Castle of Black Iron - Chapter 23: The Poor Lord

In the Tranquil Sun province of the empire, there exists an unremarkable lordship known as Xue Ying Territory! This is the home of the Dong Bo clan, the clan of our hero Xue Ying!

His father, a commoner turned noble; his mother, a noble who abandoned her clan for love, and his brother, an innocent toddler. But peace cannot last forever, Xue Ying’s peaceful life is shattered, and the only way to reclaim it is through power!

- Description from novelupdates

Chen Meilan was reborn, finding herself back in 1988 when she had been abandoned by her nouveau riche ex-husband and was struggling to raise her daughter alone.Her ex-husband had left her with a large courtyard house in the suburbs and a bank balance with four zeros.In her previous life, Chen Meilan’s pride had caused her to lose both of these assets, a decision she later deeply regretted.Yan Zhaocai had just returned from the battlefield, decorated with medals for his valor in the war of self-defense.Yet he voluntarily gave up his honors, transferred back to his hometown, and joined the police force. As soon as he arrived, he received divorce papers from his wife.After reporting to the police station, Yan Zhaocai, with his child in tow, was urgently seeking a place to settle down.Chen Meilan, with her rural household registration, couldn’t legally own the courtyard house given by her ex-husband. She too was in a desperate situation.At this moment, someone brought Yan Zhaocai to meet her.Yan Zhaocai was drawn to the fact that she also had a child. He thought that if he could be accommodating, she wouldn’t mistreat his child.Chen Meilan observed this man in his military uniform, tall and well-built, with a stern face. She remembered that in her previous life, it was his uncompromising integrity at work that had landed the nouveau riche and his mistress in jail after a coal mine collapse.Suddenly, she realized this man was quite a catch. Definitely marriage material!And so, their blissful second marriage began…

I was just your average student—no special talents, no grand dreams, and most importantly… no girlfriend. My days were spent grinding through life, with my only true passion being games, mangas, and web novels.Every day, I’d see couples walking by, holding hands, whispering sweet nothings, and I’d think, Hell yeah! When's it my turn?! I mean, I deserve a cute girlfriend too, right? Someone to hold, someone to kiss—just once, please!But, of course, life had other plans.One second, I was daydreaming about romance. The next? BAM! Truck-kun hit me with the ultimate rejection letter—straight to another world. When I opened my eyes, I realized I had reincarnated... but not as the hero, not even as the sidekick. Nope. I got stuck as some low-level villain—a total extra—the kind that exists just to get one-shot by the protagonist in the early chapters.The good news? I know this game inside out.The bad news? The whole world is out to kill me.But if they think I'm going down that easily, they're in for a surprise. Using my game knowledge, I'll dodge every death flag, exploit every loophole, and rise to the top! And hey, if I end up with a harem of gorgeous girls along the way? Well… let’s call it a happy bonus!This is my story—where I rewrite my destiny, break the game, and maybe... just maybe... finally get that kiss!Support this Shameless Author with Power Stones Gifts and Golden Tickets

As someone who had always aspired to live a laid-back life, Xu Lin received the news of his hometown’s old house’s demolition at the age of 24. As a result he would be compensated with about 5 million. But before he could grasp the feeling of being a second-generation displaced person , he blinked and found himself back in the green years of being 17.Now, he had to embrace the “salted fish” state once again and wait for another 7 years. Despite his initial thoughts, a peculiar thing happened due to a confession incident, disrupting his plans.[Congratulations Host on activating the Twelve Zodiac Love System!]Thus his fate became entangled with 12 different types of girls…