My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
It had been just an ordinary life.
Death came far too suddenly, swallowing everything into darkness before I even had a chance to feel fear. And the bitter realization that surfaced in my final moment was that my life had amounted to nothing more than “just ordinary.”
—If only I’d known I’d die so emptily like this…
Regret washed over me at the same time.
Though my life had been utterly mundane, now that I faced its end, the dreams I’d never fulfilled seemed to shimmer all the more brightly. I felt deeply sorry for myself—always living so timidly, so small.
—Yes, it was all my fault.
It wasn’t the world that had crushed and suppressed my life. Only now did I understand that my own fearful, timid self had drawn rigid boundaries and crumpled every possibility within them.
—If only I could have one more chance… I’d never hide or trample myself again. I’d live holding my head high… Why did I foolishly shrink away like that?
Before my regret could even finish forming, the darkness enveloping me rippled. Instinctively, I sensed that once even this consciousness was swallowed by the dark, true death would come.
—What if I gave you one more chance?
A mysterious voice echoed from the edge of the darkness. Was this just another hallucination before death?
—Could I really change?
—I could, if only I had the chance.
I didn’t know what that voice was, but I felt that if I didn’t grasp it now, everything would end.
—Human souls don’t change easily.
Maybe this was just a fantasy I’d conjured from reading too many novels—a cliché story where someone dies suddenly and wakes up as a beautiful noble lady, effortlessly claiming every happiness.
—You could think of it that way. In the end, only you can save your own soul.
The voice returned, startlingly clear, as if it had read my very thoughts.
—Fortunately, there’s a place perfectly suited for your soul right now. And of course, it’s somewhere you already know.
The darkness grew ever thicker. Soon, I wouldn’t even be able to reply to that voice.
—Alright, anywhere is fine!
Just as expected, the moment I barely managed to answer, all my senses were instantly swallowed by darkness.
—Then do your best. It’s my ninety-ninth bet—if you lose, I won’t let you off easy.
I had no time to ponder the meaning of those words.
After that, I couldn’t even tell how long I remained buried in darkness. But when I finally opened my eyes, I realized the mysterious voice had been right—a second chance had indeed been given.
“A place perfectly suited for my soul?”
My dry lips whispered the unfamiliar words to myself. So too were the luxurious nightgown I wore and the cascade of platinum hair flowing over my shoulders.
“…That doesn’t seem right.”
Though I’d forgotten my original name, one thing was certain: my past life had been anything but noble or dignified.
“If that voice wasn’t an illusion, then this must be a world I know.”
I let out a thin sigh and tried to sit up—but even that small effort drained all strength from my body.
“So I’m the delicate, pitiful noble lady. Probably frail too… But there are far too many heroines like that already.”
In my past life, I’d always envied my dainty, fragile-looking friends—but I’d never realized the struggles that came with such a disposition.
Perhaps it wasn’t just my name that had faded; memories of my previous life were slowly surfacing through the haze.
“At least I’ll get to wear pretty clothes as much as I like. No one will say they don’t suit my build.”
Though my life had been ordinary, the pain of being mocked for my ever-growing limbs and large frame had been deeply etched into my heart.
“At the very least, the genre is romance fantasy.”
My reading preferences in my past life had been unwavering. Probably out of some compensatory impulse, I’d spent all my time reading romance novels with hands calloused from relentless physical training.
Every story’s protagonist endured a difficult life—but with an athlete’s resilience, I believed I could overcome even that.
Then, knock knock—the awaited knock sounded.
‘Miss, may I come in?’
My heart pounded fiercely at the word “Miss.” Soon, I’d finally learn who I was.
“Miss! You’ve finally awakened!”
Was the setup that I’d collapsed after suffering a high fever for several days?
“Mm….”
I answered awkwardly, and the bed curtains were swiftly drawn back. A gentle-looking woman with brown hair gazed at me, tears welling in her eyes.
Now, what could possibly be the name of this frail, pitiful noble lady?
“How could you push yourself so hard you lost consciousness? Everyone’s been so terribly worried.”
Typically, when a sick protagonist faints and wakes up, they’ve lost their memory. So this was a perfectly natural development.
“My head feels dizzy… I can’t remember clearly…”
“Hmph.”
Yet the middle-aged woman who now pulled me into a warm embrace, tears streaming down her face, felt incredibly comforting. I barely recognized her—could she perhaps be the ever-present head maid that appears in every romance fantasy?
“But why on earth would you go on a diet like that? Really!”
Huh…? Who did what?
“You, who get dizzy if you skip even one meal, went three whole days drinking only water and eating grass, then ran around the mansion exercising and banged your head against a pillar!”
“Why…?”
“Exactly! You’re already beautiful… and dignified enough!”
Wait—didn’t the maid just hesitate mid-sentence? And “dignified” noble lady? Had there ever even been such a heroine?
“No matter how anxious you are about the engagement, please never skip meals again.”
“I’m… engaged?”
Only then did the brown-haired woman’s expression turn serious.
“Do you really not remember?”
Right now, all I could do was nod.
“Goodness, even though the plaster ornament on the pillar got smashed to pieces, you used to handle impacts like that easily when you were little…”
I didn’t recall ever being a noble lady who routinely smashed plaster ornaments with her head since childhood. If she’d been that unusual, I surely would’ve remembered immediately.
“For you to collapse over something so trivial… It’s just a small bump! Oh dear, this isn’t the time for that—I’ll go fetch the physician right away.”
Muttering distractedly, the woman quickly left the room.
“Just who on earth was I…?”
Before the shock of death had even faded, dizziness swept over me again.
[This is the timeline separator]Three days later, the secret commotion at Duke Astel’s estate had settled down—thanks to my belated realization that novels don’t feature only the protagonist.
“It’s such a relief that your memory’s returning somewhat. We were so frightened when you fainted, Miss…”
Anna, the head maid, was the gentle woman who’d raised Serena in place of her late mother, the duchess. By now, it was obvious: in this world, my name was Serena Astel.
“But I’ve forgotten everything I learned—how can I possibly go through with the engagement? Has there been any word from Father?”
“We sent a messenger bird, but we don’t know yet.”
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Serena’s father, Duke Astel, was an adventurer with a wandering streak. And her fiancé seemed utterly indifferent toward her.
“The engagement is impossible. I know nothing, and my memories are still jumbled.”
From the very beginning, the true protagonist of this story lay elsewhere. And Serena—now and in the future—was destined to remain a pitiful figure, never even acknowledged as a proper lady, let alone a wife.
“Don’t worry. You were about to start relearning etiquette anyway, so you can begin fresh now.”
This was news to me.
After all, who would’ve imagined that the woman destined to become Empress of the Empire would collapse after foolishly dieting and bashing her head against a pillar alone?
“A month will be more than enough. We’ll start dress fittings immediately—it’s not too late.”
After three sleepless days and nights of deep thought, I finally understood who Serena Astel was—and simultaneously realized why my soul had been told this place was “perfectly suited” for me.
“I’m not the type for those kinds of clothes…”
I glanced sideways at the mirror beside the bed—and saw a stunning woman with platinum hair flowing down to her waist. She was merely a bit tall and sturdy, that’s all.
“You have no idea how beautiful the Imperial engagement gown is. You yourself marveled at it before you lost your memory.”
“Me?”
“Of course.”
The woman in the mirror, with her blue eyes, possessed both the fresh charm of an eighteen-year-old and a beauty clearly destined to bloom magnificently. Her long limbs and tall stature were almost reminiscent of a runway model.
“And that’s why you overexerted yourself, skipping meals…”
Anna stopped mid-sentence, startled.
Indeed, if Serena had one flaw, it was that her back and neck were slightly hunched, giving her a gloomy impression. I didn’t need to ask why—I’d spent my past life constantly hunching my own shoulders, always shrinking inward.
“So it was because the gown didn’t fit my body.”
At some point, light, pretty clothes had stopped suiting me altogether. As a child, I’d often squeezed myself into ill-fitting outfits, hunching my back and neck just to appear smaller. Serena must have felt the same way.
“You remember now? Don’t worry about it. The previous wearer of the engagement gown—the Empress Dowager—was simply very petite.”
Different worlds, same worries, it seemed. Cruelly enough, the very pain that had haunted me my entire past life refused to fade, even with a changed fate.
“It wasn’t my gown to begin with.”
“Exactly. The gown will be perfectly tailored to fit you—it’ll be magnificent.”
Anna replied without understanding the deeper meaning behind Serena’s muttered words. In truth, it was customary for Imperial engagement gowns to be refitted and remade each time a new wearer was chosen.
“Tailored to fit my body?”
But to Serena, who’d come from a completely different world, those words struck a deeply poignant chord.
“Of course.”
It was a thought I’d never entertained in my past life. At the same time, the sharp regret that had surfaced at the moment of my death returned vividly.
“Without lowering my head… without hunching my back…”
Serena, murmuring to herself, rose from the bed and stood straight before the mirror. Straightening her spine and neck, she saw reflected a tall, slender beauty.
If given another chance… that wish had already been granted. Now it was my turn to change. The harsh boundaries I’d once imposed on myself held no meaning anymore. Casting everything aside and facing the woman in the mirror, the answer became crystal clear.
Smiling confidently, the tall, poised Serena in the mirror beamed back. Though no one could ever call her dainty or delicate—even as flattery—she radiated a vibrant, undeniable beauty.
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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MANGA DISCUSSION
5 Comments
Chapter Comments (67)
Serena, my baby, you are so beautiful. Walk with confidence and upright posture.
Don’t be afraid of people.
If people sense your fear, they will do whatever they can to intimidate you.It’s a blessing that the father didn’t blame Serena for his mother’s death.
Some men who call themselves fathers blame and torment the child.
Crown Prince, you are young.
Speak carefully. Choose your words carefully.
You have no right to be rude to Serena.
Inline Comments (14)
Could Lucas’s true aim really be Astel’s management secrets?
Dumb that’s just an excuse to speed time with you duh 🙄😒
That Lucas was the Crown Prince remained a secret within the duke’s household, a
I think it’s too late for you Serena 🤔😂😂 he took care of that
“Exactly. I was receiving a guest as acting Duke, not strolling as a young lady.
Disappointment? 🤔😏 What else was she expecting to? 😏😏😏
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agustus_orchid
If there was a tradition of making new dresses, why was the old empress’s dress given?
this clearly shows that the insignia was not wanted.
agustus_orchid
The saying “a petite woman is more beautiful” is nonsense.
a tall woman is beautiful.
Don’t listen to men’s made-up sayings.
agustus_orchid
To say that one’s character cannot easily change is nonsense and nothing but arrogance.
People change every day.
agustus_orchid
Both the soul and character are shaped by the environment and events we encounter.
agustus_orchid
Serena, live as you wish.
Don’t pay attention to what people say.