MTL - Internet 2010 - Chapter 357 Retrospect and Outlook

To rise from defeat; to revive amidst the dissipation.

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

Xia Mi found himself transported into a classic JRPG game, becoming a villager in a beginner's village.His biggest wish was to save money and marry a woman from a different race as his wife, live a peaceful and worry-free life, and eventually pass away peacefully.One day, the heroes defeated the Demon King.[Name: Xia Mi][Profession: Villager]New addition: [Profession: Successor to the Demon King]“Quickly take action, Demon King! Kill all the heroes! Restore the glory of the demon race!”Wait, did something go wrong here?In the beginner's village, where Xia Mi spent his days farming and serving as a passer-by, he suddenly had an identity panel.But he was just a villager in the beginner's village!“Where is the Demon King? Where is the Demon King?”News of the Demon King's emergence spread across the continent, and every hero who came here to defeat the Demon King could see a constant stream of monsters in the beginner's village, but never caught sight of the Demon King.A villager from the beginner's village: Demon King? I'm just a villager. I have no idea what it is.

There was a turtle here,He was a bandit! A robber! A shameless scoundrel!Don't mess with him!