might. Before the ball touched the ground, a lithe silhouette leaped in the air and tackled the ball. The cat opened its mouth wide and bit into the skin of the ball, trotting over to hand it over to Elena, who had been standing by the side.
Elena exclaimed in glee, "Wow, I got the ball!"
A boy rushed over and snatched the ball from her. Victoria chased after him and shouted, "Kent, you're going to get in trouble!"
The boy turned to pass the ball to Westin and shouted as he did so, "Don't even think of snatching the ball from me — oh, my god!"
Again, Ah Meow leaped up and intercepted the ball while it was still in the air. It tackled the ball down and carried it with its mouth to hand over to another girl. Westin sped towards Ah Meow to snatch the ball, running with all his might. "Out of the way, I'll do this myself!"
After charging a short distance, a wolf the size of a calf appeared before him. It stared Westin down and bared its teeth at him. Westin was terrified. "D-don't bite me, I'll hand the ball over!"
A boy called out from behind him, "Westin, you coward, that's Ah Ow. I know her, my mom loves her. She doesn't bite, she's a really nice wolfhound!"
Westin hollered back, "I'm the coward? I swear, Bacrot, you're dead. I'll give you a taste of the Westin Iron Fist right now!"
"If you're not a coward, why are you scared of a wolfhound that doesn't bite?"
"Let's see if you say the same thing when you're the one it's staring down. It's too scary!"
Li Du chuckled at the sight of the kids playing with Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and the bunch of the other little animals. He turned to Brother Wolf and said, "I have an idea, pal. I know how to surprise Victoria."
Brother Wolf asked, "How?"
Li Du winked at him. "I won't tell you just yet. Oh, right. Where are the pumpkins Sophie bought? I'm going to carve some."
The pumpkins were in the ranch house, so he headed there with his carving knife to look for some long ones. He gauged the weight of the pumpkin and carried some over to start carving.
Brother Wolf offered, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Li Du heaved a sigh. "What can you help with? This is a promise I made, so I have to be the one to deal with it. Oh, right, could you call President Cole and ask him when he is free next month? I want to talk to him about business."
Li Du spent the entire morning carving pumpkins. He thought about it for a while, then threaded some ropes through the pumpkins, hung a few lights, and installed the batteries. He turned the lights and the pumpkins were glowing in all sorts of colors. It looked pretty nice.
Lunchtime rolled around. Sophie had prepared a feast to entertain the children with. This was a very effective way of making friends, Li Du realized. Victoria and Elena had instantly become more popular in their little circle of classmates. The kids were young but clever — they already knew how important it was to befriend Elena and Victoria.
Of course, they were not far-sighted enough to realize the amount of help the two girls could provide throughout their career and life in the future. What they were thinking about was not that complicated — they were thinking of huge fields where they could run, big houses they could play in, new and novel toys they could amuse themselves with, and an endless supply of delicacies they could feast on. The teachers, too, treated the girls differently after realizing what their family background was like. It was only natural.
Sophie had prepared Halloween gifts for both the teachers and the children. She had both the time and the money, so whatever it was that she had prepared for them would definitely make them happy.
Some of the kids from families who were doing slightly better liked to exercise, so she played to that and sent them signed sneakers and sportswear from athletes like Kobe. Some of the kids liked television and movies, so she sent them posters and group photos signed by Hollywood celebrities like Brad Pitt. For the kids who came from families that were not as well-to-do, she prepared shopping vouchers. These would help their families spend a comfortable Christmas, which was just around the corner.
The majority of the gifts were costly, but neither the teachers nor the children had any qualms about accepting them. They knew full well that a family who lived in such a huge house had more than enough money; the presents, therefore, were not a significant expense for Li Du and Sophie.
They were preparing for the official celebration of Halloween in the evening, so the children went home to start dressing up. They would then head to the school for the party in the evening. After sending the children off, Sophie heaved a sigh of relief. She said, "Hey, do you think we did the right thing? Inviting the kids over when our family is like this?"
Li Du asked, "What do you mean?"
Sophie replied, "From an adult's point of view, don't you find this a little sad? The kids are aware of class differences at such a young age. They learn so early that their own lives are different from the lives other people lead, and the world holds no equality."
Li Du shook his head. "I don't think it's sad at all. I think they're much happier than I am, actually. When I was about their age, I thought I was no different from the kids who were around me. I thought there were no differences at all, from the lives we led to the background we came from, so I just played mindlessly without giving much thought, and look what happened."
Lu Guan listened to his words and chimed in from the side, "You became really rich, that's what. Even in a land of abundance and wonder like Los Angeles, you're a legend in your own right."
"That's right, boss. We're the ones who are sad, okay?" Young Markelov piped up. "You built your empire from scratch with your own hands. You're the Chinese superstar, right? But what about us?"
The sadness was evident on Big Markelov's face. "F*ck, if not for the fact that we met you by chance, we'd probably still be poaching in the forests and mountains. We'd probably just be waiting for the next time we fell gravely ill and tried to go to the hospital for treatment, but we wouldn't make it, so we'd just end up dying in the wild."
Brother Wolf said, "You're going to make me cry with that sad story."
"Isn't Halloween all about crying anyway? Whether you cry because you're scared or sad, it's all the same."
Li Du chuckled bitterly but did not say anything. He had gotten lucky and happened to have found the little bug, that was all. If not for the help of the little bug, he did not dare to imagine what his life today would be like.
Diploma Mill was forced to close down, and all the money he had spent on school fees and day-to-day living was washed down the drain instantly. He then resorted to unreported employment, but his student visa expired and he had to be deported back. Without the help of his studying credentials, he had as good as wasted two years abroad. He was in a plight worse than the university graduates who had opted to stay in the country to work right out of university!
A bunch of grown people here was lamenting about how difficult life was, while children like Victoria and Elena were over the moon. The two of them skipped over and asked, "Where's the surprise?"
The two girls were each dressed up as a vampire and a witch respectively. Li Du brought them over to a ranch house that had been sealed off. He whispered to them, "There's no surprise, but I do have something scary prepared. Climb up to the windows and tell me what you see."
The sun had set, so only a dim light remained. The inside of the ranch house was pitch-black. The girls carefully climbed up to the window and peered in. they saw a few jack-o'-lanterns swinging freely in the dark!
The two girls were still surprised at the sight when a jack-o'-lantern leaped from somewhere and on to the windowsill to stare directly into their eyes. The girls were so scared they promptly burst into tears. "The jack-o'-lantern is alive!""They've turned into demons!"


They love gold, and they love silver. Even more so, they love gems that dazzle, like stars across the skies. 
Firearms, jewelleries, and precious metals; A collector’s world will not be complete without antiques.  
Storage auctions, old goods trade, re-estate sales and gold-digging. But the truth is, if one wants to make money, then the supreme way is through searching for the legendary treasures. 
Holding the fort, there’s an ocelot, a wolf, and an Andes condor. At the side, there’s a loyal hound, an irascible ape, and an African honey badger. Who said that you can only rely on humans when treasure hunting?! 

Lin Qiao hadn't driven far before a farm came in her sight and attracted her attention.
Maybe because of the remote location of the town, almost nobody had ever come here since the old world ended. Most of the people who lived in the town had turned into zombies, and the surviving ones had all run away. Therefore, this place was left empty. 
Earlier on, Lin Qiao had found many useful things in the store. 
The road she was driving on was located behind the town. She didn't expect to pass by a farm; or to be precise, she didn't think that there would be a seemingly large farm behind the town. 
She parked the car by the roadside, then stuck her head out to look at the vast expanse of green plants, even though the whole world was black and white in her eyes. 
Many vegetable plastic greenhouses were still present on the farm. They were abandoned long ago, so most of the plastic clothes on these greenhouses were gone, leaving the frames standing there. 
However, many vegetables were still growing under these frames disorderedly. The vegetables in each greenhouse were of one variety, and a total of about two acres of land in the farm was used for growing vegetables. 
At a glance, Lin Qiao found the plants of all kinds of beans, potatoes, peanuts, and all sorts of melons; but sadly, over ninety percent of them seemed to have mutated. 
She couldn't see colors, but could feel the virus inside these plants. She was now not only able to sense the energy of the lake water, but was also able to sensitively feel many other things. That might have something to do with what happened to her down in the lake, but she couldn't tell for sure. 
She got off the car and sent the Wu Yueling into her space, then brought Junjun out of the small space. 
She had made a rule for Junjun—she needed to come out of the space while Wu Yueling was in there, and if she wanted to get in, Lin Qiao would bring the little girl out. 
At that point, Junjun trusted Lin Qiao more than before, so she left the little boy in the space without worrying too much, and came out along with the latter. 
Once out, she found that they were standing by a roadside, facing a farm. In her eyes, the world was still colorless
She glanced at Lin Qiao in confusion, then the latter gave her a note. 
'Stay here. I'll go down to take a look. You be careful in here. If any human being shows up, you should hide or find me.'
After that, Lin Qiao leaped into the vegetable field. The field hadn't been taken care of for long, so it was overgrown with weeds, looking very waste.
When Lin Qiao arrived here, the thing she caught the first with her sharp eyes was the orchard on a hill on the other side. Only after that did she find the vegetable field down here. 
She was attracted by these vegetables because she suddenly wanted to see if there were still some edible vegetables which hadn't mutated yet. 
She now had two living human beings in her space, and not just a single one. She couldn't feed them both with nothing but strawberries, could she?
Most importantly, she sensed the scent of something edible for her from the orchard, meaning some kind of animal was in there!
After eating a mouse and a rabbit the last time, she hadn't eaten anything for a long time. Even though the lack of food wouldn't do much harm to her body, she always felt her teeth itchy, throat dry, and stomach grumbling, because she was staying with Wu Yueling all day.
She wanted to eat meat!
She glanced at the vegetables and weeds under her feet after stepping into the field. Walking for a while, she found some tangled vines covering the ground, but most of them carried the virus. 
She squatted to look at the pumpkins on the vines. The melons were gray in her eyes. Then, she turned back and glanced at the vines and leaves. The leaves were gray as well, but the vines were black, tinged with a weird purple color. 
She knew that the strange purple color she saw was the virus itself. 
She couldn't see the virus before, but now she could. 
Except for the bright green color of the energy contained in the lake water, she could now see another color which living human beings couldn't see. 
What made her feel strange was that both the pumpkins and the leaves were free from the virus, and the virus was concentrated in the vines. 
Why did that happen?
Looking at the weird-looking large pumpkin in front of her, Lin Qiao scratched it with her claws. 
The size of the pumpkin was the same as that of normal pumpkins in the old world. What made it different from the normal pumpkins was the awfully twisted stripes on its skin. 
Lin Qiao touched the pumpkin with both hands, then confirmed that it was free from the virus. It just looked weird because of the stripes on its skin, seeming to form a twisted human face! No human being would dare to touch this pumpkin, because 'don't touch strange mutant plants' had become a common sense since the old world ended. 
The survivors in the post-apocalyptic world wouldn't touch any plant unless they wanted to be affected by the zombie virus. 
Lin Qiao too felt that the plants in this post-apocalyptic world were strange. The ones which looked completely abnormal and mutant-like were actually non-poisonous, such as the strawberries in her space. And this pumpkin in front of her was mutant indeed, but the virus was contained in its vines instead of its fruits; which meant it was safe for healthy human beings as long as they didn't touch its vines. 
At the same time, some plants looked normal, but weren't. 
Lin Qiao looked at the hairy gourd plant next to her and found that it looked quite normal. She couldn't see its color, but it was of a normal shape at least. However, Lin Qiao had sensed a metallic scent from its fruits.
She didn't know how would that metallic scent affect human beings, but she saw that it was emitted from the virus inside the plant. 
After glancing at the surrounding plants, Lin Qiao stood up and gently raised a foot, walking toward the orchard quietly. She had decided to fill her stomach first, then come back to study these vegetables and fruits. 
Two types of trees were planted in the orchard: peaches and pears. The orchard was large, but most of the trees in it were mutant, rich in the virus. 
Lin Qiao sniffed at these trees. Their scent wasn't pleasant, but wasn't repulsive to her either, probably because she too had the virus inside her body. 
Apart from the scent of the trees, she had also sensed something else from deep in the orchard. It was a sweet aroma which boosted her sense of hunger. 
She followed the aroma which attracted her, quietly walking toward its source. She might have automatically begun to prepare for the hunting, as she instinctively restrained her vibe and gently moved toward the source of the aroma like a cat, without making any sound.


Lin Qiao remembers nothing from the past five years since the post-apocalyptic era began. She wakes up only to find herself having become a newborn, superpowered zombie, in a body that used to belong to an evil and notorious woman!

Having kidnapped a girl and raped her father, the previous host met her demise at the very hands of the conspiracies she courted all her life, leaving Lin Qiao no choice but to deal with the consequences while trying to figure out her own past and the fate of her loved ones. 

As for the little girl’s father, can’t he just have a decent fight? He’s a human being, but why is he biting a zombie? She’s the zombie! She’s the one who’s supposed to bite! 

If I had to picture this as a well running little league team then, all the troop members here are the kids. Most as excited to play but they're....lost on what to do. Grampa is the soccer mom that signed them up and dropped them off while cheering on the stands. Meanwhile, father is the coach that has to organize this ragtag amateur team together putting who goes where.

I get to be an assistant little league coach. 

Does that make sense? Yeah good enough for me.

It's a lot of work ordering people around, much more than you would think. I know it sounds pretentious but it's a headache for father to place certain people here or there. Somehow he knows these particular troop members don't get along and shouldn't be placed together. The more strength-based folks get ground-based harvesting and carrying work while the endurance or speed users are picking fruit. Anyone with logistic skills or smarts gets placed with helping the farmers organized or being assigned a mini team leader. It takes a lot of work to get this ragtag team of volunteers working as efficiently and smoothly as they do.

I also know that while it's more practical and economical, father doesn't actually like doing this. He's very good at it and there's something satisfying to it but he rather be slowly picking the vegetables himself, watching how chickens lay eggs, or making more wheels both large and small. Maybe aweing over another common appliance not used among noble circles. 

What strange hobbies he has. 

The harvest season is not a time to play father! Can't you see all the farmers working so hard?! This is the most important time of year for them. Let's get these grains!

Somehow my scolding seems to motivate him into doing a better job. I was yelling at you, not praising you. Why are you so happy and energetic?

What strange hobbies this man has.

Sometimes I fear I'm pushing it with my behavior, breaking the lines of what's excusable or not. But this family is just odd like that. Especially father, it seems the more I speak out or be typical 'Rosalia' demanding, the more they seem to like it?

It's very confusing. This isn't how good girl are supposed to behave? Not that I was planning on being a very proper noblewoman in the first place but why does it seem that my family encourages this?

It's easy to see how the previous Rosalia adopted her spoiled rich girl sort of behavior. Being quiet and polite never got her anywhere.  But asking for things, commanding for them, did get her hints of the attention she was so desperate for. What concerning parenting.  

I'll just blame grampa, that's the easiest solution to everything. A lot of things are most likely at least partially his fault anyways. Gable could testify to that I'm sure. 

For now though let's just help keep father on track with the volunteer little league harvest team.

"Father, get back here. You can't hide from your problems in the field all day. You're too big to blend in with the carrots."

He really is, and human shaped too. Why is father being so childish?

"Now Chippy dear, it's not hiding. I'm clearly inspecting the utilization of the new compost fertilizer. "

"No one put fertilizer there, there are none on the ground veggies. Get out of the dirt and back to the troops, they're going to destroy something. " 

"Your grandfather is with them."

"Then they're definitely going to break or set fire to something."

"They've been assigned to a villager, it's fine. Look at these beans, did you know the local diet is largely made up of such legumes. A fascinating staple! Don't they get tired of the plain mushy taste? "

"That's why spices are expensive father."

"But it comes in so many colors. What are the differences between them? We should hold one of your taste testing sessions."

"Father we are not having a bean tasting, you don't have time. But if we did it should be a whole autumn harvest tasting like a festival with chestnuts, pumpkins and all the goods in the nearby area- .... wait you're distracting me!"

"A local festival? On top of the harvest? That would certainly draw in a crowd and hmmmm..."

"Wait no! Father stop going off on strange ideas and get back to work!"

Who listens to their toddler so seriously?! He's actually sincerely considering it, I can tell from the strange glazed over look in his eyes. I'm truly getting more and more worried for my father's actual work. How did this man ever make prime minister the last time around? 

Actually...can he ever make prime minster at this rate?

He's been on the land and around home far too much this year to be a good contender as of late. Sure the construction and farm improvement projects are important to me but what about your political career? 

It's not too late you know?

It can't be helped because it's the busy harvest time right now and I'm selfishly using him but afterward, during winter, father should get back to his real job. I should be a little less selfish after all and release him.

But how? He's become such a farm nerd! He's been out so much that he's beginning to get freckles on his nose and cheeks! Just look at him! I had to use up my first batch of sunblock oil on him!

"But they're nutritionally so complete, how versatile. Like tiny little potatoes. So many miniature potatoes in a pod. I should have brought my sketching booklet. Come take a look Chip!"

This is stupid and I am not at all tempted by the production and great variety of beans.

I am merely admitting that they are a very quick crop to grow that's both nutritious for the people and nitrogen enriching to the soil. What a good cover crop! 

An excellent crop in my anti-famine plans, if dried they can be stored for an extremely long time. The protein content in them is packing and they're are so nutritionally complete but far less starchy than potatoes. Sure they don't taste as addictive with butter but they're better for you and can be used to stretch traditional grain flours. Beans are vastly superior to potatoes if we consider health, application, and variety!

"How fascinating! Such an amazingly useful little thing. I also hear the locals do use it to subsidize in bread and even simple cakes.  Well, I'll look forward to tasting whatever new bean dishes you'll come up with Chip."

"..."

Oops. I did it again. What is wrong with my mouth? 

Whose's thinking out loud gene is responsible for this? How have I not been put to the stakes yet as a baby witch? Is it the magical world setting? I feel that most men would and should still be terrified of the things that come out of my mouth. They shouldn't react like...well...father does. 

Hey wait, I got distracted again! Damn, he's quite good at that. 

"Father get back to work!"

"Ah I've worked so much since early morning, it's such a headache.  It should be fine with so many hands right? Let's harvest the beans. Ahhh don't be in such a rush to get back to those brutes Chip my dear. "

Somehow my small little hands are successfully tugging him back towards the organizational center. I may be getting stronger but I'm not that strong. Father may be a nerd but he's a very well trained and healthy adult. He's too heavy and obviously just messing around with me.

"No."

"Surely there's no fun for you in going back to the others? Nothing but sweat and screaming, yes we shouldn't distract them."

"No."

"What about the rice? You adore rice, let's go look at them thrashing the rice. We're trying out the second revision to your wonderful spinning wheeled thrasher. "

"No."

"The pumpkins? Did you know they can grow as long as a serpent? Why don't we-"

By then we're spotted by a rush of frantic village elders.

"Lord Frederick! Oh thank the goddess you've returned! Your men!!! They're trying to transport goods by flinging things across the fields! The whole fields!!! It's raining pumpkin and squashes! They've gone so high they'be hit and took down migrating birds with them!"

"...That's.....unfortunate."

"Oh look father! You wanted to see the pumpkins! Yes, let's get to work and go see them raining pumpkins."

"Rosalia my darling, are you hungry? Tired? Well look at that I should be taking my poor little girl to rest and-"

"To the pumpkins. Go. Now."

It's a lot of work being the assistant little league coach but apparently someone has to do it.

The day quickly turns to night. It really is like a school field trip. The most economical plans to our trip without interfering too much time wise have been planned down 4 days and 3 nights. That's plenty of time for these superhuman muscle heads to speed up the harvest with the heavy work. 

The messenger bird from Mother says she's not all that pleased but wishes us much love and safety. And that I should be careful in wearing my hats to protect my hair. At least that's what I was allowed to read. Father got a separate letter, sealed with mother's crest, which he promptly burned after reading. 

Ah a whipped husband has it hard too. Fighting father, I believe in your gross couple-ness.  Bring her back a romantic present or something. 

Oh, I should take my own advice and find a peace offering to save my own hide. I swear mother didn't instill such a strange instinctual fear in me the last life. Perhaps a linen dress? Something not medievally ugly?

I don't get to camp out with the rest of the troop members but I do get to relax and play around their campgrounds until it's time for father to take me away for the night into the village home we're staying in. Then it's lockdown bedtime for me. 

Not as fun as staying with the others but understandable. Father is oddly worried about me enough as it is. Besides, it's not like I don't see them every day we're out here. 

Maybe because it's a new experience for most everyone, it seems to be more fun than actual work. Even my chefs are having a good time working directly with the ingredients, well of course they would. 

I do know father is definitely using the free labor for all he can get outside of the harvest. That includes compost mixing, cover crop planting, and even construction work. 

I don't know when this started but apparently, he's designed and already building a new bridge too. 

Hey, father, you're going to have never ending projects stacked up at this rate. Don't look so pleased at this. Go back to your court job! It's not healthy to overwork yourself juggling so much!

The villagers here are extremely grateful for the aid. It seems like an aging population as more and more young people leave to the cities and places with better prospects. 

Ah, I see the point in the bridge and all the construction projects focused here now. Good thinking father. Let's smooth out and boost this economy! It makes much more sense than raising their taxes or some other villainy thing. 

The time passed so quickly when you're on a school trip and we're somehow on the last day already!
It hasn't all been good and fun though.

I've gained another nickname. 

"Rosalia my healthy little growing pumpkin! Are you ready for your first ending harvest tradition! Yes, it is that glorious time, everyone's favorite time, to make fresh hams and sausages!"

"....no."

"Do not be afraid pumpkin! Grampapa is here to show you the way!"

"....no."

I blame grampa. I hate grampa. Someone, please stop his menacing horror. Mama? Gable please come back and put a leash on him or something!

The pumpkin throwing on the first day unexpectedly gave both grampa and me vivid flashbacks to that unfortunate time. You know, when I got catapulted to a giant bird? 

We got some fresh K.O. geese and mashed pumpkins for dinner that day. It was delicious but was it really worth it? Yeah, that hit too close to home and the resemblance to that time was exactly on point.

So thus there's this terrible name.

"It's kind of cute. Right? Don't people here use 'pumpkin' as a term of affection?"

"No no no you don't get it Amar! It's a bad joke to grampa! A terrible joke! I'm the pumpkin! The things being thrown through the air!"

"Well um, you are the size of a pumpkin?"

I smack the other child in the shoulder, careful to avoid his healed head, because that clearly does not help his point. It proves mine! 

There are no young kids around here besides us and maybe a few village children, and even then they're not very fun to talk too. Ah it's hard getting along with others my age when you're not a real child. Lilyanne is my only exception. 

"Aren't pumpkins really sweet and yummy? It's a good thing right?"

"He's saying I'm a good bird bullet! A throwable vegetable!"

"You do look easy to throw."

For a moment I regret and reconsider my impulsive decision to rant to the kid again. But I cannot deny that I am small, handheld even if we're talking about grampa. Being a toddler sucks.

"Waaah! Look Rosalia, they're moving on to the hogs! It looks tasty."

"Oh...fun. I wonder how much bacon that makes?"

It's a lively scene as what appears to be the entire farming village community and all the troops gather around to slaughter the fattened livestock. The standard farm animals more or less, though they look a lot bigger than the ones I'm used to from my world. It's not just my small size speaking, these things are not standard earth goats, pigs and cows. How much do these things eat?

In a rural place like this without much entertainment, even something like this is exciting to converge around and watch. As a village though, I see the great importance behind it.

The livestock that's been raised so carefully for so long will now become important food for us. 

This isn't the only time of year people slaughter animals for meat but the autumn harvest is special. Everyone gets together to prep this meat to last for winter in all sorts of ways. It's a communuity effort. Maybe that's why grampa was so excited about it, in a provincial way it's like an event and a way to pass down survival knowledge to the next generation.

Plenty of the troop members come from a small country village themselves and this sort of thing is exciting and nostalgic to them. Their energy is contagious.  

Ah so this is what a village really looks like, that's the kind of thoughts I get. It's nice.

The coming together and a community part, not the hang upside down and slaughter of the live animals part. I'm not queezy. I've taken college biology and dissection. I've chased down and turned a live rooster into a roast before. But these things are big! Big and bloody.

"Are you okay Rosalia?" asked Amar, noticing the way I grimaced.

"It stinks! And there's a lot of blood."

"Oh yeah, the draining is messy. The smell is also really bad. Before slaughter day you're supposed starve and chase the animals around so their guts are empty. This is the first time I've seen it done here, I don't think they did a very good job with that. Is it a last meal thing? Huh that person is holding the knife off, they're going to miss the vein, look." 

I'm looking.

True to Amar's word the amateur teenagers are messing up on their first hog. They miss and panic as the hog squeals and wildly struggles. It's an absolute mess. 

Blood is everywhere.

They're panicking too much, the stab cuts are too shallow or in the wrong spots and leaking. It's not a clean job like it's supposed to be. It's supposed to drain over the bucket but it's splattering like a bad horror movie effect, the wrong vein is cut.

Blood is spilling everywhere.

The ground, the teenagers, everywhere. 

The crowd.  They watch, that's all they do. They're just watching so the kids, legally adults, can do it on their own. They're all yelling and it's too loud. It's supposed to be a lesson for them but....

Blood.

Bloody hands.

Bloody blades.

Bloody boys all around.

Whose blood is it?

What am I seeing here?

Where am I?

"You can't escape now." a cold voice rings out within the crowd.

More and more voices grow louder, jeering, cursing all sorts of profanity. All finely dressed young men, teenagers basically.  Why?

So much blood.

The ground isn't common dirt, it isn't grass, it's cold, beautiful marble. It stinks of perfume and blood, it stinks it stinks it stinks. This isn't right? This...

What's going on?!

"How could you?! Your own sister?"

"Hell, she's not dying!"

"Thought you could run did you?!"

"It's not good enough, a demonic witch like you needs to burn!"

"Is she crying!? The bitch can actually cry!? I thought devils couldn't feel pain!"

"How dare you!? How dare you taint our pure Lily with your filth!"

"Just die already!!! Free her! Free us!"

Arms, legs, back, torso, the head. They keep stabbing with a sickening crunch and squelch. 

Amateurs. Nothing but violent weak boys who never held a real weapon, never taken a life with their own hands. 

Until now.

The roses are rich in bloom. It must be summer. It stinks it stinks it stinks. I hate roses, I hate the smell of such thick perfume. I can't breathe!

Is the blood or the flowers?! There's so much, oh god there's just so much. 

There's a crowd, why is there a crowd? What are they watching? Why are they watching?! Why are they just standing there watching!

The marble stairs above are absolutely covered in a trail of red. Flowers or blood? I don't know! I don't know! Why does it matter?

Her bones are broken, they must be! The long haired girl in a torn gown splayed at the bottom of the stairs is nothing but a broken red doll. Broken jewels and gems sparkle almost magically in the moonlight. The red is so horribly beautiful. 

Everything is so loud but it's not her screaming. She can't. There's blood, so much blood. She's choking on her own blood! 

"Die die die god you devil woman just die already!"

Why? Why is there so much blood? So much hate? It's so scary, so painful. 

I can't breathe.

I'm choking too.

Why am I choking? 

A scream, the most horrible wretched scream I have ever heard comes from above.

At the top of the gleaming staircase, there is an angelic woman in white screaming like a madwoman as she rushed down, full gown and all. The red is ruining her perfectly pretty dress and she screams herself hoarse.

"ROSALIA!!!"

"Rosa? Rosalia!!! Lord Commander come quick! There's something wrong with Rosalia!!!"

The farm, the crowd- I'm back. 

I can feel myself falling against the solid support of skinny arms and then, the world goes black.

-----

You've probably heard this sort of story before.

 

Once upon a time, blah blah blah a boy and a girl fell love and everything was beautiful and perfect, except for this thing called life getting in their way. 

He was this cool foreign prince and she was basically perfect. Really it's a very boring run of the mill story. I'll even spoil it for you, they kill the villainess at the end.

Not the type of story I'd read personally.


So where do I fit into this?

Apparently I'm her older twin sister and the very very lucky fiance to the foreign prince. You know, the dead villainess? Sucks I know. 

Now I get to do it all over again from the beginning.

Curse my life


------

Updates at least 2x a week,

----

Early the next morning the castle began to smell of the sweet fragrance of pumpkins being baked. The sweet smells continued all day and only served to whet the student's appetites. Rowan pulls her cloak a bit tighter around her as the chill of the dungeons seems to seep into her bones. After all, it was already almost November and the dungeons would only become colder with the passing of time.

"Excellent work class keep stirring those cauldrons or else the potion will stick," Professor Slughorn advised.

Rowan sighs and takes her stirring ladle and begins to properly stir as her hands begin to become chilly once more. Potions class seems to drag forever, when at last Professor Slughorn says, "Ladles up!"

Everyone does so as Professor Slughorn comes over and checks each worm-tail potion with the last being their group. As usual, Professor Slughorn beams at Severus and Lily who are two of his best students. With some hesitation, Professor Slughorn checks Rowan's potion to find that only is it the right color, but the right density and all. "Miss Prince, excellent work!" Professor Slughorn excitedly said, no doubt thinking Rowan was turning a new leaf.

"There weren't any living ingredients this time," Rowan flatly stated.

Professor Slughorn's enthusiasm dampens as he says, "Well no matter, you've improved considerably, Miss Prince." Rowan nods her head at Professor Slughorn before everyone begins to gather their things and eagerly depart to get ready for the Hallowe'en Feast.

Bethanie, Tiffany, and Silvia are exited as they brush their hair and straighten their robes. Rowan just nods at them, before heading downstairs. The minute she steps out of the stairs, "C'mon," Severus excitedly said as he grabs Rowan by the sleeve and drags her way.

"Took you long enough," Terry Greengrass said with a grin as he waited for them at the entrance of the common room.

The three of them make their way to the great hall to find that thousands of bats flutter from the ceiling and walls while others swoop over tables like black clouds as the breeze from their wings cause the candles within the small jack-o-lanterns to sputter. On the floor against the walls are vast carved giant pumpkins large enough for three grown men to sit down. However, unlike the two of them, Rowan's face pales at seeing the bats fluttering about. 

"Bat Guano," Rowan sickly thought. "How on Earth can an enchanted school be so unsanitary?!"

Severus doesn't notice Rowan's damp enthusiasm and drags her towards the Slytherin table. Taking a seat, Terry whispers, "There's supposed to be a Ghost Waltz done by the Hogwarts ghosts later and at the end of the night, I heard that Dumbledore hired a troop of skeletons to play!"

"How exciting," Rowan damply said.

Terry either doesn't notice her tone of voice or doesn't care as he and Severus excitedly chatter. Rowan sighs as she closes her eyes and pretends to ignore the flutter of the bat wings. She didn't know when, but soon everything would start on Alastor's end. Either way, tonight would decide if the official and future potential Death Eater base at Hogwarts would be destroyed or if it would thrive as it originally did.

The tables quickly fill and finally grow silent as Dumbledore rises and says, "Welcome! And enjoy our traditional Hallowe'en feast!"

The students let out a cheer as much like at the sorting hat ceremony food appears onto their golden plates and pumpkin juice or cider appear in their golden goblets. On the plates, before them, there are candy-filled pumpkins, candy apples, black cauldrons filled with lollipops, carrot cake bats, orange streamers, goblets made of colored candy, and so much more to feast the eyes.

Rowan tactfully decides that even if there was bat guano it couldn't possibly get into all the candy and should be safe to eat. With that firm resolution in mind, Rowan digs in and begins to eat. While they eat, everyone laughs and drinks and at one-point Rowan's eyes even meet that of Lucius Malfoy. Lucius merely tilts his goblet at her as if in acknowledgment and then returns to his conversation.

Having stuffed candy into their cloaks and flinched a few lanterns from the table filled with candy, Rowan, Severus, and Terry innocently hide their sweets underneath their bulging cloaks. With dinner finished the food disperses off the tables as a skeleton band appears and begins to play a waltz. From the walls, ghostly figures emerge and begin to dance in formation.

The students let out cries of awe as Rowan even applauds in approval at the end of the waltz. Once the clapping dies down, Dumbledore says, "Please enjoy, The Bones!"

The tables suddenly slide back with the students to only clear a dancing space before them. The Bones kick into a funky jam, Warr. Rowan suddenly begins to bob her head and instantly says, "Here take this," and shoves her cloak and food into Severus lap.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Severus exclaimed as Terry's eyes widen in utter shock.

"The dancefloor, this is my jam," Rowan said with a smile. Without a word, Rowan points at Wilkes with her finger and beckons him over.

Wilkes grins and says, "Finally a fearless dance partner!"

Without a care in the world, Wilkes leaps over the gaping Slytherins and says, "Let's go!" Hand in hand, a much smaller figure, and a rather tall figure arrive on the empty dance floor. And without a care in the world, the two begin to dance to the great junky jam. 

The undeterred Gryffindor's suddenly spring into action not about to be left by behind by two measly Slytherin's. Soon the dance floor fills with couples and friends just bobbing to the beat.

After a minute, Terry faintly says, "I thought Rowan hated social activities."

"So, did I," Severus said in shock.

"Apparently not," Terry dryly commented.

Once the song finished, Rowan danced back to them and said, "Life is short you two. Who knows this might be our last night together, so let's go out with a bang!"

"NO, Rowan, NO!" Severus futilely protested to no avail as she dragged Severus onto the dancefloor, while Terry abandoned their cloaks and food at the table. Because who frankly cared? And indeed, so to speak it was quite the memorable night.

Before there ever was a boy that ever lived in a cupboard on Four Privet Drive, there was a similar boy in a far worse home that lived on Spinner’s End. We all know the tale of that abused boy who grew up to become a bitter spy. But not all tales end the same for in the many parallel worlds that exist in the universe there are far better endings, and equally as many worse ones. This is a tale of one such condemned universe that for better or for worse chooses to change its own fate.

(All rights to the Harry Potter world and characters belong solely to J. K. Rowling. However, I do claim creative fanfiction rights. Please do not post my fanfiction elsewhere without my express permission. This work will also be partially hosted at RoyalRoad, Wattpadd, and Archive.)

smashing pumpkins

Pumpkins

The Citadel of Mariana

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