A Marriage with an Expiry (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 26
It was at the moment she suddenly opened her eyes.
So Ri found herself lying in an unfamiliar place.
It was a hospital, but neither Imperial Hospital nor Seohan Hospital. Maybe a local clinic?
“You’re awake now?”
While she was still dazed, a handsome male doctor with a warm demeanor and glasses entered, asking with a bright smile.
“How’s your body feeling?”
“I think I’m okay now.”
“That’s good. You had stomach cramps, so Professor Seo prescribed this IV drip. You were out of it, so you probably don’t remember.”
“Oh, Professor Seo…”
“He’s at the hospital now. Wait, the IV just finished dripping. It was set to go in so slowly that it took quite a while. I’ll take it out for you now.”
“Yes, thank you.”
While the kind doctor personally removed the IV, So Ri could only sit there, utterly bewildered.
Hyun Woo had brought her to the hospital and even checked her condition—she’d overdone it and brought trouble upon herself.
“By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Shin Ji Tae, Professor Seo’s senior from university.”
“H-hello.”
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When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!

The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (14)
Avid Reader Chapter 77Oh no..she’s gonna tell fl about her mom.yup time for drama
Avid Reader Chapter 80I feel like the dad reveal will be a big one like he is some kind of big shot.
Avid Reader Chapter 81What kind of ridiculous excuse is that to break up 🤦🏻♀️
Inline Comments (1)
- Avid Reader Chapter 88 — Paragraph 112
She couldn't recall a single word she'd just said.
Oh I will tell you..you said some pretty harsh things🥲
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Mithasha Yue
They are too shy to each other. I hope she will be a little relaxed ☺️