Don't Be Kind Rashly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Rustica Jenus was only twenty-five this year, yet she felt she’d already experienced quite a lot in life.
She became an orphan at fourteen and, until twenty-one, rose to fame as a genius knight in the great Calleta Empire. Then, in an instant, she lost all her talent and fled the Calleta Empire as if escaping.
Having fallen into ruin, she had already lived for four years in this place—a tiny vassal state clinging to the empire’s edge—specifically, in a shabby cabin at the nameless westernmost territory of Momentum. At this point, she’d lived a life that had seen it all.
Yet never in her life had she woken up with a splitting headache to find herself lying in an unfamiliar bed beside a stranger.
‘Living alone has driven me mad from loneliness…’
The woman known as Rustica, or simply Lu, nearly cried out before sighing instead. She really had hit rock bottom.
‘What on earth happened…?’
What happened, indeed. She’d sat in a tavern, drunk heavily—though not enough to black out—and spent the night with a man seated beside her who had a charming smile.
Having quickly assessed the situation, she slipped silently out of bed and hurriedly dressed. She was confident she could vanish without a trace. Even if she couldn’t do much else, she’d mastered that one skill ever since leaving Calleta. After all, such irresponsible and irrational one-night stands were meant to end after just one night.
Soaked to the bone with hangover and self-loathing, Lu left the room without even looking back.
‘I’ve gone mad. Completely lost my mind.’
Even after losing her talent and pretending as hard as she could to live recklessly, she’d never engaged in such dangerous foolery. She felt utterly pathetic—once the most disciplined and exemplary knight—and couldn’t think of anything else. Her brown hair in disarray, she fled blindly, unaware even of her own actions.
An hour after the door had quietly closed, the previously silent room stirred once more with human presence.
The man, who had slept soundly for the first time in years beneath the pouring sunlight, lifted his head.
“…Lu?”
Gray eyes scanned the room from beneath tousled black hair.
There was no trace of the woman anywhere.
Those calm gray eyes began to freeze over with coldness.
“…Wow…”
‘Here I am at high noon under blazing sun, reeking of alcohol, scowling like a fool, and shuffling along like a ruffian—that’s me, right there.’
Lu couldn’t even keep her mouth shut properly as she shuffled along. Just what had she gotten herself into last night?
‘So the Jenus family has finally produced a ruffian. I don’t know much, but I’ve never seen either of my parents drunk, so I must truly be the first and only ruffian in our line.’
She couldn’t even lift her head from shame. The day was too perfectly beautiful. Sunlight pierced brilliantly through the green broadleaf trees, blindingly clear, and the light-green leaves shimmered transparently. It was so warm that village children were already stripping off their clothes without hesitation and running down to the stream.
“Whoa! Who’s that! Sister Lu?”
“Sister Lu, you smell like booze!”
“You stink!”
“Where’ve you been?”
She felt like dying from her hangover, yet instead of minding their own business, the kids immediately swarmed around her, chirping noisily.
Then again, in this backwater of backwaters, how much entertainment could there possibly be? A few years ago, a mysterious woman suddenly appeared, built a cabin in the dark forest even locals avoided, played with the children, and taught them various things—naturally, she became the biggest object of curiosity.
“Ugh… Go away, you little rascals…”
Her hoarse voice and frantic waving only made the kids louder.
“Wow, your voice sounds just like our dad’s!”
“You drank at Uncle Ben’s too, didn’t you!”
“Where on earth did you learn such things…”
Truthfully, yes—she had drunk at Uncle Ben’s, the village’s only tavern. Moreover, she’d slept at the inn run on the tavern’s upper floor. Not alone, but with a man.
Rustica Jenus, acting like a ruffian! She, who had always lived impeccably and exemplarily as a knight, couldn’t even raise her head in shame.
“Mom said you shouldn’t drink!”
“You’ll turn into a fool!”
“So is Sister Lu a fool?”
“Sister, show us something shiny!”
Big-headed or small, they all clung tightly to her clothes, crowding around her.
Ugh, these bothersome brats. With no choice, Lu rummaged through her pockets. Cheap candies—normally only given to children during festivals or after harvest—poured onto their small hands.
“Woww!”
“Eat one each. If your teeth hurt, you’ll have to go to the blacksmith to pull them out.”
And please let go of me already. Though Lu had pulled her cloak over her head to block the sun, she struggled to tug free the hem the kids kept yanking. The excited children were too busy unwrapping candies, though a few still held onto Lu.
“Will you eat this too, sister?”
They offered her dried pumpkin hidden in crumpled pockets, or unripe apples secretly stolen from orchards. Lu knew well this was their way of saying thank you. Despite her hangover, she smiled.
“I’m fine.”
“They say drinking gives you a headache. You’ll snore in bed.”
“Yeah, I’ll snore.”
“Bye, sister!”
The children, sensing Lu wasn’t feeling well, quickly waved goodbye and left.
Wavering unsteadily, Lu shuffled away after barely managing a wave. Her head felt like it would shake right off. Walking on two feet was so exhausting she thought crawling on all fours might be better. Ah, then she’d truly become a dog.
“Aaargh…”
Villagers stared at Lu as if she were mad, watching her groan as she walked.
They tolerated her only because the children liked her, but she remained an outsider—an “odd woman.”
A young woman who lived in that shabby cabin deep in the woods, rarely emerging except for necessities; a fearsome woman not to be underestimated; and a learned woman who taught reading and arithmetic to any child who sought her out.
Word would surely spread that she’d passed through the village in broad daylight, reeking of alcohol.
‘…Well, that’s probably for the best.’
Having lost her abilities and everything else, she hardly needed a good reputation.
When news even reached the imperial capital Katat that she’d squandered all the wealth granted by the Calleta Emperor through gambling, she’d fled as if escaping. Everyone must have already forgotten the genius knight she once was.
Thus, the name Rustica Jenus was gradually fading away. It had to be that way.
Still young yet forced to abandon everything, the woman staggered into the dense, shadow-covered forest, leaving the sunlight behind.
‘First, medicine…’
Whether for hangover, contraception, or her aching back. At that thought, Lu let out a groan, clutching a massive tree surely over fifty years old.
‘I must have been possessed.’
At the very least, she’d never lived recklessly enough to do something as dangerously foolish as this. No—she’d always lived cautiously.
But what exactly happened last night? That Uncle Ben must have tampered with the drinks. She should’ve been wary of the oak-barrel-aged liquor. If she was going to drink, she should’ve done it properly—now she had a terrible hangover but vivid memories.
“Uuuugh…”
By the time she finally reached home—that shabby cabin, too humble to even call a home—Lu was practically crawling. Indeed, when walking on two feet grew too hard, using hands helped. In the end, she’d drunk herself senseless and returned like a dog.
‘Ah, how embarrassing…’
But since no one she knew had seen her, it didn’t matter. She’d stay quiet for now.
Though the cabin looked shabby outside, stepping through the door revealed a space unimaginably cozy and warm.
Clutching her throbbing head, Lu firmly locked the door, then immediately gulped down a large handful of medicine she’d prepared earlier. Gritting her teeth, she dragged her heavy, limp body into the water and washed away every trace of last night.
“Ah… I think I’ll survive.”
She must never drink at Uncle Ben’s again. And she’d put away that old habit of smiling and striking up conversations with handsome men when tipsy. Lu made a simple vow, pushing all memories of last night deep into her subconscious, then roughly cleaned herself and lay down on the bed. Don’t remember.
“My stomach hurts…”
She should eat something. But she was too exhausted and sleepy.
As evening twilight settled over the forest, green eyes snapped open in the pitch-black cabin.
Lu instantly reached for her sword—the one that always slept beside her—and rose silently. Her green eyes, sharp and fierce, glowed as if she’d never been plagued by a hangover.
Someone who’d survived by skillfully evading pursuers and spies was keenly sensitive to sounds. One had to be, to survive the battlefield. Clearly, a commotion had erupted outside.
‘Could it be… bears?’
Usually, it would be wild animals coming down to villages out of hunger. But for a woman living alone, visitors weren’t limited to wildlife—robbers might also come, thinking her an easy target.
Lu drew her sword and moved soundlessly. Pressed tightly against the wall, she listened to the noises outside, then crept along the wall. It took her no time at all to slip out the back, hide in the bushes, and move toward the magic circle. This was second nature to her.
‘…I smell blood.’
The forest was filled with large trees that easily concealed her small frame. Darting swiftly between trunks, Lu heightened all her senses.
Hiding behind a thick cedar, she peeked toward the source of the blood scent. Her green eyes widened instantly. Lu hastily yanked her head back.
‘There are two bears!’
Good heavens, what is that? Are two bears really lying there? Did she see correctly?
Even battle-hardened Lu couldn’t believe it and peeked out again.
Two bears lay bleeding, and leaning against a heavily wounded tree, a man barely breathed. Drenched in blood, he wore a plain set of armor haphazardly—more than half of it destroyed.
“Who are you?”
Tense and wary, Lu asked in a guarded tone. The man, badly injured in his thigh and shoulder, lifted his head.
Meeting his gray eyes, Lu flinched in surprise. Wait—why did he look so familiar?
“Lu.”
His large gray eyes twisted sadly. At the same moment, the woman whose name was called screamed inwardly.
“Why did you leave me behind?”
It wasn’t as if the blood-dripping man, seated among bear carcasses, was asking casually. True, that morning she had indeed left him in Uncle Ben’s inn room.
Recalling last night instantly, a flustered Lu immediately pointed her sword at him.
“You—what trickery is this? Who are you really?”
Anyone who could slaughter two ferocious gray bears couldn’t possibly be ordinary. Yet here he was, calmly bringing up this morning—that was clearly trickery.
Lu pressed her sword against the neck of the blood-soaked, strikingly handsome man and demanded sharply,
“Don’t you remember me? You even gave me all your bread…”
His fading voice from injuries and genuinely hurt eyes left Lu speechless.
“How many kids do you think I’ve given bread to?”
She’d always looked after the poor young knights dragged onto battlefields, even if only roughly! But now she noticed this handsome man was bleeding from his mouth too. Had those giant bears struck him hard? It was a miracle he was still breathing.
“…That’s unfair. I thought you’d given it only to me…”
His disappointed eyes drooped further. Is this guy insane?
“So you boiled chocolate for others too?”
Not a question one asked while gravely wounded and with a sword at one’s throat.
“And you let me sleep in your tent?”
His large gray eyes looked as if they’d burst into tears any second.
Strangely, the man who’d faced down bears seemed gentle and kind. He appeared to be in his early-to-mid twenties—a youth with strong, defined features, yet his eyes still held a boyish innocence.
“No, that’s not important—you’re hurt.”
Lu decided pointing her sword at a man who couldn’t even twitch a finger was useless, so she sheathed it and reached out to stop the bleeding.
“That matters more than my injuries. Don’t you really remember?”
‘Remember what? Let you sleep in my tent? Chocolate?’
Lu had never experienced anything like this. A man she’d spent one night with chased her down, killed bears, and tearfully asked if she remembered giving him bread and chocolate years ago. Bread, fine—but chocolate? When had she ever boiled that precious treat for anyone? And why let him sleep in her tent? That broke the rules.
Unconsciously, she sifted through old memories. There was exactly one memory—sweet, bittersweet, and warming her body deeply.
“Why did you leave me behind…”
Could it be… that cute kid she’d met by the wall?
Back then, that boy soldier had been merely fourteen or fifteen—slender-faced, worryingly young yet delicately handsome…
“How long I searched for you… how overjoyed I was when I finally found you…”
Tears finally rolled down the man’s cheeks, tracing his clearly defined jawline.
“Why… why are you crying?”
Lu’s mind went blank. Tears falling like a painting from such a strikingly beautiful face…
“Did I… do something wrong last night?”
Wrong? What could she have done wrong? Lu wasn’t the type to soften at an enemy’s tears, but this was the first time she’d been asked such a question—she was utterly dumbfounded.
“I didn’t know—I was a beginner. I’ll try harder next time, so please don’t leave me again…”
“No, hey—you’re bleeding! Stop talking already…!”
The man, dripping blood and tears, finally stretched out a trembling hand to grasp Lu’s. Then he collapsed heavily. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Ah… I’m going mad.”
Rustica Jenus, former imperial knight and “the genius who lost her talent,” had picked up a strange man at the western edge of Momentum, beyond the Calleta Empire.
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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I’m not sure where Lu gets the patience to deal with Hayden. He’s like a bulldozer. He seems convinced he’s helping her yet he doesn’t consider her opinions throughout it all.