“What could be inside this big royal box?”
Peeking at the gift box, Jeff urged me to hurry and open it.
“Shall our daughter open it?”
Why does he twinkle his eyes again needlessly? I grumbled to myself.
“Didn’t you ask earlier why the alchemist came to the castle? What’s inside that box is made with alchemy.”
After finishing his words, Jeff set me down on the floor and placed the gift box in front of me.
“It was commissioned a long time ago, and it’s finally completed.”
He slightly nudged my back, perhaps wishing for me to hurry and check the contents.
‘To think of making something with alchemy. Truly a talent I’ve nurtured.’
I walked towards the box without hesitation, loosened the string, and opened the lid.
What appeared was a cute duck doll.
Overall, its round appearance gave a soft and cozy impression.
‘What’s this?’
Expecting something tremendous, I was dumbfounded that it turned out to be a doll.
I couldn’t understand why it took so long to create this, and my head was filled with question marks.
“Cute, isn’t it? From today, it will be our daughter’s duck friend.”
Jeff, who wore a patented fatherly smile, continued.
“It might look like an ordinary duck doll, but this friend has…….”
His smiling explanation was suddenly intensified as he narrowed his eyes.
“A very special ability!”
A special ability? I stared hard at the duck doll and muttered.
‘I was expecting something since the alchemist made it. But isn’t this just a toy?’
It looked anything but extraordinary.
“If Daddy could always be by our daughter’s side~.”
Jeff spoke in a sad tone after I stood still, just staring at the doll.
“But often, I can’t, because I have too~ much work.”
Jeff, clutching his hands, soon made a desperate face.
“In case our daughter gets hurt when Daddy isn’t around, you must always be with this reliable duck friend. Understand?”
Jeff’s eyes sparkled with innocence as he earnestly implored.
‘It’s not a toy, but for protection.’
I suddenly wondered if I really needed to ensure my safety.
Because, even if I were to die right now, life would start again.
“Now, sprinkle this powder and name it, and you’ll become its master.”
Interrupting my gloomy thoughts, Jeff had brought a cute pouch.
The pouch with the powder was embroidered with leaves and flowers, firmly tied with a golden string and a red ribbon.
‘It’s complicated because it’s made with alchemy.’
I thoughtlessly did as instructed, swallowing hard as I watched the powder being absorbed into the doll, sparkling gold. Somehow, I was tense.
“……Poppy?”
After pondering, I spat out two letters, and a change came to the duck doll.
Flash!
A magical pattern unfolded behind the duck doll, a brilliant rainbow light enveloped the space, and then vanished.
“Quack!”
The doll, previously just a simple toy named Poppy, came to life.
Quackkkkk[Dash].
‘Uh, it’s noisy. Is it an alarm clock?’
The quacking was so loud that it was annoying.
Soft.
‘Ooooo~?’
I was taken aback by the unexpected softness as I absentmindedly touched its body.
‘What? It feels good?’
It felt like touching soft, thin petals.
‘Kid, you’ll make a good pillow.’
I kept stroking Poppy.
“Ha ha, our daughter~ You like it, right?”
Jeff laughed out loud, satisfied.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.”
Rising to his feet, Jeff added with a gentle smile.
“When you’re in danger, press its belly, and a laser will zzzap out of its mouth.”
As he boasted, raising his index finger, I looked at Poppy again.
“…….”
“Quack?”
It didn’t look like it would attack anywhere.
‘Totally cool.’
But having heard the story, I couldn’t help but imagine Poppy’s tiny mouth shooting a beam to stun the enemy.
“It’s dangerous to use as a joke, so only use it in emergencies.”
“Yes.”
I liked this child. Very much so.
“I originally intended to include my voice, but I gave up because my sincerity could not be captured in this doll.”
Answering briefly, Jeff placed a hand on his chest and opened his mouth in an emotionally charged state.
“But if our darling wants to hear it, press daddy’s cheek anytime.”
Next, he winked with one eye, pointing to his cheek with his index finger and puckering his lips like a fish.
‘I don’t want to press it!’
Disgusting. I broke into a cold sweat in horror.
“Daddy loves our daughter very much. Grow up safely as you are now.”
As goosebumps rose and I didn’t know what to do, Jeff reached out and stroked my head.
“Does darling have anything to say to daddy?”
He then approached with an expectant face.
“…….”
What does he want? I stared at Jeff with a dumbfounded expression.
“You must be so pleased that you’ve lost your words!”
That’s not it. Jeff put a hand to his forehead and shed tears of emotion.
He’s starting to fall over again.
‘Why is he like that, again.’
Unbelievable. I ignored him before my eyes and petted Poppy.
‘A selfdefense doll……. If I knew something like this existed, life would have been a little easier.’
I pulled Poppy’s beak and pressed his cheeks hard.
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
_____
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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