“Good morning!”
Entering the kitchen, Yeoreum spoke loudly.
The cooking team, busy preparing breakfast, turned around and greeted her warmly.
“Welcome, Miss.”
“Are you all busy since the morning?”
Head Chef Baek paused his work and approached Yeoreum.
“Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“But why did you come here before the meal? Could it be that you didn’t like the lunchbox I made?!”
“No way! I love the lunchbox so much! It tastes great, and there’s plenty, so how could I not love it!”
Yeoreum’s enthusiastic voice made Chef Baek smile, and the rest of the cooking team echoed the sentiment.
However, they resumed their momentarily paused work to synchronize with the mealtime.
“However, I’m sorry.”
“What is it?”
“Since Chef is busy, I don’t think I should pack my lunch every morning. Don’t pack my lunch from now on. If I need it, I’ll do it myself.”
“If Miss works part-time and can’t have a proper meal, we can’t let her eat anything outside.”
“Just the thought is more than enough.”
Chef Baek, a bit downhearted, said.
“Thanks to Chef Baek and everyone here, I can enjoy delicious and nutritious meals in this house from morning to night. That alone is sufficient. And if needed, I’ll let you know then.”
Yeoreum smiled brightly at Chef Baek.
“I felt so good thinking that you and your boyfriend would eat my lunch.”
Chef Baek said with a slightly disappointed expression.
“I’m sorry I’m not able to eat your lunch anymore, Chef Baek. I had a boyfriend.”
Yeoreum’s face turned red at the sudden revelation.
“How did you know I had someone I liked?”
“Love is something that can’t be hidden.”
The cooking team around them laughed softly.
Yeoreum’s cheeks turned even redder.
“So, did you put eel in the lunchbox because of that?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, Chef, you’re really… you have a sense.”
Yeoreum laughed awkwardly.
“Miss, does he not like my cooking?”
“No! He really likes it.”
Yeoreum quickly took out her phone and showed a picture sent by Sanha.
Along with an empty lunchbox, there was a text that read, “It was delicious. Absolutely tasty!”
“See? He likes it too.”
Chef Baek’s face brightened up.
“But is your boyfriend’s nickname ‘Really Good Tiger’?”
“Yes.”
“Is he a fantastic person?”
“Yes! Absolutely fantastic! Absolutely cool! Just looking at him soothes my eyes and heals me.”
Yeoreum praised Sanha with enthusiasm.
“Miss, is your boyfriend likely to jump out?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been dashing forward, but he hasn’t given a clear answer. However, I’ll make sure to make him my boyfriend.”
“Hey, do you have a boyfriend?”
Suddenly, a teasing voice came from behind.
Turning around, it was Haeun who entered the kitchen.
Head Chef Baek and the cooking team all lowered their heads.
But without responding, Haeun approached Yeoreum and said,
“Do you, too, have a boyfriend, judging by your appearance?”
With a hesitant expression, Yeoreum replied,
“Mind your own business.”
“Jeong Yeoreum, are you going around saying you’re the PR group heiress from the neighborhood?”
“What?”
“Otherwise, how would any guy like you? You’ve gained weight so much, and as a woman, you don’t even take care of yourself? Seriously, since you brought it up, I’m starting detox today, so prepare it with no carbohydrates and in a Mediterranean style.”
Chef Baek responded,
“Understood.”
“Anyway, one-way traffic.”
It was Yeoreum.
“What’s this?”
“Almost done with breakfast, and now you’re telling me this? Don’t you think about the people preparing it? What can we do if we’re informed now?”
“What can you do? You just need to flutter your eyebrows from now on. And if you want to freeload off someone else’s house, you should be able to endure that much. Isn’t that right?”
“You’re quite consistent.”
“You should start dieting now, shouldn’t you? Aren’t you ashamed of that body? Hey, all men curse at you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Actually, most men prefer a woman like me, a bit chubby, over a skinny anchovy like you. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Hey, are you chubby? Are you fat?”
Yeoreum picked up the celery on the table.
Surprised, Haeun screamed and rushed outside.
“Why does she always talk like that even when it’s impossible?”
Chef Baek and the cooking team chuckled.
Yeoreum tried to put down the celery in her hand.
But strangely, she tilted her head.
The celery seemed not as fresh as if it had been left for a few days.
Come to think of it, all the piled vegetables on one side were wilted.
“Why are all the vegetables like this?”
“Oh, that.”
Chef Baek looked embarrassed.
“Did the refrigerator break?”
As someone genuinely devoted to cooking, Chef Baek was strict about managing ingredients.
So, fresh ingredients were delivered every morning.
However, the vegetables in the kitchen now were all limp and lacked moisture.
The employees stopped their work, glancing subtly at each other.
Reading the atmosphere, Yeoreum asked again,
“Chef, is the refrigerator broken?”
As if there was no other way, he answered,
“Actually, recently, the lady of the house changed the ingredient supplier.”
“What?”
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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