“How long is the investigation going to take?”
“Three days? A week?”
While contemplating, Philip, glancing at my expression fixedly, sighed as if disappointed.
“Um… How about… a fortnight?”
“Wow! A fortnight?”
Philip looked crestfallen when I was taken aback.
“W-Well, then, how about… ten days?”
“Ten days…”
That seemed too long. Philip stared intently into my eyes, as if pleading for my presence.
“I’ll try to conclude the investigation by then.”
“…”
My eyes, violet and filled with a sense of melancholy, wavered as if predicting a disaster if I left.
“Although it might be a bit slow, the store won’t cease to function without me…”
I nodded.
“Alright. I’ll rely on your support, as you mentioned.”
As soon as my response fell, the melancholy in Philip’s eyes vanished, replaced by a smile.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
We entered the party venue, drawing the attention of the people towards us.
The atmosphere was surprised by the fact that Philip and I had come together.
The King had not arrived yet.
“Thank you for escorting me.”
“It’s nothing. And now, there shouldn’t be any misunderstanding, right?”
“…What?”
“I made myself clear.”
Philip lowered his voice, bringing his lips close to my ear.
“I’ll be waiting with special feelings at the promised time and place.”
The moment I realized he was whispering words of genuine love, my face flushed, and my heart raced uncontrollably. His voice, whispering into my ear, was sensual, sweet, and enchanting.
“Uh, I understand.”
Simultaneously, an announcement echoed.
“The King is here!”
To cool down, I quickly unfolded a fan and distanced myself from him. Then, in line with the movements of the people, I gave a bow of respect to the King.
“The dignity of the cigarette shines above the sun.”
With elegant music, the party resumed. People gathered, laughed, and danced.
Over there, Viscount Ondella appeared. He seemed to have slept deeply, showing signs of fatigue being completely washed away. He looked quite relaxed.
However, that relaxation was short-lived. As people around him began to bow respectfully, his expression gradually hardened.
With a reddish-blue hue, he began to wander around. It seemed like he was looking for me.
‘Anyway, the King will intervene if things get out of hand.’
I didn’t want to get involved ahead of time since he would likely be tired later.
Hiding my face with a fan, I merged into the crowd where people were particularly crowded.
“I heard that story earlier.”
“The one about the fake will and the forced suicide?”
Daelina and other noble ladies, including them, were humbly standing near a pillar in a corner of the party venue. Even without a cue, they were talking about the story I mentioned earlier.
I stood behind the pillar, trying not to attract their attention. They were too focused on glancing at Viscount Ondella and didn’t notice me.
“Would he have gone to such lengths? If that’s true, the culprit is obvious, isn’t it?”
“Could it be that woman plotting?”
“Well, there might have been one or two instances.”
“We shouldn’t believe that woman’s words. How wicked can someone’s nature be?”
The atmosphere felt as if my words were spreading like lies. However, one of the ladies lowered her voice.
“But… this time might be different.”
“Huh? Lady Olbari? What do you mean?”
The questioning voice also lowered. Still, it was clearly audible from where I was.
“Marquis Maurice has stepped forward.”
“Marquis Maurice? Why? It shouldn’t matter since they’re divorced.”
Daelina expressed dissatisfaction in her voice.
“That’s right. It shouldn’t matter. Why would Marquis Maurice be involved?”
“It does matter. I heard Marquis Maurice escorted that woman inside. It must be related, which is why he did that.”
As the ladies discussed the incident, my attention became more focused.
‘I hope public opinion turns in my favor…’
However, the following conversation among the ladies took an unexpectedly absurd turn, diverging from my expectations.
“Did you see when she came in? She let down her blonde hair so beautifully that I doubted whether she was human.”
“Oh. Did Lady Olbari think the same way? Me too. How can someone be born with such looks?”
“And what about the marquis’s gown with a ducal emblem? Honestly, even if a duke’s bird spread its wings wide, it wouldn’t be as beautiful. I was curious about where she got that dress; I almost went to ask.”
In response to Lady Olbari’s words, a nearby lady chuckled.
“Will a turkey look the same if it sticks ducal feathers in?”
To this remark, Lady Olbari gave a fierce glare. In return, the lady who chuckled accelerated her fan waving.
“Well, no matter what, judging by her appearance, can’t we understand why King suggested Marquis Maurice as her spouse?”
Another lady chimed in, “Well, with looks alone, it might bring about world peace, don’t you think?”
Lady Olbari sighed deeply at the diverted conversation.
“I don’t like saying such things often, but honestly, that woman seems a bit tactless.”
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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