Substitute - Chapter 20

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.

"An accident. She's pregnant. How unlucky. She got pregnant in one shot!

Li Ling, the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo, was a good man with great talent and courage.

However, his beloved wife Shen felt that living with him was boring. After five years of marriage, she was submissive to him in every possible way, but he was not the least bit enthusiastic about her.

If it was just because of his cold temper, she would admit it.

But when the Huns invade, the ninth princess will be forced to get married. Li Ling was so angry that he asked for an order to go to war for the sake of his princess cousin.

She finally understood the reason why he treated her coldly.

She was so angry that she didn’t want to be with him.

The letter of departure has been drawn up, and we are waiting for Li Ling to return to sign it.

Unexpectedly, after waking up, she went back to the time when she was newly married to Li Ling…

—

Li Ling married a well-behaved little wife who was completely obedient to him. After being married for more than a month, she served him comfortably.

In the past few days, Li Ling discovered that something was wrong with his bride.

She stopped dressing him in the morning, and she stopped serving him dishes and soup at dinner. She turned away as soon as he approached her at night.

The dignified and solemn Li Ling couldn’t help it.

He came forward and said, “Madam, what’s wrong with you?”

She just gave him a roll of her eyes.

Li Ling scratched his head: “It’s your first time coming to the mansion. Madam, you don’t feel comfortable with it?”

She bowed her head and said nothing.

Li Ling was so itchy that he had to pay attention to her every move in order to pry into his wife’s heart.

One day, while watching a polo match, he saw her hiding her face and smiling at a man on the field; another day, he saw her resting her chin in her hands, reading a poem by a talented man in a daze; and at a palace banquet, he actually saw the prince. I smiled at her…

Li Ling’s heart became more and more confused day by day.

- Description from novelbuddy

A broken prince, a shadowy scheme, all that amidst a bloody fight for a throne wrongly succeeded. Join a group of youngsters as they take their first steps into the martial world, towards the grandest adventure of their lives. It all begins in a certain inn, set against verdant mountains and facing a scenic lake.

“Bring us your finest wine and best meat!” Yelled a hulking man who seemed to be the leader of the dozen strong group.

“How much?” The waiter anxiously nodded his head.

“As much as you have!” The hulking man yelled back.

“That’s…”

“HUH?” The hulking man shot the waiter a furious glare.

“Dear guests, our inn operates on the principle of ‘pay first, dishes later’. As such, it will be better if you tell us exactly how much meat and wine you need.” Xiao Se returned their furious stares with a thin smile.

“Who are you supposed to be?” The hulking man eyed him with bulging eyes.

“This humble one is known as Xiao Se, the owner of this inn, the Fallen Snow Villa.” Xiao Se replied with the same smile and with a level of courtesy worth a solid 12/10.

“Well, we have no money.” The hulking man stabbed his blade into one of the nearby tables.

“Oh?”

“But I’m sure you have some!” The man pointed his finger at Xiao Se.

At that, Xiao Se furiously shook his head. “I’m sorry to break it to you but our little inn hasn’t made a single sale in almost a month. I’m about to owe them salaries myself…”

“Like hell if I care!” The hulking man smashed his palm down on the table. “Even if you have no money, that fur coat of yours should at least be worth a hundred odd silvers.”

“NONSENSE!” Yelled Xiao Se, eyes wide open and gaze as sharp as daggers.

The hulking man was stunned, his body even shivering involuntarily for that split second.

“I, Xiao Se, ride only the finest horse and wear only the richest threads! This fur coat of mine was specially sewn by some of the finest seamstresses in the imperial capital in the August Threads. Just sewing it took three whole months, shipping it, another one. Hmph, a hundred silvers? That’s not even enough to buy the sleeves of my coat!”