Unsheathed - Chapter 23: Shade of the Locust Tree

In a world where countless web novel universes collide, where soldier kings, mercenary overlords, god-tier tycoons, and even demons wage war against each other—where protagonists rise, seduce breathtaking heroines, seize endless opportunities, and battle for supremacy—there is one man who can suppress them all.A man who has finally crossed into another world.When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the body of a young man named Veil Lancaster.“A villain destined to be beaten to a pulp by the protagonist? Am I really just a side character?” Veil muttered to himself.But why should he accept that fate? His father held absolute power, his mother was a legendary business tycoon—what made the so-called protagonist superior to him?Fortunately, at that moment, he successfully awakened the Villain System.One day in the future—“Veil! You crippled me, stole my opportunities, and even took my woman! You damn villain! You’ll suffer divine retribution for this!”A protagonist roared in fury, coughing up a mouthful of blood.Veil smiled gently and said, “I didn’t do anything… This was simply your fate.”“A pawn has only one destiny—to be placed exactly where I want it.”Remember this.I, Veil Lancaster, only wish to be a charming and sinister villain.

In her past life, Xia Chu lost her virginity before marriage and was scorned by her family as a wanton woman, forced to marry an old widower with a limp. Her aunt and mother died one after another because of her. Fleeing alone to the south to work, she suffered a hard life and eventually died tragically at the hands of a scoundrel.Reborn, she is determined to protect those who love her and those she loves, to rewrite destiny. Those who framed her, she will make them suffer the consequences; those who forced her, she will make them kneel and beg for mercy; and those who killed her, she will make them wish they were dead!By the way, that tall, stoic man with good looks, loyalty, and skills, I might as well marry you since you’ve got it all.

William Scott, a soldier, returned to the city with the goal to live the rest of his life peacefully. He would practice the lifestyle of a retired person.

However, his mother set him up on blind dates time and again. Unwilling to keep up with her arrangements, he was left with no choice but to pretend to be in a relationship with Yvette Quinn, a female CEO who was also forced by her parents to go on blind dates.

To his surprise, this was only the beginning of many troubles to come. Before he could get to settling those troubles, he first needed to sort out an even more pressing problem.

The girl looked at him and asked, “Take a guess. Am I the elder cousin or the younger cousin? As my boyfriend, you should be able to differentiate between the two of us, right?”

His contract girlfriend was so unprofessional. Although they had an agreement, she was always asking her younger cousin to take her place and pretend to be her around him.

What should he do about that?

In her previous life, Su Nuan was set up by her lover and sister, and died tragically in prison. When she woke up, she had been reborn to a time before all the tragedies had happened. At her birthday party, her sister found some kidnappers kidnaping her, trying to destroy her innocence and get her kicked out of the house. Not only did Su Nuan mess up her sister’s plan, but she also dealt with all the kidnappers.

She also rescued Mo Ting, the most powerful and handsome man in City A. To stay away from her cruel sister and hypocritical scumbag of a lover, she relentlessly clung to Mo Ting. “Uncle, for my poor sake, please help me. I’ll do anything you want.”Mo Ting: “A contract marriage for three years. I’ll give you everything you want during that time!” At first, Mo Ting thought Su Nuan was just a poor little girl who had been driven out of her home, so he helped her.

He was also using her to appease his family’s elders as they had been harping on him to get married. Later, his assistant came to report, “The principal of City A’s university is here. He wants your approval for your wife to participate in the international competition.”Mo Ting: “…Wasn’t Xiao Nuan a hopeless student?”Assistant: “Sir, Madam has blown up! The entire internet is kneeling and begging her to debut in the competition!”Mo Ting: “…When did she become so versatile?” Later, the assistant reported again: “Sir, someone from the National Medical Academy is here. They say they won’t leave if they can’t invite Madam to make an appearance!” Mo Ting: “…I must be dreaming. Go out and come in again. Let’s start over!”