Extra's Ascent - Chapter 20: Thoughts Of Rejection

By the fourth year of Su Wan's career, every league rookie hears the same warning from their coach and veteran teammates: “You can try to impress him. You can even try to defend him. But no matter what—no matter if he hurls the most brutal insults your way—never, ever talk shit to him!”

When she agrees to help her friend out in a blind date, she never imagined it would lead her to the one man she'd hoped never to encounter again—her child's father.Her first instinct? Run. But life has other plans, and she finds herself inescapably drawn back into his orbit as his company's legal advisor.Just as she's poised to resign, escaping the tangled web of personal and professional ties, she's cornered in his office by the man who is as relentless in business as he is in pursuit of her heart.In a game of cat and mouse, she is faced with a choice: succumb to the undeniable chemistry that still sizzles between them or risk it all to maintain the distance she's fought so hard to keep.

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?

The chief female forensic investigator, Ran Yan was secretly killed by her assistant. Unexpectedly, she was reborn in the years of the Tang dynasty. After experiencing a narrow escape, she fled from Jiangnan to Chang’an. Although, Chang’an was at the beginning of its flourishing period under the Li family’s Tang dynasty, various princes were vying for the throne by using all kinds of strategies. This was the dark days of the imperial court, where one needed to walk on a tightrope as one’s life was as powerless as an ant. The Xiao family controlled a large amount of wealth so inevitably they also became involved in the conflicts.

After arriving in Chang’an, she discovered many suspicious incidents: the original owner had unexplainable amnesia but his family was indifferent. She once again saw the orchid shaped clay inkstone, a valuable object that her mother has given her in modern times. Hence, could it be that she can time travel back? In order to survive in the Tang dynasty, she displayed her strong spirit and willpower by learning medicine from a doctor, pretended that she benefited from being sick on how to cure diseases, suffered hardship in earning money, manufactured penicillin, cured syphilis, and used her autopsy skill and experience to solve each and every murder mysteries.

- Description from Novelupdates