NPC Town-building Game - Chapter 81: I have the courage to pull back, the courage to go forward, and the courage to be silent

The betrothal gift is two million bucks, not a single cent less. Jiang Yu is already eighteen years old and can get married now. Send the money to my card, and this matter is settled!" Jiang Yu looked at her mother, who was talking non-stop on the negotiation table. She watched as her mother named her price as she sold Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu could not believe it. Eighteen years ago, they brought the wrong baby home from the hospital, and Jiang Yu, the real daughter of a wealthy family, ended up in an orphanage until a year ago. Jiang Ran, the fake daughter of the Jiang family, grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. With superior resources since she was young, she was more outstanding than Jiang Yu in every aspect and became the pride of the Jiang family. Jiang Yu, who wandered most of her time in the outside world, was nothing but a country bumpkin who made her mother a laughing stock in the socialite circle. However, Jiang Yu had no idea how great her mother's hatred for her was. On the day she turned eighteen, her mother 'sold' her with a named price. Jiang Yu said, "If you want to marry your daughter to someone else, it should be Jiang Ran. I'm your real daughter. You're the one who mistakenly brought Jiang Ran home!" Her mother replied, "Shut up. I wish I hadn't given birth to you. You've brought nothing but shame to me!" Jiang Ran said, "Big Sis, everything Mom does is for your own good. Don't blame Mom." Her mother said, "I'm convinced she's nothing but a debt collector who's come to me to collect her debts! Either you give me two million bucks, or you get married obediently!" Jiang Yu left home in despair. By a freak combination of factors, she found herself accidentally marrying a Mr. CEO. From then on, the thirty-year-old man pampered his eighteen-year-old wife to the heavens. The little girl said, "Mister, someone bullied your wife!" The man, "Which incompetent fool is so blind that he dares to bully you?"

As the final dragon lay defeated, Aaran stared at the sky while the rest celebrated.[Awaiting the gods’ response...]He clenched his fists, his heart pounding. A shred of hope flickered in his eyes, only to be extinguished like always.[The attained outcome was deemed unsatisfactory.]Aaran had seen the message for the twentieth time. He had become the gods’ plaything in their desire to witness the “perfect ending”.He regressed once again, but this time as a toddler and charm being the only stat he had.But something was amiss. The world he remembered had changed. Powers that did not exist before had taken hold of the world.Tired of following the traditional route, Aaran chose to fight darkness with darkness… as the gods’ chosen necromancer!

At her wedding banquet, a man claiming to be Selina's lover stormed in, brandishing so-called intimate photos and causing chaos.Selina immediately saw through this as a scheme orchestrated by her half-sister, Natalia. However, Selina's fiancé, Ryan, not only refused to believe her but also went out of his way to defend Natalia.It turned out that Ryan and Natalia had already developed feelings for each other in secret. Everyone—Selina's father, stepmother, and Ryan's parents—knew about their affair, except for Selina, who was left in the dark.Taking advantage of the situation, Selina's father suggested swapping brides, proposing that Natalia replace Selina and complete the wedding. Ryan's family not only didn’t object but wholeheartedly supported the idea.That was the moment Selina finally realized the cruel truth: her family and Ryan's family were nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing!“Cancel the engagement? Fine. But let it be clear—I’m the one rejecting you, you two-timing, spineless excuse for a man!” Selina declared with unshakable confidence.Her gaze then swept across the room, landing on an elegant and distinguished man. She vaguely remembered him as Ryan’s younger uncle. Walking over, she boldly asked, “Sir, how about getting married?”The man raised an eyebrow, finding her audacity intriguing. “It would be my honor, madam,” he replied....

A free spirit meets her match in all-around perfect bachelor whose humorlessness is his only flaw. When Xia Zhen reaches the unfortunate marriageable age, she is forced to go on a blind date where she meets Pei Cheng An. Her cunning plan is to pretend to be completely infatuated with her date in front of her mother, while sabotaging the actual relationship. Except Pei Cheng An isn’t the type to follow the script.

*

In Xia Zhen’s opinion, Pei Cheng An is a person whose way of thinking belongs in the last century and whose manner of speaking reminds her of her grandpa. But since he looks dreamy and has qualifications, she’ll just pretend that she has fallen for him at first sight.

Eh? Pei Cheng An also finds her good enough to start a relationship with.

Great. Now when he finds out that she’s not a suitable partner for marriage and dumps her, she can return home all heartbroken and request to temporarily go on a brief no-blind-dates period. This is excellent. However…

“I’m so unreasonable. Why aren’t you breaking up with me?”

“A man should be tolerant towards his girlfriend.”

“I’m so mean to you. Why are you being so kind to me?”

“Girlfriends are meant to be spoiled.”

“I’m not gentle or considerate. Why aren’t you breaking up with me?”

“Likely it’s because… I like you.”

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