As the rain that had been falling like water bombs from the sky eased a bit, they all moved to a new hideout they had set up in a deep mountain valley.
As soon as their footsteps were heard, Euryce burst out of the tent with tears in her eyes.
Asha embraced her deeply, sharing an emotional reunion.
Euryce quickly discovered that the precious dress Asha was wearing was torn and messed up inside the robe, and promptly took her inside.
New clothes had been prepared in the new house.
Asha’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the pretty spring clothes hanging on the wall, perfectly fitting her size.
It was a pale mintcolored dress, its light and transparent feel reminiscent of the refreshing leaves of spring.
The blonde hair with the mintcolored dress accentuated her delicate image, giving a free and easy feeling.
Asha changed her clothes and blankly spun around once, staring at her fulllength mirror.
The reflection of herself in the mirror looked like she was seeing a forest fairy.
Euryce laughed and said from the side,
“The leader said he would dress you when our Miss Asha came, it’s a dress made with the highest quality fabric.”
“…….”
Asha was so moved that she couldn’t say anything for a moment.
The clothes he gave, this time as well as before, were really comfortable and snug, as if wearing nothing at all.
The soft and light feel, like a spring breeze tickling the skin, was worlds apart from the uncomfortable dresses of the palace that felt like squeezing the body into a cage.
Euryce spoke with a wistful face,
“I’m glad you came back home safely, Miss Asha.”
Looking back at her calling this place ‘home’, Asha too smiled wistfully.
It truly felt like she had come back home.
(This is a time separator.)
At that moment, Jackal was receiving treatment in another room.
Having bled too much, he fainted, his face pale, almost as if he were asleep.
His body, which had been tense with veins standing out and drenched in cold sweat, slowly regained stability as he returned to his sanctuary.
Asha, wearing her new dress, went to thank him but stopped at the door when she saw him in that state.
It seemed right to give him space to rest comfortably.
Asha quietly left the room and headed out of the house with a hoe and basket.
Then, from a distance, the steward saw her and hurried over in surprise.
“Miss Asha, where are you going right now?”
“Ah, I’ll be back soon. I’m going to the forest nearby to pick some herbs for Mr. Jackal.”
“You can’t.”
The steward spoke firmly.
“The captain threatened me…… no, requested. If Miss Asha is in danger or exposed to the enemy again, I might lose my life next time.”
Saying this, he really looked anxious.
Asha then recalled how she had sneaked out of the cave, breaking her promise with him.
Because of her, he must have felt a lot of guilt and pain.
Asha spoke gently,
“I know some herbs that are good for wounds. Then, will you come with me, Mr. Steward? It could really be dangerous.”
“Then I will.”
The steward followed Asha with a sense of duty.
Asha carefully searched for herbs in the nearby forest.
Having often gone up the mountain to gather food when she lived in the minority village, she was adept at recognizing herbs.
That day, she had been unlucky and chased by bandits, but it had allowed her to meet Jackal.
Thinking about it, perhaps that day was the luckiest day of her life.
While Asha was gathering, the steward sneaked glances at her.
And, with his horse’s intuition, he sniffed her surreptitiously with his eyes closed.
It was his way of surveying the surroundings and keeping watch.
Eventually, Asha came back with a basket filled with several roots of herbs, fruits, mushrooms, and new buds growing on the trees, her face beaming.
Fortunately, since it was spring, the northern region had more edible items than in winter.
Having left the minority village, it had been so long since Asha cooked, so it felt awkward, but she did her best to make a herbal soup.
She wanted to do something for Jackal, who had always given her delicious food and a warm home.
Asha, having completed the herbal soup, neatly put it in a bowl and went to find him again.
Fortunately, he seemed to have woken up, as Jackal was lying on the bed with a haggard face, and he forced himself up as Asha entered.
However, upon discovering the clothes she was wearing, his eyes widened, and he froze stiffly in the bed.
“……How is it? Does it suit me?”
Asha asked him, smiling shyly.
Jackal was momentarily lost, staring at her before mumbling to himself.
“It really…… suits you well.”
He belatedly scolded himself for not saying ‘beautiful.’
Asha noticed this and quizzically asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Is it just suitable?”
“No, pretty……”
As Jackal hesitated again and his face turned red, Asha asked with a playful face.
“Pretty?”
“……Pretty. Among the women I’ve seen in my life, you’re the most beautiful.”
Suddenly hearing those words, even though she was joking, Asha’s face turned red.
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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