Surprised by the unexpected question, Alicia asked,
“Are you a spellcaster?”
“Something like that. What do you think? Want to learn some spells?”
“But you have to be born with magical power to use spells. I’m not.”
“In my eyes, Miss seems to have quite a bit of talent.”
“Me?”
The man nodded with a broad smile towards Alicia, who had an incredulous expression.
“Shall I confirm it for you? Give me your hand for a moment.”
Alicia thought it was nonsense. If she had magical power, she would have been identified at the temple and become a spellcaster already.
Nevertheless, slightly curious at the man’s confident words, Alicia extended her hand to him.
The man overlaid his own hand over Alicia’s, which was turned palmup toward the sky.
“?”
A warmth in her palm, not body temperature but a different kind of warmth, felt oddly familiar and comfortable.
“Do you feel it?”
“Uh—”
“What the hell are you feeling, you scammer.”
Eric, who had appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the man’s wrist.
“Eric? When did you get here?”
“Ah, ah, ah. Just now.”
Unfazed by the man’s scream, Eric tightened his grip in response to Alicia’s question.
And yet, the man did not let go of Alicia’s hand until the end.
“Do you think just anyone can use spells? Where do you get off scamming people with such nonsense?”
“No, it’s not a scam—um, um, Miss, please say something.”
“Eric. Calm down. And you, first let go of my hand and then—”
“See? She says let go. If you don’t, are you getting arrested? Want to be interrogated?”
“What would I be arrested for? That’s a bit much—”
“Fraud. Harassing a woman.”
“When did I—”
Frustrated, the man began to argue, and Eric looked at him as if he were strange.
‘What is up with this guy?’
A man without much muscle in his arms was resisting Eric’s grip.
Normally, a man his size would be screaming and retreating by now.
Suddenly, the man opened his mouth, looking satisfied.
“It’s done.”
“?”
“Ah, there’s a butterfly!”
As Alicia turned her head toward where the man was pointing, he quickly let go of her hand and shook off Eric’s grip.
Startled by the sudden force, Eric’s grip loosened, and the man tried to run away, but Eric tripped him.
“Aaah!”
With a loud thud, the man tumbled to the ground.
He then remained motionless.
Neither Eric nor Alicia noticed a blue butterfly fluttering away.
“Did he faint?”
“Eric.”
“No, he was trying to escape. It was just a reflex.”
Alicia glanced at him reproachfully, and Eric awkwardly smiled before calling over some passing guards.
“What’s going on here?”
“I’m Eric Russel Gloster, the Second Knight Commander. Take this man and identify him.”
“Yes? Yes. What happened here?”
“He was performing a puppet show here and it looked suspicious.”
“Understood, Commander Russel.”
The guards picked up the man from the ground and left.
Watching them, Alicia asked with a concerned expression,
“Was that really necessary?”
“It was.”
“?”
“You’ll see. But more importantly,”
Eric, who had been watching the man being led away, turned back to Alicia with a sly smile.
“Why did you let a stranger hold your hand?”
“Uh—”
“Especially since it’s obvious it was a scam about spellcasting?”
“I thought so too, but something felt strange when he touched me.”
“Strange how?”
“Strange might not be the right word, more like familiar but comfortable?”
“…The man’s hand?”
At Eric’s suspicious look, Alicia smiled awkwardly.
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s like—”
For a moment, Alicia fumbled with her words, recalling the feeling.
She was confused, but the feeling she got was definitely not a dangerous one.
Seeing Alicia lost in thought, he took her hand.
“?”
“Stop daydreaming.”
“······.”
Feeling that Eric seemed a bit angry, Alicia quickly grasped his hand in return.
“I’m not daydreaming.”
“······.”
“How can I daydream when this hand feels the best?”
As Alicia giggled and lightly hung onto Eric’s arm, he forcibly suppressed the feeling of relief that began to spread within him.
“······Is this how you’re letting it pass?”
“Ah. I’m not used to it yet, but still.”
“So you’re demanding that I hold onto you, is that it?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“Thank you.”
In the end, Eric also smiled. Seemingly reassured, Alicia smiled back.
“Where shall we go from here?”
“Aren’t you hungry? It’s still before lunch, isn’t it?”
“True. Let’s eat something for now.”
Holding hands, the two began to walk.
The festival was just beginning.
(This is a time separator.)
“Suddenly it’s raining.”
“Exactly. It was sunny just a moment ago. A shower perhaps?”
“I wonder if it will stop soon.”
Eric and Alicia ran under a nearby store awning.
Despite sharing Eric’s jacket, they still got somewhat wet.
Brushing off the moisture with his hand, Eric suddenly looked toward a store at the back.
“Should we go inside? Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine. I like listening to the rain.”
“Well, that’s true.”
For a moment, they both stood side by side, watching the pouring rain.
The sound of the rain was refreshing.
Suddenly, Eric turned his head to the side.
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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