“Cough! Cackle!”
How odd it was to hear her nickname ‘Lati’ from Hades’s lips; Latifa couldn’t help but gag in extreme discomfort.
“Lati.”
“Wait, cough, cough!”
It was common among people of the Empire to use nicknames, but only among close friends or family.
Never had she dreamed she’d hear such an endearment from Hades.
‘Of course, our lips had touched, but that was just getting caught up in the mood…!’
It wasn’t exactly a kiss, strictly speaking.
Suddenly reminded of the ‘odd contact’ they’d had alone after the appointment ceremony, Latifa blushed and coughed.
‘Did he hear it from Luhan?’
She recalled introducing herself as Lati, like an alias, to Luhan at the market.
“Lati. Lati. Lati.”
Receiving no response from Latifa, Hades continued to utter her nickname as he looked at her intently.
“Stop calling me that!”
“The more you react to the word ‘Lati,’ the more amusing it becomes. It’s rather comical to see you gagging like a puppy that’s swallowed a large bone.”
“There’s no special meaning to it. It’s, um, what should I say in desert language?”
Was there a desert term for nickname?
Unable to think of a term, Latifa quickly added an explanation.
“It’s a pet name used among loved ones.”
“Loved ones?!”
Startled by the sudden sharpness in Hades’s gaze, Latifa awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“In the Empire, it’s common to shorten names among close acquaintances. Did you hear it from Prince Luhan?”
“How does Prince Luhan know your name? Moreover, a nickname shared among loved ones?”
Feeling like she was sitting on a bed of thorns under Hades’s persistent and piercing gaze, she hesitated.
“Uh… it’s a long story.”
“Speak.”
“Um…”
If she were to explain her connection to Luhan, she’d inevitably have to mention that she’d met a kidnapper at the market after losing Yanan. This made her anxious.
‘Yanan is genuinely good. I don’t want him to be punished because of me.’
“Quickly!”
In a brief moment, Latifa found a solution and told him.
“Let’s include this condition in the Prau contract.”
“What?”
“We haven’t written the contract about Prau yet. I have a clause I’d like to add.”
Intrigued by Latifa’s newfound boldness, Hades gestured for her to continue.
“If I tell you how Prince Luhan knows my name, you won’t punish Yanan.”
“Yanan? Why bring him up now?”
As Hades stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought, Latifa quickly grabbed his arm, worried he might figure it out.
“No, hurry! Promise me you won’t punish Yanan. Quick!”
Seeing Latifa suddenly pull his arm, Hades looked flustered and glanced around.
Seeing him flustered, Latifa increased her grip on his arm and blinked exaggeratedly.
“Right? General Hades? You’ll do that?”
“Enough! You’re such a bother! Fine, I get it! I won’t punish Yanan. Now let go!”
Sure enough. When he wanted to cling, he did so without a word.
Despite such thoughts, Latifa broke into a bright smile at his assurance that Yanan wouldn’t be punished.
“So, tell me. How does Luhan know you?”
“Ah, about that…”
Swallowing nervously, Latifa began to recount the day she met Luhan.
“I was headed to the spice market to find Yanan and Gepak because of the Golden Lion. I lost Yanan and got lost. Just then, some thug tried to kidnap me, and Prince Luhan came to my rescue.”
Upon hearing those words, Hades widened his pupils and seethed with rage.
“Thug?! Why are you only mentioning this now?! Damn it, Yanan! To let some random guy lay hands on Caleb’s private property! The audacity to tarnish the General’s reputation! Yanan!”
As Hades abruptly rose in agitation to find Yanan, Latifa quickly grabbed his shoulder.
“We had an agreement! We won’t punish Yanan!”
“Damn it! That’s a separate issue! You were lost, and in the worstcase scenario, you could have lost your life!”
“But General Hades. Even if it was a verbal agreement, breaking a deal isn’t the conduct of Grand Bazaar, is it?”
“……Damn!”
At Latifa’s words, he slumped back into his seat, grinding his teeth.
“Prince Luhan saved me back then, so I told him my alias, Laty. He told me to call him Luhan. I swear, I had no idea he was a prince! I was also shocked when he appeared at Frau’s inauguration.”
Hades sat sulkingly, lips tightly sealed, saying nothing.
A fleeting spark can turn into a huge blaze if not carefully watched; she felt she could never let her guard down when speaking with him.
Almost as if she were looking at a child.
‘Sigh. Kids should listen to adults.’
Latifa shook her head as she spoke to Hades.
“General Hades. I can’t choose who saves me from danger. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be beside you now. I haven’t seen him since, and I have no intention of doing anything just because he’s a prince. You have no reason to be angry.”
Hades stared at Latifa for a moment and then blurted out a word.
“……Luhan calls you Laty.”
“Yes?”
“And that’s a term of endearment between lovers?”
“Yes, in the Empire.”
“Luhan…… called you Laty.”
“Uh, yes. I taught him to call me that.”
She had no choice but to respond dumbly to his repetitive words.
What else could she say?
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
