MTL - Being an Author is a High Risk Occupation - Chapter 12

Title: Trillionaire Student: The Art of Corporate WarfareGenre: Cyberpunk Corporate Drama / Tech RomanceSetting: Near-future Shanghai (2045) where blockchain dynasties and AI oligarchs dominate global finance.Protagonist:· Ye Chen: A 22-year-old financial prodigy with military-grade neural implants. Orphaned and self-made, he accidentally inherits trillion-yuan assets tied to a cryogenically preserved heiress.· Su Ning: A “frozen elite” heiress resurrected from cryostasis. Her trauma-encrypted mind holds the keys to her family's blockchain empire.Core Plot:When Ye decrypts suicidal patterns in Su's neural data, their forced partnership to upgrade her emotional firewall exposes:1. Corporate Espionage: Rival tech giants weaponize celebrity scandals as NFT commodities.2. Family Conspiracy: Su's mother audits her memories like hostile mergers.3. Hidden Protocol: A blockchain ledger tracking physical intimacy as corporate liability.Key Westernized Elements:· Boardroom duels in holographic Hunger Games-style shareholder arenas· Romance through shared neural hacking of trauma encryption· Memetic warfare where viral tweets manipulate stock marketsThemes:· Capitalism 2.0 (emotions as crypto assets, SEC-regulated marriage contracts)· Cybernetic identity (childhood trauma rebuilt as AI firewalls)· East-West fusion (Tang poetry as quantum encryption keys)Cultural Bridges:· “Black Swan Fund” → “Quantum Contingency Fund”· Neural interface battles styled as The Matrix meets Game of Thrones· Food metaphors: Xiaolongbao dumplings as encrypted data carriers

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

Kang Li woke up in the body of the sickly beauty, the youngest daughter of the Kang family in Aoli Village, who had been spoiled and pampered all her life.The original host had a tough life, first being dumped, then marrying a divorced man in a fit of anger to become a stepmother, only to find herself unfortunately becoming the control set for another stepmother in the courtyard.She could certainly be considered a top contender for cannon fodder among supporting female characters.But to Kang Li, none of this was a problem.All she knew was that the so-called divorced man was a returned overseas research talent, busy with work, with a high salary and good looks, and was hardly ever at home. In these times, where food and clothing were scarce and communication was done by shouting, marrying him was nothing but good news to her, who just wanted to live the life of a salted fish.Kang's Mother: ...my daughter's gone silly!Brothers (sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces): ...our sister (young auntie) has gone mad!However, apart from the head of the household, Captain Kang, the rest of the family were all sweating on Kang Li's behalf, worried that the delicate and frail treasure of the house (sister, young aunt) wouldn't be able to handle the grievances of being a stepmother and might hurt herself from the stress.The villagers who knew about the Kang family's situation gathered together, spewing sour words and gossiping, especially those who bore no good will and were just waiting to see the Kang family's downfall.Yet, Kang Li's life after marriage was not only blissful, but her husband doted on her, her stepchildren adored her, calling her mom the moment they opened their mouths. They clung to her like people possessed, and the wife (stepmother) had them following her every step.A certain flabbergasted system: I thought the host I was bound to was bronze-tier, but it turns out she's actually king-tier.Luo Yanqing was naturally indifferent, with only work on his mind, but somehow, he started to find himself looking forward to holidays, although he rarely managed to go home once a whole year.

Qin Fei: “Sorry, fried silkworm cocoons are sold out.”
Miaojiang Yanshi seriously face: “Can gold silkworm cocoon be fried?”
——
Qin Fei: “The octopus is also sold out.”
The Octopus demon is calm and stretches out one leg: “just take it.”
——
Qin Feihan Yan: “Do you still have some clams?”
The diners with children were so scared that they lost their faces and fled.
——
There is a snack bar in the outside world.
There is no high-priced egg fried rice here.
No more expensive exaggerated ingredients,
Only delicious street food,
But it does not prevent it from conquering one after another picky taste buds.
[The text is more than a daily comparison, experience life. 】

- Description from Uukanshu translation