Corrupted Bonds - Chapter 55: A Version That Loves You Back

Zhou Wenwen, who had traveled to a parallel world because of sudden death, thought that he could only live in such an ordinary life in this life, but the golden finger finally opened. He has a store where he can buy technological items and magic equipment to ensure his survival.

But the threat that followed made him realize that this place is not ordinary, because there are Transformers, Marvel, the Dark Portal from World of Warcraft, etc.

- Description from novelbuddy

Dong Xi transmigrated, but she was neither the female lead nor the villainess, but a tragic side character in a book. Even though she was a proper rich daughter, her mother used her as a substitute for her youngest sister, and sent her to train as a cultivator at the top cultivator sect in the world. Though she was initiated at eight years old and trained for eight years, she was talentless and didn’t have much experience. Eventually, her younger sister was recruited because of her outstanding talent, while Dong Xi was banished after it was revealed that she was just a substitute.

After that, someone caught her, imprisoned her, and tormented her for two years just because she was attractive. Though she was rescued by a senior disciple from the cultivator sect, it turned out that he did it to avenge her younger sister, and tortured her to death. When Dong Xi transmigrated, it was just after she was initiated and began life as a cultivator. She decided that she would do her best, improve her cultivation, and survive! Eating? Sleeping? All that was a waste of time! If there was a cultivator who practiced sword cultivation a thousand times per day, she would do two thousand!

Eight years later, when her younger sister was recruited for her talent, Dong Xi promptly packed her bags and left, leaving the cultivator sect panicking and wondering who had taken her away! Su Cheng, the most powerful demon lord: Who dares harm my beloved wife?! This means war! Dong Xi, still running away: What? Who are you? Su Cheng: Don’t you remember the snake you counted stars with years ago, beloved?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”“Tell you what, Richard? What would you have done?”“I don’t know. Apologized sooner? Bought you a burger to make up for it?”Her eyes lit up with fire, “You think what you did to me… you think a burger can make up for it?” her eyes twinkled like she was fighting tears. Did I hurt her that badly? I was just a foolish teenager.“Nita, I am sorry. I was young, I was stupid. I wish I could take it all back and tell you how I feel instead of being a constant jerk to gain your attention.”“How did you feel that would justify what you did to me?”I paused for a minute, finding the words. “I had a huge crush on you at the time. And I didn’t know how to express myself. I was full of myself, I was the school’s ladies' man and the one girl I had eyes for didn’t even care if I existed,” “And that justified what you did to me? Richard, you broke me. I can forgive you for ‘accidentally’ spilling your ice cream on me, or throwing my due assignment in the toilet, or the gum in my hair, or the glue in my chair but tell me how can I forgive you for what you did that night? Tell me!”“What night? Nita, what are you talking about?”“Remember when you asked me if I knew who sexually assaulted me?”I nodded, but what does that have to do with anything? The more we spoke, the more confused I became.“You did and I cannot believe that you would stand there and pretend like it didn’t happen!”Nita has spent years trying to forget the torment she endured at the hands of Richard. When her family’s financial ruin forces her into an arranged marriage, she is horrified to find out the groom himself was her bully.Richard, a charming and successful businessman meets the first woman to be repulsed by him. Intrigued, he proposes a deal of a one year marriage of convenience.Navigating life as a couple, old wounds reopen, buried memories surface. As Richard learns more about his wife, he finds that he has enemies that followed him from his past to continuously cloud his wife’s judgement.Will Nita believe the truth and bury old wounds or will the pain of the past prove too strong to heal?

On their wedding night, she gnashed her teeth, yelling, “Your Highness, that’s shameless!”

Set off by the flickering light of red candles, he curved the corner of his mouth into a wicked grin, “Actually, I can be more shameless…”

…

When they met for the first time, he was the young prince who lived in his day of brilliance, while she was the pampered princess of the adjacent state.

When they met again, he became the crippled underdog suffering from frustration, while she became the lackluster hostage stranded in an alien land.

In his mid-life, he was defeated in the fight and had his legs broken; his wife passed away and he didn’t have anything left except his father’s detestation… After constant blows took the edge off his spirit, all he wanted was nothing but serenity.

In her teen-age, her state perished and her home lost; she lapsed into an awkward situation after being abandoned and having her marriage annulled… As endless hardships isolated her from happiness, everything she wished for was no more than peace.

…

“Lu Zhishan, when I first met you, I didn’t think I’d marry you…too old,” after years passed by, one day, she lay on his laps mumbling, with a kind of hazy beauty on her boozy face, “and lame.”

“Mu Nanzhi, you have the wrong memory. At our first meeting, I’m neither old nor limp.”

“…When was that?”

“When people were celebrating your first birthday,” that man assumed all gentleness and joy crept on his eyes and brows, “On that day, you were ‘drawing lots’ in the rear hall. I also sneaked there to have a look. But, out of my expectation, you directly grabbed my true-love knot.”

…

How vivid the red love pea is embedded in the exquisitely carved dice,

Just as my feelings for you deep in my bones.

- Description from Novelupdates