MTL - The Empress’s Gigolo - Chapter 20 condiment

After dying from exhaustion in his dreary corporate job, Riku Sakamoto awakens to find himself reborn in the world of his favorite game — EverRealm Online. But he’s not just any adventurer — he’s The Grand Maximus, a max-level legend with every class unlocked and stats that break the system.Yet instead of battles or kingdoms to conquer, he’s greeted by something far more unexpected: the Peaceful Life System — a mysterious power that rewards him with modern comforts for every act of kindness he performs.Help a farmer? Get a fan. Heal a wild animal? Receive electricity. Solve a village crisis? Unlock hot baths, fridges, and fresh-brewed matcha.Armed with nothing but infinite power and zero ambition, Riku settles in a sleepy starter village to live the slow life he always dreamed of. But as he helps the villagers, befriends forest creatures, and lazily reshapes the world around him, his actions begin to ripple far beyond the village borders…After all, who needs war when you’ve got peace, pancakes, and a weatherproof roof?

“I’m no angel, baby girl. I’ll make you cry, curse, and scream every night once you’re mine. So think twice before you sign this goddamn contract.”+++Rivana Faye thought nothing could get worse than catching her husband and step-sister making out on their wedding anniversary, only to be shot dead the same day.Instead of the afterlife, Rivana woke up back in the past, on her wedding day, staring right into the eyes of the same bastard who had ruined her life. Fueled by vengeance, she planned to marry him and tear his world apart, just as he had done to her in her previous life.That is, until Azrael Dynar, her supposed husband’s older brother, stepped in with a shocking claim: that they were already married?!“Wifey, are you cheating on me with this tiny loser? Tch, you have poor taste,” Azrael drawled, flashing their marriage certificate to everyone's horror.Azrael was everything Rivana had heard in hushed whispers: cold, cunning, and irresistibly seductive. But to her, he was oddly caring and fiercely protective. He even vowed to destroy everyone who had hurt her as long as she continued to be his side, as his darling wife!And the deeper Rivana sank into Azrael’s world, the more her defenses crumbled, leaving her with nothing but growing desires for him. Little did she know, the man she was falling for was no guardian angel but a devil—one responsible for her death, and the very one who could destroy her all over again.---Excerpt:“You seem to have experience in seducing women, Mr. Dynar,” Rivana joked, licking her ice cream.Azrael smirked at her laugh, and the next moment, he pulled her chair closer, causing Rivana's heart to skip a beat. Before she could catch her breath, he suddenly captured her lips, tasting the sweet chocolate on her lips.Pulling back slightly, Azrael smiled, enjoying her reaction. Tracing her lower lip with his thumb, he declared, “You are the first woman I have ever tried to seduce, Rain. And you will also be the last.”

A disappearing gold mine. An old family secret. An army officer carrying a grudge spanning two generations.

As a small time reporter at the local newspaper, Shen Yu already had enough on her plate. Biased managers, check. Long, brutal work hours, check. The department beauty snatching her big story opportunity, check. But now another problem has reared its head and it comes packaged in a young and attractive military officer. He is on the hunt for some legendary space gold and he will get her to help him, whether she likes it or not.

Secrets are abound and Shen Yu soon finds that not everything is not as simple as it seems. Even her own past becomes questionable the more time she spends on the quest. Events from decades ago are rising up to haunt her and she needs to find out the truth before it’s too late. If only she had a better partner.

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.