12 O'Clock Marionette - Chapter 44

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.

Mu Qi, the owner of dual abilities, was killed in the final battle between humans and the Zombie King.

Good news, Mu Qi passed through after his death.
Bad news, dressed as a non-human.

Mu Qi, who was seriously injured just after passing through, was rescued by Lu Zhao who was in the middle of the exercise.
Mu Qi, who was just recovering from a serious injury, was forced to accept that he was expelled from his membership and became a male worm.

However, before he could adapt to the Zerg, his life-saving benefactor squatted into the orange with a black pot on his back.
Mu Qi was preparing to save his life-saving benefactor non-stop, and then found that he was off the list.

Mu Qi: ignorant.jpg
**
Imperial Major General Lu Zhao was convicted of attacking a male worm and caused serious injury, and faced compensation for star coins, which led to his bankruptcy and even his life.
Except for his boss and the female in the same army, no one believed that he was wronged. He was already ready to die, until that night, a male with black hair and black eyes stood in front of the cell and asked he.

“Are you willing to be my second metamorphosis guide female?”

The male worm brought him hope, cleared him of his suspicions, and let him return to the military, giving him all the freedom and tolerance he could not imagine.
Lu Zhao thought that he was willing to do anything for Mu Qi.
**
The marriage of Imperial Blade was not optimistic at first. The bugs on the star network were ready to watch jokes, but they did not want to start with a live broadcast trial, and things developed out of control.

“Shocking my female father for a hundred years, it turns out that the Zerg really has such male insects?”
“House bugs, beat me up on the public screen!”
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have made a conclusion without authorization from the beginning, otherwise I wouldn’t have been slapped in the face to the point of being swollen…”

Comments similar to the above have appeared frequently on the star network since then.

Edible Guidelines:
Main attack, more males than females
may have raw eggs
Writing novice, logic feeds the dog
(Since I cut my legs and let it fly, I can’t write the previous stalks and change them. If you mind, you can delete QAQ)

Content tags: Qiangqiang through time and space interstellar sweet text

Search keywords: Protagonist: Mu Qi, Lu Zhao ┃ Supporting roles: Wei An, Samuel, Lacey ┃ Others:

- Description from novelbuddy

When her once-wealthy family falls into ruin, Elara Vance has only one option to protect them: marry the man responsible for their downfall, Damien Arclight, a ruthless business tycoon with a hidden vendetta.What begins as a cold-blooded deal soon spirals into a web of secrets, betrayals, and dangerous desires. Elara must navigate high society, corporate warfare, and her growing feelings for the enemy she swore to hate, all while uncovering the truth behind her family's collapse.Is love even possible when the marriage starts as a trap? And will the truth destroy them both?Genres: Romance, Drama, Enemies-to-Lovers, Revenge, High SocietyThemes: Arranged marriage, family loyalty, slow-burn romance, power play

On a continent where every soul is born with a Seal that defines their destiny, there is no place for the weak.“Mo Bai” son of the Demonic Seal Sect, had his childhood stained in blood—forced by his own father to kill at the age of six.With only average talent but an unbreakable will, he enters the Demonic Academy, where his journey begins—to prove that sheer will can shatter all limits… and even rewrite the very laws of the Seal.Tags:1. Unique Cultivation System2. Dark Fantasy3. Cunning Protagonist4. Evil MC5. Anti-Hero6. Power Absorption7. Martial Arts8. Sect Politics9. Intelligent MC10. Villainous MC11. World Building12. Psychological13. Twisted Morality14. Mystery15. No Romance16. Gore17. Average Talent18. Betrayal19. Survival20. Slow Burn Power Progression21. Cold-Hearted MC22. Scheming23. Dark World24. Tragic Past25. Growth Through Suffering26. No System27. Morally Gray MC28. Descent Into Darkness29. Heaven-Defying30. Clans and Bloodlines