The Returner - Chapter 409: Not like I wished for it (4)

I never expected my life to change so drastically. One moment, I was a woman with dreams, deeply in love with a man I thought I’d spend my life with. The next, I was betrayed and heartbroken, walking in on him cheating without a hint of remorse.That night, overwhelmed with pain and too much alcohol, I made a reckless decision, a one-night stand with a stranger who, to my shock, turned out to be my new boss.Arec, the vice president of Denco Groups, was desperate. To secure his future as CEO, he needed a wife, and in a twist of fate, he offered me a contract marriage. It sounded absurd, but his desperation mirrored my own need to escape the wreckage of my life.It was supposed to be simple: no emotions, no strings attached. A business arrangement, nothing more. I thought I could handle it, that I could keep my heart out of it.I was wrong.What started as a deal quickly spiraled into something far more complicated. As our fake marriage blurred into real feelings, the world around us began to close in. Disapproving family, old enemies, buried secrets, scheming rivals, and even an attempt on my life threatened to tear us apart.This is my story, a journey of heartbreak, unexpected love, and a fight to protect what we built together. In a world filled with lies and deceit, can a marriage born out of necessity become something real?---

He just wanted a quiet vacation and a good espresso... instead, he ended up seducing half the city.------Lux Vaelthorn wanted three things: a good coffee, peace and quiet, and zero responsibilities.What he got?A mansion, a system with the personality of a deadpan butler, and a bunch of heiresses fighting over who gets to be his first “investment.”As the heir of Greed and Lust, Lux was born to dominate markets, hearts, and boardrooms. But after centuries of cleaning up his parents’ messes in the underworld, he rage-quit Hell’s finance department and took a hundred-year vacation to the mortal realm.His problem?Even without trying, he’s too hot, too rich, and too damn magnetic.His Incubus Pheromones seduce emotionally unstable rich girls like clockwork.His Greed System scans bank accounts like X-rays.And thanks to a “minor” celestial bounty on his soul, some entities either want to marry him… or murder him.[Warning: 3 rich virgins detected within 15 meters. Incubus Pheromones activated.][Recommendation: Flee. Or flirt. Your call.]Lux just wanted caffeine.Now he’s got a mansion full of horny heiresses, a schedule full of power plays, and a city that thinks he’s a billionaire playboy CEO.Fine.If he can’t nap… he might as well rule.

Jiang Li, the legitimate daughter of a noble house, has traveled through time, becoming an insignificant character in a domineering CEO romance, who quickly meets her demise.Confronted with the most saintly female lead and the domineering male lead of the novel, Jiang Li instantly decides to stay away from these two 'idiots', focusing instead on making her own family illustrious.What to do with her genuine brother, who plays a lovestruck second male lead and is a complete wastrel?Jiang Li ships him off to a transformational variety show where the prodigal son becomes instantly famous, eventually becoming a movie emperor;What about the illegitimate younger brother who's always acting like a goody two shoes to win favor in the family?Jiang Li leads by example as the top student, turning the faker into a model student, and paves his way from undergraduate to doctoral studies;And what of her autistic cousin who constantly locks himself away in a dark room, weeping?Jiang Li prescribes the right remedy, turning the melancholic poet into the king of songs at the Temple of Heaven, his love ballads bringing millions of young girls to tears;Thus, the once wavering and declining noble Jiang family rises under Jiang Li's management, becoming the most respected and well-mannered leading family in the capital.The first time Jiang Li meets that man, he had just finished chasing a herd of runaway cows, his face redder than the sun with high altitude flush.He extends his hand to her with a grin, introducing himself, “Hello, I am Zhao Daniu.”Jiang Li stares at his muddy hand, still emitting an unidentified smell: “......” A silent rejection, thank you.Upon their next encounter, he has transformed completely, now the distinguished and formidable heir of the Gu family, his presence as refreshing as a breeze in the moonlight, peerlessly noble.He extends his hand again: “Hello, I am Gu Yu, I hear your family is in need of a man to take charge, do you think I'm suitable?”All members of the Jiang family leap out: “No! We don't need one!”