Don't Touch My Thorn (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Squeeeek!
Water spilled over from the pot and dripped downward. Before it even touched the roaring flames beneath, it turned into white steam and vanished into the air.
I trembled violently at the sight of that enormous inferno.
Seriously, am I really going in there? No way! Help! Someone save me!
“It’s fully boiled, Master Idrish.”
“Now go fetch that one.”
“Yes!”
With that feeble reply, a short man trudged toward me. A massive shadow fell over my head, and a huge hand clamped down and seized me.
Eeek!
I flailed my stubby limbs desperately—but it was useless.
In an instant, I was right before the nose of the man addressed as “young master.”
His golden pupils dilated, then narrowed vertically again. Every hair on my body stood on end. The man opened his mouth, filled with cruel amusement.
“Roast this and serve it on my table today.”
It was a death sentence.
‘No! Please spare me! I’m human! I’m a person! Killing me would be murder!’
I struggled with all my might, but the boiling water drew closer with swift, heavy strides.
‘Ugh, damn it. I’m going to die young again—this time boiled alive in scalding water.’
My mind went blank.
So, I had died once before.
Not in this world—but in another.
I’d suffered from an illness since childhood. I never lost hope and underwent several surgeries, but they only worsened my pain. In my final years, all I could do was lie in a hospital bed, enduring agony while listening to audiobooks of novels.
So when death finally came, I was actually happy—because I wouldn’t hurt anymore, and I wouldn’t have to stay in that hospital.
I felt a little guilty toward my family, who had wept while clutching my hand—but maybe it was better for them too. After all, they’d spent their whole lives exhausted from caring for me.
As I closed my eyes, I hoped that if there was a next life, I’d at least be free from pain.
It felt as if I’d kept my eyes shut for an eternity—or perhaps just a fleeting moment.
Which meant, of course, that I opened them again.
What I noticed first wasn’t the unnervingly gigantic grasses of the forest or the strange, unfamiliar trees I’d never seen before.
‘Huh? That’s weird. Why doesn’t my body hurt? Am I dreaming? Or is this what happens after death? Is this the afterlife? Heaven?’
As if entranced, I moved through the tall grasses until I reached a clear stream trickling through a valley.
Seeing the flowing water made me thirsty.
‘Can you even be thirsty after you’re dead?’
Instinctively, I reached toward the water’s edge as the thought crossed my mind.
Or so I thought…
‘Wha—aaah! What is this!’
Instead of a hand, some unknown elongated thing appeared.
‘That’s not my hand!’
Where fingers should have been, four small, pointed claws—caked with dirt—were attached. My plump pink “hand” twitched slightly whenever I tensed it.
‘My hand turned into a foot! And not just any foot—a tiny, pathetic one!’
I wanted to touch this new foot-hand, but I had no hands left to do it with.
‘What’s going on? Do we all revert to some primordial form when we reach the afterlife?’
Horrified, I stepped closer to the water’s edge.
The surface, rippling briefly from the breeze I’d stirred, quickly stilled—and in it, the dense trees and cloudless sky reflected with mirror-like clarity.
And right in the center of that painting-perfect reflection… was me.
My long, pointed nose—like a fairy’s shoe—twitched impudently with every breath. My tiny black eyes, like dots made by a computer marker, sparkled innocently.
And on top of my head…
‘Aaaahhh! What is this!’
In shock, spines shot straight up from my head and back. I looked just like a living chestnut burr.
I know what animal this is… It’s that thing! What’s it called again? The cactus that poops.
Right! A hedgehog!
…I must have been reborn as a hedgehog.
At first, I was utterly devastated.
Dying young after a lifetime of illness in my past life was already tragic—now I’m a hedgehog?
But I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.
For one, I was starving.
I wandered about and picked up a few tasty-looking berries to eat.
‘Oh? This is delicious!’
The sweet-tart flavor made my eyes pop open.
Back when I was sick, I couldn’t eat proper food or even taste anything—so this sensation was truly rare.
I ate and ate as if possessed.
Only when my belly was so full it felt ready to burst did I flop down on my back. For the first time, I truly noticed the scenery.
A lush forest filled with birdsong, a crimson sun staining the sky, and crisp, fresh air.
‘How long has it been since I last saw the sky?’
A breeze blew, gently swaying the fine down on my plump pink belly.
Tears suddenly welled up.
‘I’m alive. And I don’t hurt.’
So what if I’m a hedgehog? At least all four limbs work perfectly!
At that moment, I resolved to become the happiest hedgehog in the world.
But there was one fatal flaw in a hedgehog’s life—one I only realized after living happily as a “happiness hedgehog” for over a month.
I heard human voices from somewhere nearby—the first since I’d arrived here. Instinctively, I curled up and hid behind some leaves. Two small figures walked past me.
“Is that rumor really true?”
Though the language was unfamiliar, I understood it instantly.
“Keep your voice down! It’s top secret! If anyone finds out they’re still alive, our entire clan is as good as dead.”
“Who’d hear us in this deep forest? Just tell me—is it true or not?”
“Yes! My older brothers work at that mansion. The young master there had completely stopped breathing. He’d have died long ago if not for ‘that thing.’ They say if a living creature brews it and drinks it, their lifespan increases by at least fifty years.”
Wait—lifespan?
It felt like I’d been struck on the head.
‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner? How long do hedgehogs even live? Maybe ten years? That’s like third grade in elementary school! That’s way too short.’
I didn’t even know my current age.
What if I was already nine? What if my time was almost up?
‘No way. I can’t die like this. I just decided to live happily as a hedgehog—how dare fate give me hope only to snatch it away!’
I stealthily followed them.
“Where exactly is that mansion?”
“Go straight west and look beneath the red cliff… Wait. Why are you asking?”
“Let’s steal ‘that thing’ and sell it.”
Ah. What is it, exactly? Mind letting me in on it?
“Don’t say such horrifying things! How could anyone possibly steal a white tiger’s whiskers unnoticed? If the mansion’s owners catch us… Ugh. We’ll end up roasted raccoon dogs on a spit.”
White tiger’s whiskers?
…It sounded utterly unbelievable. This wasn’t some fantasy novel.
But when you’re backed into a corner, you’ll try anything.
‘Right. If I can die and be reborn as a hedgehog, why couldn’t there be white tiger whiskers that extend life?’
If their words held even a grain of truth, this was my golden opportunity.
A chance not to die young! A chance to become the world’s longest-lived hedgehog!
I didn’t know whether their “white tiger” was a literal white tiger or just a metaphor—but I’d find out once I got there.
I started walking in the direction they’d described.
After wandering through the deep forest for a week, just as I grew too exhausted to even raise my spines, the white tiger’s mansion appeared before me.
‘It’s huge…’
The mansion was too vast to take in at a glance. But despite its size, it looked half-crumbling and shabby from the outside, buried among eerie, overgrown trees, making it seem even more bizarre.
‘It’s so gloomy. Please don’t let me end up as roasted hedgehog on a spit…’
I circled the mansion and slipped inside through a mouse hole. Once inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
‘Wow… Wow! It’s incredibly lavish!’
It was like another world.
For a moment, I even forgot I’d come to steal something, and just stood there gazing around.
The floors and walls were made of flawless, snow-white marble. The ceiling soared so high that even stacking 1,200 hedgehogs wouldn’t reach it. Hanging from it like a cloud was a massive marble statue of an angel, seeming to watch over the entire interior. Torches densely lined the space, making it feel just like walking through heaven.
On either side stood rows of white tiger statues—so lifelike that just looking at them made my legs tremble. Especially the large gems set into their eyes—they sparkled with every step I took, as if watching me intently.
‘They’ll probably gobble me up any second.’
But I couldn’t stop now. I had to find “that thing” and steal it!
I diligently scoured the vast mansion. Dodging the occasional servant wasn’t easy—but eventually, the hedgehog found the white tiger.
On the third floor, in the room at the very center.
There it was, bathed directly in moonlight.
‘I-It’s a real tiger.’
The great beast’s white fur gleamed as brilliantly as the moon itself—like a mythical creature from legend.
Its eyes were closed, breathing slowly and calmly—but even in repose, it radiated overwhelming intimidation. My legs, which had never faltered before, stiffened of their own accord.
My instincts screamed: “If you go closer, you’ll die! Run away now!”
‘No. Its whiskers are right there—how can I run after walking for over a week?’
I recalled the hardships of my journey here: encounters with birds of prey, drinking rainwater moments before dehydration, spines falling out from exhaustion!
‘If I was going to give up here, I shouldn’t have come at all.’
Gathering courage, I moved my frozen front paw. The first step was hard—but the next came more easily. Groaning, I crawled onto the bed.
‘But why would a tiger sleep in a bed? And in the finest room, no less?’
I glanced around nervously—was the owner nearby? But aside from the tiger, no one was in sight.
Just how much must they cherish this pet—no, companion tiger—to treat it so extravagantly? If they’re looking for a companion animal, why not consider a hedgehog instead?
I’m house-trained and full of affection. I can sit, shake paws, and spin—all of it! The true companion animal of this age is the hedgehog…!
Before I knew it, I was close to the white tiger. I cleared my mind of distractions.
The tiger’s eyes were open now. I was within arm’s reach. My belly was damp with cold sweat.
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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Oh, the situation is so funny, he’s treating him like a horse, “Go, my horse!” 😂😂