The sound of someone coming down from upstairs could be heard. At the rapid footsteps that could never be attributed to Lady Celine, Meiana instinctively pulled Arianthe backward.
“Oh my, who could it be?”
The person coming down the stairs was a middle-aged woman who seemed amiable. Wiping her hands on her apron, she looked at Cediloy with a bewildered expression, then at Meiana, and then at Arianthe.
“Is Lady Celine inside?”
The woman, who had been blinking for a moment, bowed awkwardly.
“Oh my, I apologize! Are you, Your Grace?”
“Yes. Is Lady Celine here?”
“She is upstairs. She was taking a nap until a moment ago and has just woken up. She’s not feeling well. I…”
“May I go up and see her?”
The woman nodded. Meiana then realized who she was. She was the person Cediloy had hired to help Lady Celine, who had become even more frail.
The three of them climbed the stairs slowly. The old stairs creaked as if they would break at any moment, and Arianthe looked around anxiously. Old wallpaper, worn-out handrails, faded paintings…
“Meiana, take a look at this.”
When they were almost at the top of the stairs, Arianthe pointed to a small frame hanging on the wall. It was a portrait of a girl who seemed to be around Arianthe’s age.
Though the lines were blurry, presumably drawn a long time ago, the face was still recognizable. In the painting, the girl was hugging a doll and smiling brightly.
“She looks just like me.”
Meiana also thought the same as Arianthe. The girl in the painting was undoubtedly a young Liria.
“It seems to be a portrait of Lady Liria when she was young. Seeing this, Lady, you really resemble your mother a lot.”
“Like my sister. Or maybe my older sister.”
Arianthe whispered.
“Arianthe, come here.”
Cediloy, who had climbed the stairs first, said. Arianthe let go of Meiana’s hand and approached him. Through the slightly open door, the foot of someone wearing worn-out knitted socks was visible. An old rocking chair was moving slightly back and forth.
“Let’s go inside.”
The door opened. Meiana stood a little away, watching with an anxious heart. Lady Celine looked tired and fatigued.
Next to her chair, an old dog, Chels, lay quietly with a tired expression. However, when he saw Cediloy, he wagged his tail.
“Have guests arrived?”
At Lady Celine’s words, Arianthe, who was slowly approaching her, stopped with a start.
Cediloy said, “I have come, madam. It’s Cediloy.”
Lady Celine, with almost toothless lips, moved her mouth awkwardly and smiled as if struggling.
“Cediloy…? I’m sorry… I don’t know who you are. I’ve been a bit forgetful these days. You seem like a young man, but are you our son’s friend?”
Arianthe, with a bewildered expression, clutched her bag and simply stared at her father. At that moment, Cediloy knelt on one knee beside Lady Celine’s feet, gently holding her wrinkled hand.
“Lady Celine, Liria… Do you remember Liria?”
At that moment, color returned to the face of the almost lifeless Lady.
“Oh my, do you know our Liria? Remembering her, that child is my granddaughter. How could I forget? Our dear Liria… Now that I think about it, it’s about time for her to come back. I wonder why she hasn’t returned yet. She went out to play. She really loves playing outside… She just turned eight.”
Cediloy’s expression darkened. Meiana, who had been watching, also lost her words.
Lady Celine’s memories went back too far… No, it would be more accurate to say that memories after that time had been blurred. The Liria in her mind, the adorable granddaughter who wouldn’t hurt the eyes, was still just an eight-year-old girl.
Meiana unconsciously looked at the painting hanging on the wall. Perhaps the thought crossed her mind that the painting might have been completed when Liria was eight.
“Our Liria…”
Then there was a creaking sound from under Arianthe’s feet.
Lady Celine turned her head towards Arianthe. Even with closed eyes, she seemed to be looking at herself. Arianthe had a slightly frightened expression.
“Liria?”
Cediloy hastily spoke.
“Lady Celine, about Liria…”
It was then. Arianthe suddenly dropped the bag she was holding in her arms. Chels, who had been lying quietly, suddenly got up and wagged his tail.
Arianthe, who had been rummaging through the bag, pulled something out. Something old and dirty dangled as it came out. Meiana quickly recognized what it was. It was the old doll that Arianthe had shown once before, the one she had carefully hidden under the bed.
[You said it’s a mother doll.]Arianthe, holding the doll tightly, took a step towards Lady Celine and spoke carefully.
“…Grandmother.”
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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