Contract Marriage: I Will Never Love You - Chapter 72: The Meeting

He hated everything I was, but I searched for affection in every cruel glance he gave me.“There were so many things I wanted to say to you, but even writing them feels impossible. Because I know that if I were to put down the words I keep in my heart, you'd only say it's natural, after all, I’m just a stupid, self-centered person, like you often said.But I'm not. And that’s why I won’t bare my heart to someone who never truly knew me. Because... you wouldn’t trust the sincerity of a stranger. Right?But I did.You were the stranger whose sincerity I believed in.So I’m stepping away from being the person who embodies everything you hate—because I hate those things too.Maybe in another life, I’ll get to tell you who I really am.”

10 years ago, after “the Gate” that connected the real world with the monster world opened, some of the ordinary, everyday people received the power to hunt monsters within the Gate. They are known as “Hunters”. However, not all Hunters are powerful. My name is Sung Jin-Woo, an E-rank Hunter. I’m someone who has to risk his life in the lowliest of dungeons, the “World’s Weakest”. Having no skills whatsoever to display, I barely earned the required money by fighting in low-leveled dungeons… at least until I found a hidden dungeon with the hardest difficulty within the D-rank dungeons! In the end, as I was accepting death, I suddenly received a strange power, a quest log that only I could see, a secret to leveling up that only I know about! If I trained in accordance with my quests and hunted monsters, my level would rise. Changing from the weakest Hunter to the strongest S-rank Hunter!

In the first episode, Little Palace Maid Lian Hua, holding tea leaves, thought to curry favor with Zhaoyi. The Emperor intercepted her halfway, and before she could react, he hijacked her tea leaves, leaving her bewildered.In the second episode, she wanted to curry favor with the Noble Consort. During the Noble Consort's birthday feast, she hadn't even presented the meticulously prepared tea leaves before the Emperor seized them, leaving her aggrieved.In the third episode, she had just sneaked out with the Palace Maids to pick bamboo shoots, planning to go back and cook something delicious when the Emperor burst out of nowhere wanting to freeload a meal. If it wasn't tasty, he would punish her, she managed to barely pass muster by exerting all her energy. Before she could feel relieved, the Emperor told her he was also staying to sleep!This time, he was thoroughly taking advantage of her, enjoying free food and lodging without the slightest intention of rewarding her.At night, the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. All the silver she had saved up in earlier years had been used to sustain the Emperor. Now that the money was gone, she feared being punished for not being able to support him in the future. The more she thought, the sadder she got, her tears plopping down, which woke the Emperor sleeping beside her.In a flurry, the Emperor consoled her, “There, there, don't cry, don't cry. I haven't even had time to reward you, how could I punish you!”After much consoling, and finally with his promise to provide for her sustenance, she turned her tears into laughter.The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. This Little Concubine would need to be favored properly from now on—he dared not make her cry again.→→【This story has concluded, thank you for reading】→→New book recommendation:“Consort of the Roll-Royce is Here, Run!”—It's a good read! Please add it to your favorites.

Shen Hua, the daughter of the Shen family that ran an embroidery business in Fengzhou, was pampered since she was a child. She had a pretty face and smooth, fair skin. Unfortunately, her body was weak, and she'd run out of breath after walking merely a few steps. She didn't have very long to live.The Shen family gradually faced its downfall, and her wedding was delayed again and again.Cui Yun, the eldest son of the Cui family, was a noble and stern man. He was entrusted to look after Shen Hua. Why not just marry her? He thought.Since Shen Hua reincarnated, she had focused all her attention on the embroidery business. She hoped to change her life and regain her former glory.When she heard about Cui Yun's decision to marry her, she fainted on the spot.After waking up, she turned him down with tears in her eyes. “I don't have very long to live. I don't want to waste your time.”Cui Yun was very considerate. “It's not a big deal. I know you feel touched, but there's no need to cry. Since you already depend on the Cui family, you might as well just become part of us. After you die from your sickness, I'll even hold a grand funeral for you.”Shen Hua felt hopeless. But I'm only pretending to be sick!***Cui Yun had many younger female cousins.Many of them had confessed their feelings for him, but he turned all of them down nonchalantly.“It's getting late. Please look after yourself.”Shen Hua had never met such a clueless man when it came to romance.One night, while she was on her way home, she took a shortcut and passed by the Cui family's courtyard. Cui Yun stopped her.He was standing near the entrance, and his sleeves danced to the wind.“It's cold outside. Would you like to come in and stay for a while?”