Sovereign of the Ashes - Chapter 1659: Friends

“Fresh meat” Jiang Chi – to get closer to his unrequited love, an actor extraordinaire – did everything to join Ye Lan’s filming project, even if it meant he would not get paid.

Note:
影帝, literally means “movie king”. Used for famous and accomplished actors. The actress equivalent is 影后, meaning “movie queen”.

小鲜肉, literally means “young, fresh meat”. Used for young, rising actors with good looks (who often star in more commercial-oriented films.) The actress equivalent is 小花, meaning “fresh flower”

- Description from Novelupdates

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.”

An Unexpected Turn: Villain Becomes DadIn a hilarious twist of fate, Yang Chen is reborn as the brainless villain in a romance novel, already at odds with the destined hero, Lin Yan. Knowing he can’t directly challenge him; Yang Chen makes a strategic move – saving Lin Yan’s mother from a chronic illness.This act of kindness blossoms into love, and a year later, they welcome a child. Yang Chen, hoping for a peaceful family life with his wife and son, is met with a shocking system notification:[Host’s son is born, plundering his elder brother, the male lead’s Providence Luck by 3000 points!] [The Great Villain System is officially activated!]The system throws Yang Chen’s plans into chaos. He’s forced to become the antagonist he was originally destined to be, but with a hilarious twist – his target is now his own stepson!

What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'Villain'? Evil, cruel, cunning? So true.

But what if the main character in this novel is reincarnated as a villain? Can he kill the protagonist who has endless plot armor?

Zhou Yuan had to accept the fact that he had reincarnated into the world of the cultivation novels he had read in his previous life.

He realized that his identity was extraordinary.

Father is a CEO and Mayor, Mother is the Chairman of a famous company, and Grandfather is a national hero.

Zhou Yuan was excited, but that all changed when he realized that his role was that of the villain.

“Shit, am I going to die? No, then I will become the villain who rules the world!”

Not being reckless, Zhou Yuan got help from the system.

[Ding, you got a starter gift pack]

[Congratulations, you got a high-level cultivation talent]

[Congratulations, your luck increased +20]

[Congratulations, you got a high-level medical technique]