A Scandal By Any Other Name - Chapter 42 - Forty Two

Yun Xiangxiang was a well-regarded celebrity in her previous life.

[Group Pet + Farming]

The little ginseng essence was finally shaped into a human figure, but was smashed to pieces by Wang Baojiao who slipped and fell into the pool. When she woke up, she was lying on the earthen kang of the Wang family, and many people around the kang looked at her distressedly.

The shrewd woman put her hands on her hips: “My Jiaojiao, who the hell pushed you into the river!”

The strong man’s father cried and cried: “Jiaojiao, if you don’t wake up, Dad will go with you.”

Eldest brother who is frail and sick: “Little sister, I won’t go to school anymore, I will always be by your side to protect you in the future.”

The black girl with sky braids: “Little sister, be good~ Second sister will buy you a hair tie.”

The silly third brother sucking snot: “Sister~ I will give you all the bird eggs my little brother digs out.”

Facing poor and decrepit family members who are plagued by bad luck, the small ginseng essence waved its fat hand, and the century-old ginseng spirit whiskers, one for you, the other will remove the bad luck, bring good fortune, and cure all diseases!

A family of six, the days are getting more and more prosperous.

…

Many years later, Jiaojiaobao reached the age of marriage. Everyone in the Wang family was very worried, thinking that no one could match their own Jiaojiao.

Unexpectedly, Jiaojiao brought back a beautiful boy by herself, and said that he was her future husband-in-law.

…

The master of the national teacher who retired from the world was not close to women, but he didn’t want to be disturbed by a little ginseng spirit.

- Description from novelbuddy

In the blood-soaked shadows of Ancient Japan, one name struck terror into the hearts of daimyō and demons alike.Akira Minato, King of the Shinobi.He slaughtered ten thousand Taira Samurai with his bare hands.He burned Demon Temples, butchered Shoguns and painted shrines with their entrails.He was the true legend of Japan, the nightmare everybody prayed to be delivered from.One quiet night, while chasing a mysterious treasure, he stumbled upon the Ultimate Oni. His escape plan backfired, and he was forced to seal it with his own soul, accidentally dying in a so-called “glorious sacrifice.”And then he woke up in 2025 Tokyo.In a teenage body.Wearing cat-print pajamas.With his powers sealed.And outside, monsters were growing more aggressive.JINKOKU, the Monster Hunting Authority of Japan, was recruiting anyone who can fight them… even if they keep asking dispatch for backup to fight 'those cursed giant centipede monsters under the station.'With no powers, no money, and no way home, Akira Minato had no choice but to take up the blade once more, this time as a registered monster hunter.He would reclaim his strength, find a way back to his era, and if fate was merciful, win the heart of the girl who looked exactly like the one he failed to save.Same voice. Same face. Same name: Princess Yuki.He was once the hegemon of the ninja world.Now he’s broke, underpaid, and hopelessly in love with the nation’s Princess.But even in this ridiculous age…You will call him Shinobi-sama.

BOOK TWO OF THE HAMILTON SERIESWARNING: A Regency Era novel. Adult content with detailed smut…Read at you own risk⚠️⛔️Genre: Historical Romance / Smut / Enemies-to-Lovers / Mystery / Comedy[Book Two of the Hamilton Series. Can be read as a standalone, but better enjoyed after Lady Ines’ Scandalous Hobby.]To the world, Duke Rowan Hamilton is the perfect gentleman. But in the bedroom, he is a man possessed.Rowan Hamilton has it all: a Ducal title, the face of a fallen angel, and a smile that makes debutantes faint. He is the “Golden Duke”—charming, responsible, and utterly adored by society.But it’s all a lie.Beneath the coats and polite manners, Rowan is a man haunted by a ghost. For three years, he has remained faithful to the memory of a masked woman who stole a kiss, bested him at a game of chance, and vanished into the night. He doesn't want any one as his wife; he wants her.When his domineering aunt tires of his bachelorhood, she hires London’s most notorious underground matchmaker to force the issue.Enter Miss Delaney Kingsley.She is sharp-tongued, infuriatingly competent, and entirely unimpressed by his title. Her mission? To drag Rowan to the altar with the season’s “Diamond,” Lady Celine, within three months to collect the juicy payment Rowan’s aunt had to offer.Rowan intends to fire the meddlesome woman. But when Delaney looks at him with those hazel, intelligent eyes and orders him around like a young lad, he feels the first spark of life he’s felt in years.He decides to play her game. He will let her “coach” him on how to woo a lady. He will let her teach him how to dance, how to flirt, and how to seduce.But he has no intention of using those lessons on Lady Celine.“You were hired to find me a Duchess, Miss Kingsley. But the only person I want in my duchy and in my bed... is you.”As the lessons turn into forbidden nights and the bickering turns into scorching passion, Rowan begins to suspect that his matchmaker is hiding a secret of her own.She moves like a shadow, handles a rifle like a soldier, and tastes exactly like the ghost he’s been hunting for three years.What to Expect:* The Golden Retriever Duke: Who turns into a possessive Alpha behind closed doors.* The Matchmaker Trope: She’s trying to marry him off; he’s trying to take her clothes off.* High Heat: Slow burn that explodes into intense smut.* Competence Kink: He falls harder every time she bosses him around.* Cameos: Featuring the chaotic domestic life of Duchess Ines and Duke Carcel (and their baby Harry!).Excerpt:“Your Grace, please focus,” Delaney snapped, adjusting his cravat with efficient, gloved hands. “Lady Celine is waiting in the ballroom. You must look at her as if she is the only woman in the world.”Rowan caught her wrist, stopping her movements. He stepped into her space, backing her against the heavy oak door of the study, his “Golden Boy” mask slipping to reveal the hunger beneath.“And how, exactly, does one do that, Miss Kingsley?” he whispered, his voice rough. “Show me.”“I—I cannot show you, I am merely the coach—”“Then teach me,” he growled, lowering his head until his lips brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. “Teach me how to pretend I am not burning alive every time you walk into a room.”