My Crush Also Has a Crush on Me! - Chapter 18 - Falling into the Garbage Heap

Talent, appearance, power.

Sixty years after the global catastrophe, the Little Freeze Period ended, and the governments of the living regions began to collect land in the anarchic areas to be planned on a large scale, reorganized resources, and entered the recovery stage in an all-round way. These two decades are also called “golden Twenty years”.

This is a bright era in which new regions are rising one after another, politics is set up, capital is acting, careerists are everywhere, heroes are powerful, villains and grassroots are rising together! A young man rises up in troubled times with a full stomach of strategy, hides a tiger in his chest, and measures the world.

- Description from novelbuddy

Philip never expected his new life to be so… complicated. When a tragic accident in the modern metropolis of Bortinto abruptly ends his struggle for survival, he wakes up as the scandal-ridden heir of a ducal house in a world where magic and science coexist. Any fantasies of an easy, heroic life vanish the moment he realizes that the estate that he is tasked with managing is drowning in debt, and his reputation has been shredded by rumors involving his predecessor’s broken engagement to the socialite Lady Rosetta—the granddaughter of a prince.Even as he scrambles to rebuild his estate’s fortunes—grappling with contaminated land, mounting debts, and shrewed industrialists—he unearths troubling secrets about the original Philip’s heartbreak and suicide. A dark, hidden force seems intent on wiping him out for an unknown reason. As conspiracies emerge linking Lady Rosetta’s departure to these shadowy machinations, Philip struggles to separate ally from adversary, not knowing why this power in high places is so bent on destroying him.Meanwhile, the realm teeters on the brink of monumental change. Technological and social revolutions collide with century-old magical traditions, and war drums thunder on the distant borders. Armed with his modern knowledge of finance—now fused with the kingdom’s burgeoning industrial innovations—Philip attempts to ride the trends and transform his estate into a beacon of prosperity and secure his heirship to the ducal title. Yet each small triumph only attracts more enemies.Tasked by the System with cultivating a supernatural entity while uncovering the real reason behind Lady Rosetta’s canceled engagement and the original Philip’s tragic end, he must also shield those he grows to care about from the looming threats. Will he harness the synergy of magic, technology, and commerce to steer his estate toward greatness, or will malevolent forces quash his second chance at life? Will his second chance at life end the same tragic way as his first?

As he transmigrates across the continent of Douqi, Gu He takes on the mantle of Alchemy King Gu He and gains an incredible power - the Ten Thousandfold disciple cashback system. This allows him to grant gifts to his disciples, which are then returned ten thousandfold.“You have gifted Liu Ling the Green Lotus Core Flame, triggering a tenfold return and granting you the mighty Green Lotus Holy Fire!” the system announces as each gift brings Gu He greater power.After three years of intense training, Xiao Yan returns proudly to the Yunlan Sect, eager to display his newfound strength.“Don't underestimate this once poor youth!” he warns his former lover Nalan Yanran. “Today I'll show you what a true genius can do!”But Nalan Yanran just smiles faintly. “Is that so?” she asks, as a terrifying Dou Emperor aura suddenly surges from her.Shocked, Xiao Yan stammers in disbelief, “How did you become a Dou Emperor powerhouse?”With an arrogant smile, Nalan Yanran replies, “With my master, anything is possible.”