Yuin started to say she’d really get it dry-cleaned this time but stopped mid-sentence.
She watched Gyeon’s large hand, seemingly larger today, wave the soft fabric over her head.
The tie landed on her shoulders. Why? At that moment, Yuin was suddenly pulled forward.
She gasped, bit her lip, and tried to breathe.
“Dry cleaning for what?”
His husky voice brushed against her nose.
Close enough to fill her vision with his handsome features, she stared without blinking or breathing.
The sleek predator, after observing his cornered prey, lightly flicked her forehead, chuckled, and stepped back.
“Breathe.”
Gyeon’s words were a signal, and Yuin’s lips parted, exhaling the pent-up oxygen.
She breathed deeply, yet it seemed insufficient as her heart pounded painfully. Frustration surged. Her heart ached because of the man who always did what she asked him not to.
“Director. Seriously, stop these pranks.”
“Weren’t they fun?”
“Fun? It’s only fun for you. Where’s the fun in… Ah, really! I told you not to.”
Mid-complaint, Yuin noticed the clumsily tied ribbon around her neck. Gyeon laughed like a mischievous child.
“Looks pretty.”
Pretty? Nonsense! Anger boiled inside her. It was like talking to a wall.
Ignoring futile conversations, she tried to untie it, but Gyeon intervened.
“Wait, let me see. It really is pretty.”
“Oh, come on!”
He blocked her hand every time she tried to untie it. They bickered childishly for a while.
Gyeon kept laughing, finding Yuin’s exasperation amusing.
Exhausted from arguing and wrestling with him, Yuin leaned her head back on the sofa with a thump, eliciting more laughter from him.
“Should have just left it alone. You never listen.”
“…”
Ignore him. Ignoring is the answer. Yuin, with the silk ribbon still tied, glared into space, thinking to herself when a knock came.
Startled, she straightened up and locked eyes with Gyeon’s twinkling gaze.
Gyeon swiftly undid the tie with agile movements, reminiscent of a snake. Just as the fabric slithered into his grasp, the office door opened.
“Director, I’ve brought the item you requested.”
It was the respectable man they had encountered in the hallway.
Gyeon, who had carelessly stuffed the now more wrinkled tie into the sofa corner, mimicked a stern voice playfully.
“Bring it here.”
Yuin, saved from an embarrassing situation by Gyeon’s quick actions, glanced sideways at the man.
The man, devoid of any smile, was also looking at Yuin. His expressionless eyes briefly twinkled in her direction.
Anyway, he was skilled at picking people up and putting them down.
Yuin’s lips twitched with a smile, but she pursed her dry lips and turned her head away from Gyeon.
“Are you leaving work now?”
The man, who had approached with two shopping bags, asked Gyeon.
Gyeon checked his watch and replied.
“In about 30 minutes. You’re monitoring in real-time, right?”
“Yes. There are no issues.”
“Everyone leaves in an hour.”
“Understood.”
After a very dry and business-like conversation, the man left the room in a very composed and quiet manner.
Once the intruder was gone, Yuin relaxed her shoulders. Being alone with Gyeon felt more comfortable than the unease of a stranger’s presence.
“Is that man also your secretary?”
Yuin, curious about the man, asked Gyeon as he rummaged through the shopping bags. Gyeon suddenly turned to her with fierce eyes.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just… curious.”
The man, who had been playing and laughing just moments ago, now had a chillingly cold face, like a wild animal.
Yuin, intimidated and puzzled, avoided his gaze. Gyeon sighed with apparent irritation.
Without a word, he started taking items out of the shopping bags.
“Don’t worry about that, just give me your hand.”
“Uh…?”
Suddenly asking for her hand, Gyeon placed a small box, familiar from numerous sightings, on his palm.
The mint-colored box, popular among young women and frequently featured on social media, was opened by him, and the wrapping was peeled away to reveal a neatly lying, shimmering silver chain.
“Hand.”
As he urged, he took Yuin’s right hand.
The delicate chain soundlessly slithered out of the box, wrapped around her pale skin, and clicked into place.
As Gyeon’s arm returned, heavy from completing its task, Yuin blinked blankly and examined the bracelet on her wrist.
The design was simple: a twisted chain with a small lock charm in the center, adorned with tiny cubic zirconia. More than anything, it fit her slender wrist as if custom-made.
“Do you like it?”
Gyeon asked, tilting his head, the coldness in his face somewhat diminished.
“Isn’t this expensive?”
“I asked if you liked it, not if it’s expensive.”
Still dazedly looking at the bracelet, Yuin was left behind as Gyeon tutted softly and opened the remaining shopping bag.
“And now, for the second presentation.”
Yuin, presented with another item on her lap, opened her mouth in silent surprise.
The second gift Gyeon handed to her was a brand new phone.
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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