Trafford's Trading Club - Volume 10 – Chapter 21.2 - Illusion Of Life (Part 2)

While reading a novel, Fu Erdie thought more than once that if she arrived in an apocalyptic world, she could only wait for death.

The cars could not be driven, roads could not be recognized, they could not even cook food.

There was also physical strength involved…there was no need for her to encounter a zombie because with just a sudden drop of temperature, she could get a cold and fever and die from it.

As a useless person of the new century, she sincerely hoped that the whole world would be prosperous and free of disease and calamity. At the same time, she could just draw at home and earn living expenses while muddling through.

As a result, God played a joke on her.

After a shower of rain, the world changed. There were zombies and dead plants everywhere.

She looked down from a window on the 10th floor and saw the crowd panicking. The cars rammed and blocked the road, and the small noodle shop she often went to was now stained with blood… Everything pulled back Fu Erdie from her fantasy.

The world had truly changed.

Fu Erdie decided to go out to find her relatives, and she would bet on whether she would become a zombie or an alien. She gathered her courage and opened the door, then stepped back and closed it. The zombie neighbors in the corridor were horrible! It is impossible to fight zombies, you can only wait to die in a wretched manner. And any chance, there was a lot of stored food at home that she could eat for a month.

But her ending was probably one of the two choices she had in her mind, to die now or die in a month. And she chose to lay down and continue her everyday normal life. She would just wait to meet the upcoming water and electricity cuts.

On the first day, everything was the same. The next day, everything was the same. The next day after, everything was still the same. The next…

A month later, it was time to pay the utility bill. The internet got disconnected and she did not pay the bill. The rest of the building was pitch black.

But her room was still bright.

The flush toilet could be used as usual. The natural gas could be used for her luxurious bathing. The small kumquats, small peppers, and shallots planted and grown on the balcony even thrived at a rate that did not conform to the laws of nature.

Fu Erdie suddenly found out that she had not mutated, but her own house had mutated?!

- Description from Novelupdates

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?

There were three rules to working for CEO Karsten Chevalier.First, bring his coffee brimming hot and black like a starless night.Second, park your attitude outside his office door—his broody demeanour has the room covered.Third, never say ‘No’ to whatever he demands. Not even when he asks you to become his fake girlfriend?(Synopsis)Arata's fiance dumped her through a text on the day of their engagement party. The reason? She is too curvy for his taste!He only entertained her because of her prestigious family name.“Do you think men want a fatso like you? You're nothing without your family's name!”A heartbroken Arata sets out on a journey to discover herself without revealing she is the daughter of a billionaire. She moves to another city, away from her beloved family.‘How dare he insult me? I love my curves and I will show him.’ Arata is not a damsel; her parents have raised her strong, and now it is time to become independent.Her heart is ablaze with newfound goals.One: to see how people will treat her if she acts like an ordinary girl and hides her identity.Two: to bag a bigger fish than her stinking—joke of an ex-fiancé.She will prove that a man will genuinely love her irrespective of her curves and surname!Arata's new life begins as the secretary of Karsten Chevalier, the CEO of a multinational clothing brand who is renowned for his dashing personality and enigmatic persona. Not much is publicly known about this man.Doused in mystery, the man has his own goals and hidden agenda which will topple Arata's world.Unfortunately, Karsten's handsome face becomes a punching bag in Arata's mind because of his ruthlessly demanding personality and ego larger than Mount Everest.Arata eases her frustrations by going to meet Twisted Rider, the currently popular yet mysterious, masked internet sensation.Both tangle under the sheets and he becomes her safe space as she complains and opens up about her boss.“Will you act as my girlfriend?”Karsten's proposal to become a fake girlfriend for his family events surprised Arata!How will Arata juggle the piling demands of her boss, her own heartbreak and the seduction traps of the masked man she loves to watch in her spare time?Will sparks fly between Arata and her colder-than-Arctic ice boss? Or, will she continue to complain to the masked man that her boss probably has a small PP?This is my entry for WSA 2025, please support it with your power stones.The book is a sequel to my previous novel “The CEO of My Dreams Returned To Me.” But it can read as standalone.A special thanks to Author Hansora for the overwhelming support and encouraging me to publish this book and helping me with the book cover.Want to chat or have any questions regarding the book? Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Discord with the same name.

Wei Yuewu is the unloved daughter of the powerful Marquis Hua Yang.

On her way back to the capital city to marry her fiancé, she becomes the target of a ruthless assassination led by her fiancé, Marquis Jing Yuan.

With the help of the Prince of Yan State, she narrowly escapes from one disaster after another and returns to the capital.

Determined to avenge her enemies and unravel the mystery surrounding her engagement with Marquis Jing Yuan as well as the death of her mother, Wei Yuewu makes a deal with the Prince of Yan State.

However, just as she has triumphed over all her enemies and is about to reach the acme of her life, she deliberately destroys her own future and becomes an exile of her own…