The Vernal Equinox, when life begins to sprout.
Baekaksan, which had curled up throughout the winter, now flourished with greenery born of new life.
On the slopes of Baekaksan, a brown rabbit busily scurried here and there, seeking to fill its hungry belly.
The rabbit, yet to satisfy its hunger, stumbled upon its favorite shepherd’s purse and began devouring it greedily.
So intoxicated by the fragrant shepherd’s purse, it remained oblivious to any observers.
Then, an arrow shot from the bushes pierced through the rabbit.
―Squeak!
Struck directly in a vital spot, the rabbit met its end with a cry.
The hunter, having confirmed from afar that the prey had ceased to breathe, cautiously made her appearance.
“Direct hit!”
With neatly braided hair and fair, white skin.
The hunter, sparkling black eyes revealing her presence, was named Hong Yeon Woo.
Her petite face, a slender neck like a deer’s, and a lithe figure, she possessed a delicate and graceful demeanor uncharacteristic of a hunter.
Her cherry-red lips, brimming with the vitality of spring, and her eyes conveyed a bold spirit.
Over one shoulder hung an unremarkable herb bag, and in one hand, a bow seemingly unsuited for a girl.
Her trip to Baekaksan to gather herbs for the pharmacy had fortuitously yielded a rabbit.
The bow, brought in hopes of catching small animals during the hike, had proven its worth beyond expectations.
Yeon Woo approached the rabbit with a stride bolder than any boy’s.
“Great, this will cover today’s expenses.”
Yeon Woo lifted the rabbit, removed the arrow, and tied it to her waist.
Then she gazed down at her herb bag, now bulging with bounty.
“The herbs for the pharmacy should be enough now. Time to head back?”
As she prepared to leave, satisfied with her haul:
―Rustle.
A snapping branch sound came from the opposite bushes.
“?”
Yeon Woo instinctively turned towards the sound.
As she slowly drew an arrow from her quiver and pulled back the bowstring, a large, dark figure burst from the bushes.
“Ah!”
Startled by the sudden appearance, Yeon Woo let out an involuntary cry.
The creature that emerged was neither a deer nor a wild boar, but a young man.
Appearing to be about the age of Yeon Woo’s older brother, the man staggered, unable to properly balance himself, and soon collapsed.
Yeon Woo rushed towards the fallen man.
“Are you alright?!”
The man, his forehead band soaked in sweat, showed no signs of consciousness, eyes closed.
Yeon Woo shook his shoulder, trying to rouse him.
“Hey! Wake up!”
The man’s complexion turned ashen, but he remained unresponsive. Fearing he might be dead, Yeon Woo brought her face close to his nose and mouth.
A faint, shallow breath indicated he was still alive.
Suddenly, Yeon Woo felt something hot and wet on her hand.
It was fresh, scarlet human blood.
“Ah!”
Shocked, Yeon Woo fell backward.
Blood was seeping from the man’s abdomen, soaking his clothes and forming a pool on the ground.
“I need to stop the bleeding!”
In a panic, Yeon Woo flustered.
The man lying before her was a stranger, but she couldn’t bear to watch someone die in front of her.
“Excuse me.”
To tend to the man’s wound, Yeon Woo exposed the injured area of his clothes.
The wound she saw was more severe than expected.
The abdomen appeared to be deeply wounded, as if stabbed by a spear. It was not an injury caused by an animal.
“Good heavens…”
Shocked by the man’s wound, Yeon Woo took out a handkerchief and placed it over the injured area.
“Please bear with it, even if it hurts.”
To stop the bleeding, Yeon Woo placed her palm over the wound and began to apply pressure.
As the saying goes, three years at a village school should enable one to recite poems.
Yeon Woo, who sold medicinal herbs for a living, often frequented the pharmacy, gaining gradual knowledge about herbs, though not as extensive as a professionally trained medical woman.
“Cough!”
The man coughed up blood, evidently in pain.
It took a while for the bleeding to stop after she applied pressure to the wound.
Yeon Woo scanned the surroundings for herbs to treat the wound.
Fortunately, she had the necessary ingredients, and the rest could be easily found nearby.
She gathered the herbs beneficial for disinfection and treatment.
As she propped the man against a tree and was about to apply the herbs:
―Swoosh.
A cold blade touched Yeon Woo’s neck.
Her breathing halted as she was treating the man.
“Ah!”
A voice as cold as the blade’s chill growled low at Yeon Woo.
“Who are you?”
The man, having regained consciousness, now held a knife to Yeon Woo’s neck.
He was just waking up, breathing heavily.
Sweating and barely maintaining consciousness, the man still managed to glare fiercely at Yeon Woo with sharp eyes.
Yeon Woo felt as if her bones were freezing from the murderous intent, more than the blade at her throat.
“What were you trying to do? Speak before your head rolls.”
The man growled again.
Feeling as if she had encountered a tiger in the mountains, Yeon Woo found it hard to breathe under the man’s ominous aura.
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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