The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm - Chapter 169

“Fresh meat” Jiang Chi – to get closer to his unrequited love, an actor extraordinaire – did everything to join Ye Lan’s filming project, even if it meant he would not get paid.

Note:
影帝, literally means “movie king”. Used for famous and accomplished actors. The actress equivalent is 影后, meaning “movie queen”.

小鲜肉, literally means “young, fresh meat”. Used for young, rising actors with good looks (who often star in more commercial-oriented films.) The actress equivalent is 小花, meaning “fresh flower”

- Description from Novelupdates

The Bootlicking Antagonist Wants to Survive, but Female Lead refuses to follow the plotOne car accident and I’m transported into a city power fantasy as the villain. As long as I survive until the grand finale, I can return to the real world with hefty rewards. But! These stunning beauties don’t go to serve as the protagonist’s harem, they surround me every day. Are they not satisfied with how slowly I’m dying? Stop wearing stockings, stop wearing uniforms, what’s with all of you trying to seduce me? To find Long Aotian! Since destiny is in my hands, I might as well challenge the protagonist directly! Who’s the protagonist, damn it, who knows!

The journey of a generation’s male empress started because of four words.

“Send a dowry escort.”

During the 19th year of Yuanqing, Qi Yunruo boarded a carriage and entered through a corner door of the second prince’s estate. Then, across the watery corridor, he gazed at the prince from afar.

Notes:

For aristocratic women in imperial China to marry into a family part of the upper nobility, they must be of the legitimate line and must also have an escort/dowry maid that married into that family. That escort would be a “ying” (媵) and could be considered a concubine.

- Description from Novelupdates

A huge guy is bawling his eyes out. In this day and age? Sure, maybe the world changed while I was away in that other place. I’m not some old-fashioned boomer.But what if that guy is clinging to my pant leg, sobbing and sniffling—And we’re not even acquaintances?Even in modern times, that’s just messed up. Ask any passing kid, they’d agree.So yeah, I shook my leg. He was gross and too close.“The hell’s wrong with you? Crying just ’cause you saw a ghost?” “N-no! I swear, it was really there! You didn’t see it!!”I let the disrespect slide. Barely. He was asking for help and still talking down to me just because I look young?Obviously, I’m not the one who lost his balls. He is.And yet… when I looked where he pointed—Something was there.I threw some coarse salt and looked again.He stared at me like I was insane, but I ignored it.…Yeah. Something was definitely there.It made eye contact.