I scribbled notes diligently, rubbing my stiff eyes throughout the entire class.
The midterm exams were just around the corner, after wrapping up the charity party.
If my fiancé under the contract receives a failing grade, it would put him in a difficult position, so I had been studying late into the night lately to get the grade.
After class, Miss Potts, the history teacher, called me quietly.
“Princess Reina, may I have a word with you?”
Once all the other students had left the classroom, Miss Potts cautiously handed me a bundle of papers.
“I’ve prepared this for you to refer to for tomorrow’s test.”
Although there was no one around, the history teacher seemed anxious, repeatedly glancing around the corners of the classroom.
“Please skim through this today.”
Her behavior was quite suspicious, and my eyes narrowed involuntarily.
“Isn’t giving me this material unfair to the others?”
As I began to unfold the meticulously folded paper, the teacher hurriedly held out her hand.
“No, no. I gave it to you because you are so inferior, I mean, an excellent student.”
Sure enough, when I unfolded the paper, the word ‘midterm’ was written in huge letters at the top. I immediately folded it back up and returned it to the teacher.
“I cannot accept this.”
Miss Potts turned pale.
“PPlease, take it.”
“This is clearly cheating, I cannot accept it.”
I might have been able to accept this as a customary practice in this world, but my memories from my previous life were still vivid, and I could not comply.
“Princess!”
Miss Potts suddenly bent over at the waist.
“Please take this as saving a life!”
“What?”
Her intense reaction made me falter and step back.
“If you don’t become the top student in this exam, I’ll be fired.”
“What are you talking about?”
That’s how I learned about the whole incident that the etiquette teacher had gone through.
“If you don’t send the answer sheet with your handwriting to the Duke, I will surely be summoned by him! Please take it!”
I almost took the paper that Miss Potts was holding out in her desperate gaze, but in the end, I withdrew my hand.
“Don’t worry. I can do well on the test without such tricks.”
I felt I could get a decent score if I studied hard, even if I wasn’t the top student. Besides, no matter how desperate Miss Potts’ situation was, I could not accept cheating.
Miss Potts continued to wring her hands anxiously, but she did not offer me the paper bundle again.
“Please, Princess. You are very diligent, but I really need your help with this midterm exam.”
It was a ridiculous sight, a teacher begging a student to raise their grades, but I was so sorry for Miss Potts, who looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown, that I patted her back.
“It’s okay, teacher. I’ve been studying for almost 20 years.”
(This is a time separator.)
I had to refuse all kinds of paper bundles and cheat notes in every class, as I was unaware that the ‘Stupid Princess Top Student Project’ involved not just history teachers but all subject teachers.
Finally, after the last class in mathematics, when the teacher called me, I sighed and automatically waved my hand.
“There’s no need. I might not know the founding year of the empire, the plays of Sysphear, or the difference between steak forks and salad forks, but I’m good at math.”
It was no lie.
The nobles might not consider mathematics essential, as the overall level of mathematics taught at the academy was very low.
Even a middle school student in South Korea could easily become the top student, and for me, who had foolishly scored too high in exams during college, leading me to graduate school, it was a piece of cake.
The math teacher blinked in confusion.
“I know that you’re good at math, Princess. You’ve answered well during class every time.”
Finally meeting a teacher who didn’t think I was stupid, I almost teared up.
“I wanted to ask about the assignment you submitted, Princess.”
The math teacher suddenly brought up the assignment from last time.
“Ah, this assignment?”
It was difficult, so I remembered it.
“Is there a problem?”
“Princess! How did you solve this problem?”
This time, the teacher firmly grabbed my hand.
“What?”
“You solved one of the 10 great problems in the spell book, Princess… You must have a divine talent in math!”
I still didn’t understand and squinted my eyes, but the teacher kept talking excitedly.
“It’s the problem I wrote on the blackboard while chatting, but I never dreamed that you would solve this problem as homework, Princess.”
“Ahem.”
I seemed to remember something now.
Unlike all the other classes with new content, math was mostly about things I could recite in my sleep, so it was a perfect class for dozing off.
I probably dozed off the day the homework was given. And when I asked Esmeralda what to do for homework, she cheerfully pointed to the blackboard.
I ended up solving one of the top 10 problems unexpectedly.
“It’s a problem that took scholars years to interpret, and it’s unbelievable to see it solved so easily.”
“Is this one of the top 10 problems?”
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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