Rivers of the Night - Chapter 339: Stinging Pain

Karl, a young man stuck in a rough patch after losing his job and burning through almost all his savings, wandered through the cold, dark streets of Eldoria. On the damp, silent sidewalks, he stumbled upon something bizarre: an old gacha machine mysteriously appearing at every corner he turned, almost as if it was following him. Driven by a mix of curiosity and the overwhelming weirdness of the situation, Karl finally gave in and used his last bit of money on the machine. From the gacha ball, he pulled out a card with a barcode.Back in his cramped apartment, curiosity finally won over caution, and Karl scanned the barcode. To his shock, an app called “Common Sense Manipulation App” installed itself on his phone, claiming it could alter people's “common sense.”------Support Me By Gifts or Power Stones-----

Murong Jiu, the Ninth Young Miss of the Marquis Mansion, was ugly and talentless, and her fate was to harm her relatives. She was raised in the countryside from a young age. Due to her exceptional medical skills, she was used by the Crown Prince, who drained her of all her value and then threw her into a deep well to drown.Only before her death did she realize she had been switched at birth. Others were rightfully enjoying everything that should have been hers; later, all her family died for her, becoming stepping stones for the Crown Prince!Reincarnated, she returned like a vengeful ghost from hell, making her enemies tremble with fear, ready to seek revenge for each grievance.Unexpectedly, she unintentionally became the darling of her biological family, which made her retract her sharp edges.As the substitute Princess Consort of Prince Ling, she and Prince Ling were a fake couple, intent only on finding the real father of the child in her womb, yet unaware that the man from that night was right in front of her…

"In this world, morality is but a thin line away from depravity, and the most captivating tales are often shrouded behind the veil of insanity."
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I was just an ordinary guy, living a dull and unremarkable life as an editor.

But when a maniac author killed me for rejecting his novel in a writing competition, I reopened my eyes in a modern fantasy world.

"Hmm? Wait, this world…."

But fate, being a prude little bitch, played a twisted joke on me.

I reincarnated into the very same novel that I rejected for the competition award, written by the very same author who killed me for it.

Not only that, but I transmigrated into the body of a disowned noble named Lucas Morningstar.

Lucas was a minor antagonist in a novel who served as a stepping stone for the protagonist and their allies.

Arghh….

Of all the people, I just had to be reborn as someone who was despised by the main characters the most at this point in the story?

B-But hey, with my knowledge of the future and understanding of the main characters, I can at least live an easy life!

Right...?

"Yeah, I can work with this!"

Or so I thought until I remembered the ending arcs of the book.

This world is destined for doom!

And not so long after, I started to realize that the novel and the world I transmigrated into might not be as similar as I had originally thought….

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[Disclaimer: Caution while reading is advised. Tighten your seatbelts and brace yourself for a bumpy rollercoaster-like journey. Don't blame the Author if you fall from your seat while reading a plot twist. Thank you.]
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AN: MC is NOT a villain, so don't expect one.

*The MC will seem a little bit (ok let's be honest, more than a little bit) foolish in the first 30-35 chaps but don't be fooled. I ask you to read till first 50 chaps before deciding to trash-talk the MC because that's where his borderline psychopathic strategist personality starts to surface.

Melanie Collins was the perfect wife—caring, strong, and dependable. For the last few years, she had managed her husband’s messy family, and business alone while waiting for her husband to return from studying abroad. But when he finally came back, Melanie’s world fell apart—he wasn’t alone. Along with him was his 'best' friend.Broken and confused about the change in her husband, Melanie didn’t know where to turn. And then she stumbled into another cold reality. Everything she had believed was a lie.Seething with anger and humiliation, as she tried to come to terms with the betrayal, an unexpected person steps into the picture, intent on seducing her and conquering her.The only problem? The man was her ex brother in law...And against her better judgment, she is attracted to this bad boy...But as Melanie tried to make sense of the changes, she discovered there was more going on than she ever imagined. Had both brothers loved really fallen in love with her? Or was she just a pawn in a bigger game?excerptSince he had already been leaning against the table, he simply slid onto it, and with one swift motion, he hooked his boot around the leg of her chair and pulled it—pulled her—closer.The sudden movement made her jolt slightly, and when she looked up or rather when she looked ahead, she found herself staring directly at the zipper of his jeans... She looked up then and met his gaze.He caught her chin,“ Would you like to check if I am only pretending, sweet melon?”Melanie stiffened. And then pushed back her chair suddenly, so that Adam almost lost his balance, as she stood up.Before he could balance himself, she placed her hand on his shoulder, her fingers brushing against his neck. Adam stiffened, his eyes glittering as he waited to see what she would do next. And she, of course surprised him as her other hand, slowly settled on the inside of his thigh. And then, the hand on his shoulder started to move. Her fingers tracing the side of his neck before lifting as she shot a glance to the corner of his mouth. The little piece of metal glinting there. She flicked at it lightly, barely a touch, but Adam could feel the heat all over his body, as she leaned in close, her lips barely a few centimetres away...so that they could both feel each other's breaths…She smiled slowly then. “Careful, Adam,” she murmured, her voice playful, but carrying the unmistakable edge of a challenge. “Keep pushing, and I just might call your bluff.”