How to Survive at the Academy - Chapter 257

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

Yu Sui and Shi Luo met each other when they were much younger. One was a pro-gamer, a widely-renowned, best of the best, in-game medic. The other was an e-sports newcomer who was just starting out. The two originally played for the same team, during which their relationship became increasingly deep.

Wen Zhi had a treasure, which allowed her to enter other people's dreams.Therefore, on her first day residing at the Shang family residence, she decided to explore Lady Shang's dreams first, to curry favor with her by pandering to her preferences...But an accidental bug occurred, and the person who ended up sharing Wen Zhi's dream was the person in charge of the Shang family, and her best friend's cousin, Shang Hexing!To figure out whether it was her own dream or a shared one, Wen Zhi discreetly told her best friend, “Your cousin has a red mole on his chest.”Her best friend, horrified, warned her, “My cousin is an unattainable flower, cold-hearted and solely focused on his career. There's no future between you two.”Wen Zhi was relieved. This must be her own dream.Recently, Shang Hexing had been troubled by frequent dreams at night.In those dreams, the same woman always appeared, with a delicate and soft body and a sweet, mellow voice that completely mesmerized him.It wasn't until he noticed that the young girl his mother had taken in was recently looking at him with panicked eyes...

After his death, Bern awakens 10 years into the past as the third prince of Kailis, the enemy country.