MTL - Sailing: Stealing Sauron’s Talents at the Beginning - Chapter 56

Keita Sumeragi was a man of dreams—once a hopeful mangaka who poured his soul into heartfelt tales of romance, comedy, and friendship. But the world never smiled back. Readers ignored him. Publishers laughed. And when the only offer he got was to draw the one thing he hated—NTR (Netorare)—he refused.Until life left him no choice.His wife walked out. His daughter starved. And when his first NTR manuscript was complete, the publisher gave the job to someone else.Broken, guilty, and hollow, Keita leapt from the rooftop with a bitter smile—Only to awaken in the world of his own rejected NTR manga.In this twisted realm, he’s reborn as the main protagonist—handsome, popular, and surrounded by women with all-too-familiar faces. His sweet and kind “motherly” wife resembles the wife who left him. His seductive stepsister has the same eyes as his daughter once did.In this warped erotic hell, where anyone can be seduced—teachers, aunts, even grandmothers—Keita must face his deepest guilt, his darkest fantasies, and the genre he once despised.Because in this world, NTR is fate.And the story must go on.

Shao Qing grew up in the orphanage. In order to survive he went to school during the day and worked part-time at a restaurant during night, becoming a proficient cook. He was looking for his parents when he got into a traffic accident and died. He was reborn into decades before and activated the portable space in his jade pendant. He grew many kinds of flowers, planted trees and sold fruits, opened a restaurant and filmed videos.

In this time when internet celebrities are all on the rage, I must stand above the other shows.

Boss Ling Senhao: Lately I’ve taken a liking to this one person. Long legs, slender waist, really good at acting and the key point is he makes good food. Say, should I sign him or should I sign him?
Mo Shaoqing: So we only agree to work together?
Everyone: Male god Mo’s food is so delicious *cries*
Mo Shaoqing: Actually I’m a cook who’d being held back by my acting work!

In short, this is a gourmet internet celebrity. He started with private kitchen, exploded from forums to weibo then to the entertainment world, from China to overseas, getting the attention of everyone.

The guide to eating:
1. There’s a little bun, but the main character doesn’t have double gender.
2. Sunny handsome fine dining expert Shou × half-chinese foodie elite Gong.
3. Last year’s, mainly about good food, a bit of Xuanhuan, as well as some showbiz.
4. (Mary) Sue novel, there’s a golden finger.

- Description from Novelupdates

Isabella was supposed to be sipping champagne at a luxury spa, not waking up in the middle of a forest. Worse, a SYSTEM had attached itself to her like some clingy ex, spouting nonsense about survival, quests, and—oh, hell no—manual labor.“System, I was NOT built for the wilderness! My ideal ‘roughing it’ experience involves a five-star hotel with bad WiFi!”Now, instead of lounging in silk robes, she’s being ordered to farm? To hunt?“A farming quest? You want me—a city girl—to grow food? System, I once killed a cactus by overwatering it. This is NOT my calling!”And don’t even get her started on the hygiene situation.“You want me to bathe in a cold river? Darling, I require warm water, scented oils, and an ambience! What do I look like—some barbarian?!”Unfortunately, the locals—big, muscular beastmen—don’t seem to understand the concept of self-care. The women? Neglecting their skin like it’s a crime to be radiant. The men? Walking hygiene disasters.“Ladies, if your man can smell you before he sees you, we have a problem.”“You see this? This is lotion. It exists so you don’t look like a dried-up leaf. Use it.”“A beard should be majestic, not tragic. Let me fix it.”And the beastmen? They don’t just stare at her like she’s an oddity. No, they hover. They smirk. They lean in too close, fangs flashing with amusement.“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she huffed, crossing her arms.The panther grinned, his tail flicking. “Because you’re fascinating when you’re annoyed.”No, absolutely not. She was not here for this nonsense.“If you have time to stare, you have time to moisturize.”She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t ask to be their savior. But if she has to suffer through this world, she’s making everyone around her suffer less—through skincare, style, and some serious attitude.“If I hear one more ‘We don’t season our food here,’ I’m launching a war.”“If you have time to gossip, you have time to do squats.”“You want to impress a woman? Start with not smelling like the battlefield.”Survival isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about looking good while doing it. So what if the System keeps throwing impossible quests her way?“What do you mean ‘you can’t skip quests’?! Since when?! Where is the skip button?! I demand a skip button!”But somewhere between dodging ridiculous quests and fixing these people’s tragic grooming habits, Isabella found herself in situations. Uncomfortable, heart-racing situations.Like being trapped against a tree by the red python, his red eyes half-lidded as he murmured, “You talk too much, little star. Should I silence you?”Like waking up with the lion lord’s fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, his deep voice gruff, “You shiver in your sleep. I’ll fix that.”Like the phoenix watching her every move, his burning gaze searing into her skin as he mused,“You cause chaos wherever you go, but I find that I don’t mind.”Oh, hell. No. She was not about to fall for four beastmen. She was too pretty for this much stress.“If you insult me again, I’ll make sure your soul needs a beauty upgrade.”“I refuse to be disrespected by anyone who dresses like an unwashed tree branch.”And yet, when a rival tribe came to challenge her, when danger lurked too close, those same beastmen stood beside her—smirking, taunting, fighting for her.“A beastman growled at me today. I growled back. He ran. I am the alpha now.”Isabella isn’t just surviving. She’s thriving. And this world better keep up.

“Mr Liu Wei..”

Liling paused as she took In a deep breath. “I need one million yuan... ”

Liu Wei shifted his gaze to face her. His face bore a surprised expression. 'What was she using that much money for?'

Liling who was anxious held the helm of her gown tightly. She swallowed hard and continued courageously. “I don't think I can pay back..., but I'll give you something else”

Her voice drained of all vigour. It was really hard to give herself away, so easily but she had no choice. Taking in a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to look at him. “My body...” ...

‘’Jin Yue, please wait.’’ Jin Yue suddenly stopped in his tracks, he badly wanted to look back but at the end he decided against it. ‘’Speak, I’m in a hurry.’’

‘’Jin Yue, throug the time we spent together, did you ever, even for a split second, love me?’’

Jin Yue froze when he heard her question. Did he love her? From the moment he set his eyes on her, he had loved her. She had stolen his heart away that even right now, he wanted to kneel and beg her to stay with him.

But he wouldn’t tell her that. If he wanted her to stop feeling guilty, he would not tell her. She should hate him so she would be happy with the one she loved.

‘’No; not even for a split second, so Miss Xin Yong, stop being delusional and scrap every memory you have of me.’’ ...

This is a story of two couples and the hurdles they meet in their journey of love and how fate tries to bring them back together. I hope you like it.