Perhaps being a greenhouse flower made it even harder. Weak in body, she was crushed under the weight of grief, guilt, and regret to the point of death.
That was then.
“If you can’t explain yourself satisfactorily, I might just kill you right here and now. Aria Hilton.”
In other words, the current threats of her ex-husband, dripping with murderous intent, were not frightening at all.
This was nothing compared to that time.
Aria smiled broadly.
“Really?”
“Does it sound like a lie?”
“If you harm me even a little, you’ll surely end up kneeling and crying in regret later.”
Aria winked.
“It would be interesting to see, but I think it’s better not to. The Duke looks quite silly when he cries.”
“…What?”
Luke was taken aback by her brazen words. Was Aria Hilton always like this?
Although he never paid attention to women other than Elodie, he remembered Aria Hilton because she was a notoriously bustling maid. Aria Hilton was known to be timid and unable to speak her mind, despite her stunning beauty.
She wasn’t the kind of person to speak her mind so blatantly.
It was rare to find a woman who could speak so freely in his presence. In the whole kingdom, there were only two – one was his mother, and the other…
…was no longer in this world.
Even after six years, Elodie’s face was still vivid in his memory. Luke’s demeanor darkened chillingly.
“If you talk any more, I really won’t let you off.”
“…”
“Do you want money? Or do you want to be the mother of my daughter and become the Duchess?”
He sneered bitterly.
“If it’s the former, I’ll give you as much as you want. But if it’s the latter, you’d better not even dream of it.”
“…What?”
Aria reacted a beat too late to Luke’s sharp words. She hadn’t expected him to come at her so fiercely.
The Luke she knew was a bit wild but a good-natured man who enjoyed jests.
Luke Lysianthus didn’t wait for Aria to speak. He crossed his arms tightly and frowned.
“That’s enough courtesy. I hope you stop pretending to be my daughter’s mother. It’s extremely unpleasant.”
“What”
“Bonita’s mother is only Elodie. No other woman can be my daughter’s mother! If you plan to stay here, better not even dream”
It was then.
Creak.
The door opened, and a small child entered. Behind her, a red-haired maid, unable to stop the child from entering, looked flustered.
The Duke turned around with a look of realization.
“Bonita, this is…”
But it was already too late.
Large tears were already welling up in Bonita’s bright pink eyes. Luke flailed his huge arms, not knowing what to do.
Ignoring his pitiful gestures, Bonita ran towards Aria.
“Mother!”
“Bonita!”
Their cries overlapped. Aria, completely ignoring her ex-husband’s voice, caught her daughter who had jumped towards her.
“Oh, Bonita! You’ve become so radiant! A hundred times, no, a thousand times cuter than before!”
“I missed you, Mother…”
Bonita whined as she snuggled into Aria’s embrace.
Aria, still in her plain white shirt and brown suspender skirt from the morning, smelled like the freshly baked white bread and corn soup they had for breakfast. Bonita took a deep breath, clinging to that familiar scent.
In a place full of unfamiliar things, her mother’s embrace was comfortingly tender, calming her racing heart with just her presence.
Watching this, Luke’s eyes wavered. He hadn’t anticipated Bonita’s reliance on Aria to this extent.
He had no expectations for that woman.
Initially, he ignored it in his excitement, but Bonita’s nutritional status and development were clearly poor.
A well-cared-for child wouldn’t have bruises all over her arms or be so skinny.
Thus, he considered the possibility that Aria had neglected – or even abused – Bonita. Naturally, his attitude was aggressive.
He was grateful for bringing his daughter back but planned to investigate and retaliate for how Bonita was previously treated.
But this scene.
“Mother, you are my mother, right?”
“Of course, Bonita.”
It was as if he was the intruder between a loving mother and daughter.
“Then, then you’ll stay with me, right? Yes?”
“Um, Mommy was planning to do that, but…”
Whisk.
Bonita’s gaze shifted towards Luke. Her eyes, reddened from crying, glared as if he was a villain separating her from her mother.
Luke eventually made a ‘temporary’ surrender.
“Miss Aria, you may stay at the Duke’s residence for a while.”
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]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
