Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute - Chapter 165 - 164: Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Little Sister

She was originally an assassin. After rebirth, she was reduced to another world’s Di family’s most inferior concubine-born daughter. With an extremely hideous appearance and no way to cultivate, she was the object of everyone’s humiliation and bullying.

However, the timid idiot turned over a new leaf. She took control of her own fate and became a domineering, fierce, and demonically beautiful girl. She became a shocking talent and stunning figure in the world, returning blow for blow, blood for blood. With a kill, she became famous!

Even for the smallest provocation, she will take revenge. If someone bullied her, she will return it tenfold! Even to the heavens she will not be merciful! Controlling the mythological beasts of the world, she broke through the Ninth Heaven and shook the whole world!

She freely opposed the heavens. Provoking numerous evildoers, Di Fuyao could only pretend that she was timid and easily bullied with a low IQ, pleading to be let off!

Who knew that the man she provoked, the cold and arrogant evil Ghost Emperor, actually brought the whole world to her just to marry her…

- Description from Novelupdates

Zephyrine should have died that night. It was her wedding day, but it turned out to be a mourning day for her.She lost her parents, the Alpha and Luna, and worse still, she was framed for their deaths by the fiancé she was expected to marry.Zephyrine barely escaped death and promised herself to avenge her parents death. She became a queen—a fearless queen with a pack.She crushed those who stood in her way, even challenging great Alphas and those of high authority.Despite all this, little does she know that fate had other plans in store for her.She finally found her mate, and he was none other than the Lord of the Grims.She refused to let the mate bond tie her down and chose to grow stronger while protecting her pack.The Lord of the Grims was forbidden from having a mate following the betrayal from the werewolves that happened centuries ago. But despite it all, the Lord couldn't help but fall deeper in love with Zephyrine. He protected her and acted as a shield, refusing to leave her side despite how she pushed him away.Zephyrine and the Lord encountered different situations of life and death, bringing them closer.Unaware of his true identity, she began to fall in love with him.Those from each realm found out about this forbidden love and decided to put a stop to it.Zephyrine discovered his true identity, realizing what the werewolves had done to his kind.She chose to fight for love despite all odds.Because some loves are written in fate.And some must be fought for in blood.Will she be able to stand against the two realms and still fight for the one she loves?What other danger lay ahead in their love story?Excerpt from the book“You carry yourself like you're untouchable,” Caden said, his voice low and smooth. “Like no one can reach you. But I see right through that mask, Zephyrine.”I held my ground, unwilling to let him see how much his presence was affecting me. “If you think you can intimidate me, you're mistaken. I've stood against worse than you.”His lips curved into a faint smile, but there was something deeper in his gaze now—something that felt like fire. “You feel it, don't you?” he murmured.I stiffened, my wolf practically clawing to get out. I did feel it—the pull, the undeniable connection that tied me to him. My mate. The realization hit me like a tidal wave, and I hated how vulnerable it made me feel.“You're wrong,” I said sharply, though my voice wavered. “Whatever this is, I don't want it.”Caden's eyes softened, but he didn't back down. Instead, he took another step forward, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating from him. He raised a hand, brushing his fingers lightly against my cheek.“Deny it all you want, Zephyrine,” he said softly, his touch sending sparks through my skin. “But your wolf doesn't lie. You can feel it, just like I do.”I shivered, hating how my body betrayed me. My breath hitched as his thumb gently traced along my jawline. “I've been waiting for you,” he continued. “And now that I've found you, I won't let you go.”I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay firm. “I don't need a mate,” I whispered, though the words felt hollow.Caden's smile widened, but it wasn't mocking—it was warm, almost tender. “You may not think you require me,” he said, his voice steady, “but I promise you, Zephyrine, you'll want me. And when that time comes, you'll submit—not because I demand it, but because you'll choose to.”The way he said it made my heart stutter, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.Before I could respond, he leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, “You'll see, my queen. You can try to fight it, but you'll be mine in the end.”He pulled back, his intense gaze locking with mine one last time before he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, breathless and trembling.My wolf was practically purring, but I wasn't going to give in.Never.

Lin Ziyin, modern day mechanical professor especially hired by the school, had the potential for great achievement in her field. However, due to family reasons, she could only treat her mechanical research and teaching as a secondary job, pouring all her energy into the farm and the food business before. Despite her low-key approach, she was unable to suppress her sister's rage, and a furious car crash sent her straight to ancient times.Indeed, she had excellent character, so why did the heavens send her to the sparsely populated Northern Land. Known as the death zone, those who were banished to this borderland would spend their lives and perish there. However, Lin Ziyin was quite satisfied with her own identity. Even if she had lost the protection of her parents, she still had the protection of her siblings and grandfather. Of course, she also had her younger brother and nephew at home who needed her protection. This abundance of familial love was enough to compensate for the hardships caused by poverty at home.Poverty, she wasn't afraid of, as she had experience in farming. With large swathes of uncultivated land, the Northern Land was practically custom-made for her. The heavy workload didn't matter either, she was proficient in designing all kinds of small tools. Whether it was the emperor's absurdity, not providing aid to the border king, or the shameless Tatars that would rob them frequently, none of these posed a problem for her. She could think of solutions for everything. It wasn't uncommon for the border king to tell everyone how lucky he was to have married such a wonderful queen!

“Legend had it that in the deepest part of the oldest galaxy, there was a door as red as blood and fire.

Legends and myths, darkness and light, countless stories passed through this old door.

The Door of Constellation that overlooked everything would warn the sky and earth, sending darkness back to where it belonged.”