Male Lead's First Wife (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 033
‘Please check on the nanny’s condition right after I select a handmaiden.’
In the lobby of Growen Castle, those were the words Yerpi had spoken to Raymond in front of the evergreen painting beside the ornate central staircase.
‘It seems Dante has been staying somewhere else. I’m suspicious about whether the nanny is properly caring for him.’
Yerpi’s words had sparked a flicker of doubt.
Raymond could have ignored her words. After all, nothing seemed amiss until now.
But Raymond followed her advice, and the scene he discovered was horrifying.
That night.
Dante emerged from underground, cradled in Yerpi’s arms. The young dragon pretended to be brave, making no sound at all.
But it didn’t take long to realize he had been terrified.
The child was taken to the safest and warmest place possible.
In a soft bed and the warm embrace of a woman with a sweet fragrance, the young dragon cried bitterly for a long time.
Whenever he coughed from crying, a gentle hand stroked his back, and lukewarm water slid down his throat.
After crying, he was comforted and held close; when he struggled to calm down, a light kiss would gently land upon Dante’s forehead.
It was the first time he had ever experienced such affection.
Each time soft, warm flesh touched his forehead, Dante flinched in surprise.
But it felt good. The warm, peaceful embrace, the tender voice and gentle touch—these were everything the child had ever dreamed of.
Awaiting the exhausted child, as night deepened, was an endless, deep slumber.
A sleep so deep it felt like he might never wake again, yet so warm and cozy that he never wanted to leave—within that sweet embrace, the child finally slept a sugary, peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while.
Even when he briefly opened his eyes, it was the same.
Inside the clean, spacious room, the scent Dante loved filled the air abundantly.
The sweet fragrance stimulating his senses, the soft scent of skin, and faint traces of shampoo and body wash brought Dante a sense of relief.
Even if it was a strange place, as long as this embrace existed, it was fine.
Yet occasionally, a thought would arise.
‘Why am I here?’
Then memories of yesterday would naturally surface, making everything feel like a dream.
No, was it perhaps yesterday’s events that were the dream? If so, then Meidi was…
But his thoughts kept getting interrupted by the deep slumber, preventing him from thinking too deeply.
Yet one thing remained unchanged—every time he half-opened his eyes and closed them again, there was someone beside him.
‘Too good.’
He could only think that.
Dante fell asleep again. When the young dragon finally opened his eyes properly, a full day had passed, and it was the middle of the night.
‘…I’m hungry.’
The first sensation upon regaining consciousness was hunger.
Having gone nearly two days without eating, his empty stomach growled on its own.
Intense hunger and suddenly clearer vision revealed details of the room he hadn’t noticed yesterday.
For example, the beige canopy and neat green wallpaper, along with the matching furniture.
While he was observing these things, the door opened.
Dante, startled in advance, jumped up, tail raised. The one who entered while his bright yellow eyes were wide open was the room’s owner.
‘You were awake. I startled you again.’
Yerpi observed Dante’s reaction.
Her gentle voice soothed the young dragon, who had arched his back in alarm.
Yet the lingering tension dissolved completely at the delicious scent wafting from somewhere.
‘Are you alright? I was worried because you slept for so long.’
The source of the scent was the cart the duchess wheeled in. Confirming Dante’s gaze was fixed entirely on the cart, Yerpi smiled faintly and pulled back the cloth.
‘I brought this because I thought you’d be hungry.’
As she placed each dish on the table, Dante’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Fragrant corn soup and snow-white, tender bread. Among them, what captivated Dante most was the ripe, sweet peach.
‘Have the soup first. It’s not good to eat fruit on an empty stomach.’
Yerpi slid a small plate in front of Dante. Though slightly dissatisfied, since it seemed true, Dante took a bite of the soup first.
‘Delicious.’
The soup, cooled to the perfect temperature, was smooth and rich in flavor. As he hastily licked the bowl clean, small pieces of torn white bread were offered to his lips.
Cautiously checking her expression, he saw the duchess smiling. Accepting the bread, the woman showed visible delight, and seeing her smile, Dante finally felt at ease.
‘Ah, I’m full.’
A proper meal, eaten for the first time in a long while, completely relaxed the young dragon’s heart.
Silently assisting Dante’s meal, the duchess was peeling a peach beside him.
The juicy peach emitted a fragrant aroma the moment the knife touched it.
‘Here, try this too. I picked the tastiest one from all the peaches in the castle.’
A neatly cut piece of peach was brought to Dante’s mouth.
He hesitated again, but the temptation of the peach was nearly impossible to resist. In the end, he opened his mouth and took the piece—it truly tasted like honey.
‘The most delicious peach in the world!’
Excitedly, Dante snorted and devoured the rest. Not satisfied, his scent-seeking mouth even licked Yerpi’s fingers.
‘…!’
‘It tickles.’
Startled again, Dante jumped back. Seeing the distance Dante created, Yerpi reassured him.
‘It’s alright. You must have really liked the peach. I should have brought more. Oh, wait a moment.’
Smiling gently, the duchess left her seat. Dante’s heart continued to beat uneasily.
‘Mei di really hated this kind of thing.’
Dante’s nanny always treated him like an animal, yet she utterly despised it when he actually acted like one.
But just now, the duchess had been different.
Her gentle smile in a situation that could have angered her made the young dragon’s heart race.
The fact that she didn’t dislike him made him incredibly happy.
Yet due to extreme memories from the past, Dante grew gloomy again.
Only briefly, though—Yerpi reappeared. She was now wearing a robe.
‘Come here. Let’s take a bath together.’
Forgetting his gloom, Dante jumped in shock. If he were human, his cheeks or ears would have turned bright red.
Noticing his reaction, Yerpi smiled and gently stroked the young dragon’s head.
‘It’s alright. You’re still young.’
Dante was nine years old this year.
Yerpi carried the stiffened Dante toward the bathroom. The room was filled with warm steam, and the bathtub was full of warm water.
While Dante was tense, Yerpi entered the tub with him.
As the warm water enveloped his body, tension melted away naturally, drawing out a sigh. Dante felt the same.
‘The bathtub—it’s been so long.’
As his tension eased, he soon forgot his embarrassment.
Peaceful moments always brought thoughts.
‘Mei di only bathed me when she had to take me to Raymond.’
Remembering the now-invisible nanny brought gloom back once more.
Swinging between happiness and sadness, he felt as if he weren’t himself.
What had happened to Mei di?
Did she…
‘Did she love me even a little?’
Forcing himself not to cry, his throat grew tight.
‘What are you thinking about?’
At the duchess’s question, Dante quickly shook his head.
He wanted to answer, but he lacked the courage.
‘I don’t want to be hated.’
If even this woman, who held him in her arms, came to hate him, he felt he might truly die.
But Dante well knew that without hatred, one could not receive love.
The love Mei di had shown him was exactly that.
Still, there was one thing he desperately wanted to ask the duchess.
The child opened his mouth, bracing himself for being hated.
‘…!’
Startled by the telepathic voice echoing in her mind, Yerpi’s eyes widened.
The words came not as a voice, but like a wave of sound, yet the boy’s trembling heart was conveyed perfectly.
The boy was trembling.
Yerpi turned the child, who had been leaning against her chest, around to meet his eyes.
‘I have never hated you, not even once.’
[But…]With a body like this monster, if I can even speak—how much more disgusting would you find me?
[Everyone avoided me.]‘No, they didn’t.’
At her firm denial, Dante lifted his head.
Large eyes had already filled with droplets of tears.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
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Chapter Comments (11)
Inline Comments (36)
[Someone likes me?]
Yeah, your uncle wants you to grow up normally more importantly this person here lobes you
“No one thinks you’re disgusting. The reason people don’t approach you easily is
True, they may not like or dislike him but they definitely do not hate him
What Yerpi couldn't understand, however, was Raymond's attitude.
Girl he likes you and doesn’t like it that his wife is now spending time with someone else even though that is his son
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Guys, i feel soo mean still not liking the ml😭 i mean, he hasn’t done anything good so far, just the bare minimum
Pepe, noooooo😭😭😭😭😭 i think maybeee the duchess needs to go?? I still dont quite get what is happening there
I feel so bad for Pepe😭 they finally have a safe place to live and tragedy just keep coming their way