Pursuit of the Truth - Chapter 12 — Su Ming’s Wrath

“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.

(Mountain hunting + Animals + Rural Daily Life + Light Livestreaming + Farm Construction + Relaxed)Offline:“Who in Changbai Mountain doesn't know that this leopard is my underling? Ask anyone, they all know!”Livestream:“Let me make it clear beforehand, I have absolutely no ties with this leopard.”“It approached me on its own.”“I'm not familiar with it, really not familiar.”“You guys are slandering me, you're slandering me!”Viewers watching the leopard cozying up to the streamer:“With both human and leopard as witnesses, you still want to deny it?”“Go on, we're listening.”

Once through the pirates, Lu En became the son of Monkey d Dragon, a grandfather named Monkey d Karp, and an unreliable and neurotic younger brother named Luffy.

Fortunately, the ghost back system is activated!

The completion of the ghost back is 10%, and the training effect is increased by 100 times!

The completion of the ghost back is 20%, and the training effect is increased by 1000 times!

…

One day, Lu En, a ghost-backed master, appeared in front of Luffy who was shouting to go to sea, and made Luffy cry on the spot.

Luffy: “The pirates in the sea are all monsters like my brother? I don’t want to go out to sea!”

Garp: “For a long time, the two boys, Long and Luffy, with small arms and calves, I really doubt that they are not my sons and grandsons. Like Lu En, they are the grandsons of the old man!”

Warring States: “The strongest creature in the sea, land and air is Kaido? No, it’s Lu En!”

- Description from novelbuddy

Echoes of the Lost Elf – Back Cover SynopsisA legend long forgotten. A war long past. A magus who vanished into history.A thousand years ago, Historias Everglen, the greatest magician to ever walk the earth, mysteriously disappeared after leading the world to victory in the First War against the Void. The high elf, creator of Castellas Academy, the most prestigious magic institution, faded into myth—his name spoken only in whispers, his fate unknown.But history does not stay buried forever.When a group of young students, lost in the Everglen Forest, stumbles upon an enigmatic figure in the heart of the ancient woods, they unknowingly awaken an echo of the past. Unrecognized, Historias decides to return to his own academy—not as its master, but as a student. Beneath his youthful guise lies an immortal being who has spent a millennium mastering magic, swordsmanship, and alchemy in solitude.As shadows of the Void begin to stir once more, the world stands on the brink of another catastrophe. Enemies rise, secrets unravel, and forgotten legends take their place in the present. But one question lingers:Will the world recognize its lost protector before it’s too late?