The Villainess is a Marionette - Chapter 34

-- WSA 2025 Entry --“Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”As the countdown towards the new year went on to the last second, Miles looked up to the sky, just as everybody else did.In the middle of the crowded street, Miles for once felt like he belonged. Being a teenage gamer, living with his parents, and trying to build a life as a streamer, he did not feel like leaving his room every day.But there, in the middle of that crowded street, with everyone around him paying attention to the sky, the countdown on the digital billboard, and mostly anything else but him., Miles felt like a ghost.A welcomed ghost, but a ghost, after all.With a smile on his unseen face, he looked up as the countdown reached one, and everybody sang in unison.‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!”But Miles’ eyes widened as he watched in utter horror, and curiosity, even, hovering above him, a holographic screen with a few lines of text written in it.All around him, although he did not pay much attention to it, a few other people seemed to experience the same situation.[Updating home-world 39515’s version][Version 20.25 update brings a lot of fun and games with the new and improved survival mode][Do you want to convert your previous avatar to home-world 39515’s latest version?][Yes] [No]“Survival… Mode?” Miles’ lips quivered.Before he could think of anything else, though, the people around him began to scream…

What is my existence? What am I?Since his birth, Aldrian Aster had never been an ordinary human. One day, a screen appeared in his sight with a message:I’m tied to the universe.I’m tied to nature.All of this is my own karma.Why I am different is also my destiny.My domain encompasses all things.There is nothing that can escape my view.There is nothing that can escape my sense.There is nothing that can escape my will.As he read these words, Aldrian understood that this was part of his destiny.Abnormal cultivation?Rapid comprehension?Mastering everything?Creating techniques effortlessly?This was his journey towards discovering his 'true' self.

Shen Xi was the daughter the Jiang family had mistakenly taken home. After their real daughter, Jiang Xue, returned, Shen Xi’s foster mother asked Shen Xi to stay, hoping she could help Jiang Xue get used to life in the city as Jiang Xue had been living in the countryside all this while. Alas, everyone claimed that Shen Xi was clinging to the Jiang family because she refused to part with the family’s wealth. Her foster parents didn’t clarify this accusation. Then, Shen Xi’s fiance ended up getting engaged to Jiang Xue instead.One day, Jiang Xue killed someone when she was driving. Shen Xi’s foster parents knelt before Shen Xi, begging her to take the fall for Jiang Xue with tears in their eyes. Shen Xi agreed to their request to repay their kindness for raising her. However, she didn’t know that the person Jiang Xue had killed was her foster father, in other words, Shen Xi’s biological father! While Shen Xi was in prison, Jiang Xue even indirectly killed Shen Xi’s biological mother! In an instant, Shen Xi became an orphan.After experiencing her foster family’s ruthlessness and persecution, Shen Xi exposed the sinful deeds the Jiang family had committed over the years and Jiang Xue’s crimes after being released from prison! Then, she detonated a bomb, sacrificing her life to take revenge for her biological parents.However, after the bomb exploded, Shen Xi was shocked to find herself returning to many years ago when Jiang Xue was first found, and Shen Xi’s identity of not being the Jiang family’s real daughter was about to be exposed. During this time, she was still a rich young lady dressed in expensive clothes as she sat in the Jiang family’s car on the way to her fiance’s birthday banquet. Shen Xi’s lips curled up slightly. A good show was about to begin.She wanted to change her fate and her biological parents’ fates. However, she never expected that both her parents were heirs to a large financial group. Also, the renowned movie star, a young genius doctor, and a domineering CEO were all her biological brothers! She, who wasn’t loved in her past life, was being pampered in this life! Then, the paparazzi caught her on camera, entering a hotel with a rumored bigshot. The crowd gasped. Was this bigshot Shen Xi’s brother as well? The bigshot hugged Shen Xi’s waist and kissed her. “Nope. I’m her lover!”

“Fake it till you make it”It was a phrase that became Leo's only hope for survival as he was forced to play the role of the biggest big boss when he was nothing more than a small fish.Set in a world where Earth is riddled with natural disasters and humans must migrate to new planets onboard massive arc ships, this novel follows the journey of the Skyshard brothers Luke and Leo as they fight against their fate and rise to the top from the lowest of lows.