Did she overpay? Roselia shrugged and entered the room.
Inside, a nearly naked woman sat dazedly at the bedside.
The woman seemed surprised to have a visitor and said, “It’s been so long since I had a guest…”
Her smile was lifeless, though she might have been quite beautiful once, judging by her delicate features beneath her pallid complexion. However, the advanced state of her illness was evident in her hollow eyes and bony arms and legs.
“Are you Nadia?” Roselia asked.
“You’re quite a polite guest.”
Nadia approached leisurely, wearing only a silk undergarment that revealed more of her emaciated frame than it concealed, prompting pity rather than allure.
Misinterpreting Roselia’s intentions, Nadia moved closer, causing Roselia to awkwardly step back.
“Wait, Nadia. I’m not here for that. I’ve come to see you.”
“Huh? If not for that, why are you here?”
“Well… I came to meet you, Nadia.”
Nadia stopped abruptly, looking astonished.
“You paint, right, Nadia?”
Nadia stiffened, then dropped her feigned smile and looked at Roselia dryly.
“Painting? Where did you hear such strange talk?”
It was odd. The woman had to be Nadia, yet she seemed to be lying.
“Why are you hiding the fact that you paint? I came here to buy your painting.”
The young lad is saying something funny… A barmaid who barely gets by day-to-day, painting? Really?” scoffed Nadia, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
“Are you going to do it or not?”
“Do what?”
“What I sell here, for money, is all I have. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
Roselia was speechless at Nadia’s resigned gaze.
“Why do you have to go to such lengths?”
Nadia responded with a bitter smile to Roselia’s poignant question, “This is how I’ve lived my life. If you’re just going to waste my time like this, please leave. I need to be available for other customers.”
Roselia had no choice but to leave the room, realizing any further conversation would be futile. From the moment she entered as a customer, Nadia had been laughing, but she had already drawn a line between them. The outcome would have been the same whether she was a man or a customer.
But, perhaps it would be different if she were another woman, or a fellow woman in the same profession.
Determined, Roselia stepped out of the tavern.
With her blonde hair flowing, Roselia confidently stood before the tavern owner.
Surprised, the owner clutching his coin purse asked again, “So, you’re paying me to pretend to work here today?”
He looked perplexed. People usually work for wages, not pretend to work and pay for it.
“Yes, just pretend to work here. Don’t assign me any customers. That’s what the money’s for.”
He scanned her from head to toe. Her healthy, sleek figure, translucently fair skin, and jewel-like green eyes made her an incredibly attractive and somewhat defiant and bold figure, unlike the usual women in this line of work.
Swallowing hard, he muttered, “Why not work here properly? I’ll pay you well…”
“Do you understand what I’ve just given you?” she asked, her presence somewhat intimidating. The owner, dumbfounded, assumed she was a rich merchant’s daughter out for some tavern adventure.
“But, miss… if you’re going to work here, or even pretend, you’ll have to change your clothes…”
Looking down at her attire after the owner’s comment, Roselia glanced around. The women serving customers were all in tight, revealing outfits.
Despite feeling awkward, Roselia realized that dressing more appropriately would only help her approach Nadia. It was only for a short time, and she had no intention of serving customers.
Soon, she changed into a thin dress provided by the owner and walked awkwardly into the hallway. The dress clung too tightly around her waist and exposed her chest and back, making her feel strangely empty at the top. The thin skirt highlighted her hip and leg lines, adding to her discomfort.
Determined to head straight to Nadia’s room, she hurried down the hallway but stopped abruptly. She saw a familiar man walking towards her from the opposite end of the corridor.
The man, showing a distinct displeasure on his face, frowned deeply.
Why is Duke Baltazar here?!
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
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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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