fine leather of casablanca

----- “Alright.” “I better go now. I’ll be fine on my own now.” She grinned again while fixing her hair, tucking it neatly under the cap and turning up the hood to cover half of her face. Her guise was complete. She knew that she would pass as a boy with her current look. So she uncaringly opened the door. With one last smile she thanked him again and left. Just like that. Chen Linyun’s peace and quiet has been perturbed. ‘Take responsibility, somehow.’ He said in his mind, to the girl who just left, eyes glimmering. He gazed darkly at her fading silhouette but did not do anything anyway. ----- Chen Linyun had spent the night together in a dorm room with a drunken girl he had mistaken for a boy when he was still eighteen years old during his sophomore year in the university. Little did he know this short encounter will leave a mark in him, unable to let go of this woman who disappeared after that night. He was head-over-heels and had vowed to search for her in every part of the earth. Five years later, they met again, but the woman he once knew wasn't the same as she was before. Just after a few years, she became a domineering leader of her own empire. With his own charm, his adventure to chase the girl and convince her of his love starts in this story. It's a reverse role that the MC is a bit soft and domesticated but smart, while the FC is the strong-willed one - playful and teasing. Excerpt 2: ----- “Deal.” Chen Linyun stood up. “One more thing.” He grabbed her hand that was resting on the table. He gently guided it for her to stand up. She followed her lead and stood up, confused. The next thing she knew, she was enveloped in his warm embrace. “I missed you.” She blushed. She tried to push him away. His left hand was cradling the back of her head while his right hand secured her lower back. She was held tightly in his embrace. “Just a little longer.” She was helpless. “I’ll sue you for harassment.” “You wouldn’t do that.” He finally released her and stared at her blushing face. “This time I won’t leave your side.” ------ **PLEASE NOTE THE TRAGEDY TAG** Author has discord server and instagram! Follow, connect and share your thoughts. IG : author_midnight_bloom email : authormidnightbloom@gmail.com For kind appreciation efforts to the aspiring writer, please go to the following sites: https://www.patreon.com/midnight_bloom Ko-fi.com/midnight_bloom

In a world where the supernatural intertwines with everyday school life, Shi Mu—a seemingly frail and effeminate teenager—harbors extraordinary powers that blur the line between reality and the spirit realm. Haunted dormitories, restless ghosts, and mysterious curses shadow the halls of Yingnan High School, but Shi Mu’s courage and wit bring hope to the terrified students. As she navigates the harsh social hierarchies, unexpected friendships, and her own strange transformations, Shi Mu must confront dark forces that threaten her very identity.

This is the story of how Emery Walters became whom he was supposed to be.<br><br>I knew I was male at an early age, something that was a societal no-no in the 1950s and still is in parts of the country today. Burying my male identity, I strove to be the best woman possible. But after raising my four wonderful children from two debilitating marriages, I found myself alone and nearly penniless. That was when Emery asserted his identity.<br><br>Life became better with the shift from female to male, a third marriage, and a wife who, herself, transitioned from male to female.

Jasmine is in an arranged marriage with billionaire Keith Acland set up by their parents as a business deal. Their marriage was loveless which is to be expected under such circumstances however Jasmine didn’t mind. She was just focused on being the best socialite’s wife and raising their son to become the heir. However, things take a turn when Keith’s lover from before they married returns with a son claiming Keith to be the father. What follows is a nightmare about whose son should be the successor. Soon the life Jasmine built as Keith’s wife is flipped upside down as his lover takes everything away from her. Her husband, her friends, and her title. Jasmine has to fight for her place in her own house. Throughout all this, the one thing Jasmine is focused on is protecting her son.

[DROPPED]

When Oleksandr Motuzenko, a Ukrainian high school senior, wins a one-year scholarship to study in South Korea, he expects a fun, easy exchange year — a break before university. Instead, he’s thrown into a whirlwind of culture shock, fame, music, and complicated feelings. Between joining a student band, falling for someone he shouldn’t, and navigating rivalries and heartbreak, Oleksandr learns that being fine isn’t about keeping it together — it’s about learning who you are when everything’s falling apart.

Transported to a medieval world, I became Field—a disgraced noble. I learned women here could awaken as "Chosen Maidens"—beautiful and powerful. But before I could celebrate, my cheap father and glamorous stepmother exiled me to a monster-infested wasteland! Worse? This entire empire—no, this entire world—is rotten to the core. Cruel aristocrats, cultists worshipping horrors, unspeakable monstrosities, and conspiracies lurking everywhere... all gunning for me. *Fine. You wanna play dirty?* *I quit being human!* Sister got a fiefdom a hundred times richer? **Loot it!** Brother tending sheep peacefully? **Loot him dry!** Tribes so poor they’ve only got rags? **Straight up snatch their beauties!** Elven Queen: "Where’d my World Tree go?!" Human Emperor: "Beats me!" Demon King: *Muffled sobbing* "My succubi... all gone..." Field: *Cracks knuckles* "What a miserable world. Time to clear this godsforsaken game."

Wang Zi Rui, a CEO hardened by years of superficial encounters, has no interest in love. Song Meiqi, an idol worn down by betrayal and quiet tragedies, has long stopped believing in something as fragile as love. Pushed by family and circumstance, the two enter a contract relationship—one built on convenience, not affection. But in a romance built on obligation, can two guarded, wounded hearts discover something real in what was never meant to be… and endure the challenges that stand in their way?

Summary: In a world plagued by a mysterious and sinister game, humanity finds itself trapped in a horrifying alternate reality. Participants are tasked with completing terrifying missions, with their lives at stake. Dr. Zhao Yi, a renowned psychologist, is unexpectedly pulled into this game, but his data source code becomes corrupted, leading to unknown chaos. As the game descends into madness, an extraordinary being, feared even by the supernatural entities within, emerges. Haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, the game's inhabitants share their nightmarish experiences. One such entity, the Weeping Ghost, laments how it merely intended to assign an additional side mission to Dr. Zhao but instead had its head severed gruesomely. Similarly, the Abusive Spirit recounts how it went to the hospital for a routine appendectomy, only to find that its appendix had inexplicably vanished upon waking from surgery. As Dr. Zhao delves further into the distorted game, he uncovers a hidden truth that connects all these anomalies. The corrupted data source code, which initially seemed like a glitch, reveals a malevolent force manipulating the game. This revelation leads Dr. Zhao on a treacherous journey, where he must confront his own fears and unravel the mysteries behind the game. With each step, the boundaries between the real world and the game blur, making it increasingly difficult for Dr. Zhao to discern friend from foe. As he fights to restore order and save humanity, he must also confront the non-human entity that has become an aberration within the twisted game. "The Distorted Game" is an enthralling psychological thriller that explores the limits of human resilience and the power of confronting one's inner demons. Driven by suspense, horror, and unexpected twists, the story takes readers on a chilling adventure through a realm where survival means more than just winning the game—it means surviving one's own darkest fears.

"If there is anything I could do, what would you wish for, Isla?" Theo asked, his voice low and measured. His mind drifted back to a time long past, to Elena—her voice a haunting echo in the recesses of his mind. A faint smile touched his lips, bittersweet with the pang of what might have been if Elena were still there. The resemblance between Isla and Elena was uncanny, stirring memories and long-buried emotions he had carefully hidden away. For centuries, Theo had maintained a careful distance from the lives of mortals. But Isla—there was something about her that broke through his defences, drawing him into the haunting echoes of a past he had tried so hard to forget. "Run. I want to run away from here," Isla's voice ripped him from his reverie, sharp and startling... * * * Introducing Theo Horatio, a stoic immortal who has roamed the mortal realm for centuries, untouched by time. Bound by a vow to remain detached from mortal lives, his resolve shatters when he encounters a striking doppelgänger of his past, unrequited love. And then there's Isla Damien, a young woman trapped in the confines of adolescence, yearning for escape from a life dictated by family obligations. A scholarship to study abroad from a mysterious organisation offers a lifeline, but it arrives alongside the aftermath of memory loss that has left her with a haunting crescent scar on her wrist... A timeless saga. The cursed blood. Doppelgänger. Unrequited love.