“Secretary Han, have you found that woman?”
The pleasant baritone voice echoed quietly in the spacious office.
Yerin stood upright, maintaining her usual business smile.
“I’m sorry. Not yet.”
Not pleased with Yerin’s answer, Ihyeon slowly rubbed his eyebrow with his index finger.
It was a predictable reaction.
It had been over three months since Ihyeon asked Yerin to find ‘that woman’.
‘How can I find someone untraceable? Sigh.’
Yerin sighed deeply inwardly while maintaining a smile.
Ihyeon, as usual, stared intently at Yerin’s face.
Whenever he looked at her so persistently, she became tense, recalling that night.
‘Could the Director actually know something?’
Even though she knew it wasn’t true, Yerin felt uneasy under Ihyeon’s intense gaze.
It was a classic case of a thief feeling guilty.
‘I must not show it. I need to act calm.’
Unbeknownst to Ihyeon, the ‘that woman’ he desperately sought was ironically Yerin herself.
After an unforgettable night, Ihyeon, smitten at first sight with ‘that woman’, had pressed Yerin to find her at all costs.
Luckily, since the task was assigned to Yerin herself, she had been deliberately not searching for ‘that woman’, buying time.
Unfortunately, if ‘that woman’ wasn’t found, Yerin would have to continue a ridiculous fake relationship with Ihyeon.
Yerin was also troubled by the situation, which seemed impossible to resolve or escape.
The only person enjoying this situation was Ihyeon.
Yerin, trying to seem busy with work, initiated a conversation.
“Director, is there any clue about that woman that you haven’t told me?”
“Oh, there is one. That day, she scratched my body and ran away.”
Yerin’s lips parted slightly.
‘Did I scratch the Director that day?’
It seemed she had, overwhelmed by the exhilarating pleasure, leaving long marks on his well-sculpted back muscles.
Yerin clenched her fists, hiding her well-manicured nails.
Ihyeon was unaware that his eyes caught every one of Yerin’s actions.
“Then, you must have scars, right?”
“Yes. Want to see?”
Ihyeon seemed ready to take off his shirt right then, pulling at his tie.
“No!”
Yerin firmly stopped Ihyeon’s action.
“There’s no need for me to see them. Seeing the scars won’t help me find her.”
Disappointment flickered on Ihyeon’s face at her words.
“Alright, if Secretary Han says so.”
Yerin couldn’t forget Ihyeon’s perfect abs that she had seen that night.
Not just the abs, but also his sturdy chest muscles, broad shoulders, and the scent he emitted when she was in his arms – she remembered everything.
And recalling those memories naturally brought a flush to her face.
It was hard to maintain calmness in front of Ihyeon.
She knew too well that she would never meet a man more exceptional than Ihyeon.
That’s why she needed to keep secret that ‘that woman’ was herself.
She wanted to preserve Ihyeon’s memory of that night as a grand fantasy.
It was the only way not to ruin his precious memory.
Taking a short breath, Yerin went back to square one and started her report.
“So, to conclude, Director…”
“Why conclude so soon? I want to hear everything in detail.”
Yerin could only awkwardly smile in response.
There was only one thing she could tell Ihyeon.
That she was still searching and would continue to do so diligently.
It was a fixed conclusion, one that would never change.
Swallowing hard, Yerin continued.
“The usually efficient Secretary Han can’t seem to solve this one thing.”
“She’s just too well-hidden.”
Ihyeon smiled gently, showing a softer side.
“You should have found her by any means necessary. Secretary Han, do you enjoy being in this pretend relationship with me?”
Yerin quickly turned her body and looked at the firmly closed office door again.
The room was soundproof, but she still lowered her voice further, concerned that the secretarial staff outside might overhear.
“Director, we agreed not to discuss our fake relationship in the company.”
“Oh, did we?”
Ihyeon raised the corners of his lips mischievously.
He knew very well and was just teasing her.
Ihyeon tilted his head, adopting a tender look.
“Secretary Han, we don’t have any schedule this afternoon. How about we leave work and go on a date?”
Ihyeon surely knew that proposing such things with his handsome face made it hard to refuse.
Yerin concealed her true feelings and put on a professional smile she usually showed in business settings.
“Director, since we are still on duty, I would prefer if we didn’t discuss our fake relationship.”
“Ah, I’ll be more careful.”
Ihyeon lazily raised his eyebrows and slowly scanned Yerin’s face.
Seeing her slightly stiff and trembling lips, Ihyeon spoke in a pleasingly low voice.
“Why do I keep getting the feeling that Secretary Han is deliberately not finding her?”
Ihyeon’s black eyes fixed on Yerin’s face.
His gaze was chillingly perceptive, making her involuntarily tense.
“There’s no reason for me to do that.”
“Of course. Once you find that woman, our relationship will also come to an end. Right?”
“Yes.”
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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