Can I Not Marry - Prologue

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Qiao Ningxun died and was reborn back to the time when her family owed hundreds of thousands in debt.

As soon as he was reborn, he met his scumbag father who came over with his new love and gave up custody rights.

My mother lost her job soon and had to support three children who were studying. The family was very poor.

But when Qiao Ningxun discovered that he could cultivate immortality, then no problem would be a problem.

As time went by, everyone found that Qiao’s fruits and vegetables were the best growing and the sweetest.

Every time the Qiao family goes up the mountain, they always get a lot of harvest. Morels, porcini mushrooms, chicken fir, etc. that others can’t find are shipped down the mountain in large quantities.

People in the Qiao family are getting younger and younger as they live, the men are getting stronger and stronger, and the women’s skin is as tender as a peeled egg.

Qiao Ningxun spoke as if she had received a blessing, and her words were accurate. Countless people came to her for fortune telling every day.

For those who are good to Qiao Ningxun, everyone’s destiny has undergone major changes.

The disappeared guqin scores, ancient medicine prescriptions, and ancient martial arts suddenly appeared.

And the final communicator turned out to be Qiao Ningxun.

The Qiao family gradually became the richest family in Daguo Village.

…

After Qiao Ningxun helped her family live a good life, there were many rumors about Qiao Ningxun on the Internet.

Qiao Ningxun and a world-famous plutocrat entered and exited a villa at the same time, causing a sensation in the media. Is Qiao Ningxun being kept?

A certain chaebol: “That’s my daughter!”

Qiao Ningxun and a top celebrity appeared in a restaurant at the same time. Fans were heartbroken. Is the main character in love?

A certain person said: “That’s my sister.”

Qiao Ningxun and Gao Leng, the world’s richest man, appeared together many times, and the crowd shouted: “Qiao Ningxun must be his relative again.”

The aloof richest man in the world: “My relative is a ghost, she is my wife!”

Netizens: “???”

- Description from novelbuddy

*Slow Burn Historical Fantasy Novel*

Elise had about to change into the dress that was lying on the corner of her bed when she heard a knock lightly calling from her door. Curious, she turned the door knob only to have a tall man towering in front of her.

“Master Ian!” She called.

Ian smiled with the usual mischievous smirk that he always used. His crimson eyes trailing a little over her room and spotted the black dress over her bed and shifted his eyes over to the woman in front of him. He stepped forward and spoke. “Where did you acquire that dress?”

“Mr. Harland gave it to me.” Elise replied and strained her neck to see Ian’s brows knitted in its elegance.

“Do you know why a man would love to give a woman a dress?” He gave the riddle that she always had to think twice before replying. But this time, she found no answer and instead shook her head. “I don’t know.”

His grin grew bewitching as though something had stirred deep inside the scarlet eyes that he had. He slowly slid his hand over the collar of her dress, sending a cold shiver that startled her for a moment due to its freezing temperature. After unbuttoning the first two buttons on her collar, he tilted his head down, whispering to her ears. “Because they want to be the one to undress the cloth.”

He paused and kissed her neck, turning the pale skin to red before retracting his move to fix his eyes on her and leisurely replied. “Unfortunately, you can’t wear the dress over there with this.” He chuckled and passed a box over to her hand. “And the fortunate news is I prepared a dress for you.”

Elise was a cursed little girl who could see ghosts. Her family hated her and threw her from one adoptive family to another. However, misfortune didn't act alone. When she was brought up by her aunt, she was sold as a slave. When she had thought she would become nothing but a sacrifice to the sorcerer, she was saved by a man whose identity was far different than a normal mythical being.

What happens when, in the midst of struggling to keep up with life, you suddenly discover that you were a princess in a past life? Now, you're just a waitress with a drunken mother and a pile of bills to pay. But deep down, you know one thing: you’ll find the stupid jerk responsible for ending your royal life, no matter what it takes.Alexia POV:Then there are the spoiled, narcissistic rich jerks who think their daddy's car gives them a free pass to treat women like objects. Not today, Satan. These guys are like walking perfume ads with egos bigger than their bank accounts. I swear, they should just marry themselves—they're clearly their own type.When one of those jerks lands at my table, I can smell the entitlement from a mile away. I don't even wait for the inevitable sleazy pickup line or the “accidental” brush of their hand against mine. Nope. I pawn them off on one of the other waiters faster than you can say “unpaid rent.”