I Contracted Myself - Chapter 22 – Like a lifetime ago

15 years ago, his elder brother was killed right in front of him in the middle of the night – killed by their most trusted driver. Since then, Stefan had a hard time sleeping and often got nightmares. He learned not to trust anyone.

Cayenne worked almost all day and all night. She only got three hours of sleep every day. She was the breadwinner of their family since her mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She thought she would have a great time working as a receptionist in a hotel.

Until…

“I’ll pay you an additional $3000 a month. Sleep with me.” Stefan placed a signed check on the table in front of her.

Her head was spinning at the large sum of money. She can finally buy her mother’s medication and send her brothers to school without worry. But to sleep with him?

“I’m sorry if I come off rude but, I can’t sleep with you sir.” She tried to refuse politely, afraid that she will lose her job if he felt displease towards her.

Stefan took off his coat and placed on the backrest of his chair. “Think about my offer carefully. It wasn’t so bad sleeping with you after all.”

It was a mistake she made on her part when she fell asleep right beside him on his bed, drunk and dizzy.

Will he make the mistake of trusting someone again? Will he entrust his life to her by sleeping soundly beside her? How will they face each other when they started to unveil the mystery of their identities?

In the world of cultivation, countless tales follow righteous protagonists, fated heroes blessed by destiny, or those chosen by heaven to walk the path of immortality.But what of those who stand in their way?What of the villains? The so-called obstacles to the hero’s journey—do they not bleed, dream, and struggle as well?Xiao Ning was never meant to succeed.From the very beginning, the Grand Dao wove him as a stepping stone—a necessary sacrifice to elevate another. His path, like that of all designated ‘villains,’ was doomed to failure by design.But what happens when that design is defied?After death, Xiao Ning awakens—not in the cycle of reincarnation, but in the cold silence beyond it. There, he is offered the Eternal Paradox Codex—a forbidden artifact containing the hidden truths of the Grand Dao System itself.Rules. Loopholes. Vulnerabilities.Knowledge not meant for those like him.With this power, Xiao Ning is granted a single, impossible choice: accept oblivion, or step outside the Grand Dao entirely—to abandon fate, sever karma, and cultivate a path unbound by heaven or law.It is Xiao Ning’s journey, from ashes to something beyond comprehension.Not to become an Immortal among men.But something even the heavens dare not bind.If fate is a chain…Then let him forge his own path in the void beyond.Welcome to this humble tale.The cultivation world is vast and unkind.Let us begin again—on our terms.

She was stupidly in love with him. Because of him, she became rude and unreasonable, overbearing, jealous, insane. But he did not spare a glance to her. Married for two years, he didn’t favor her once, letting her become the laughing stock of the whole world. Eventually, she ended up in an affair, leading to her tragic death.

Yue Xuexia is just an ordinary salted fish that rarely lives in her house, but suddenly one day she woke up, received a sign-in system, and thought she was dreaming.The sign-in system rewarded her with multiple things, including houses, money, cars, and talent scrolls, which led her to the life of the richest lady in the world.She could sign in once a day.One morning, with her eyes groggily and blurry, Xuexia was welcomed by a holographic screen only she could see. Yes, like the ones in the novels and manga.Ding!Xuexia waves her hand in the empty air and mumbles, “Noisy, I told you to turn off the damn alarm, whoever owns it!”When a robotic voice lingered near her ears saying,Signed in successfully. Congratulations to the host, and you've received [1 Million RMB in cash!]Xuexia, who is currently in need of great money, was in disbelief as she looked at the words one million and laughed.“Heh~ even in my dream, I was wishing to receive free money. What nonsense, let's go back to sleep. Yue Xuexia was about to close her eyes back to sleep when the old touch screen phone near her pillow vibrates.Bzzt~ Bzzzzzt~“Urg~ who the hell is calling now?” complained Yue Xuexia in her half-asleep state.She picked up the phone only to see a message notification saying the following words:[Your bank card account ending with 5567 had received a deposit transfer from XXXX at 6:45 am. You had received a 1 million deposit and your current saving balance is 1,003,000.00 RMB (Autumn Field landbank)]Yue Xuaxia mumbled in disbelief and said, “Fucking hell! This is awesome.”Who doesn’t like free things?~' This lady wants it too!!!