“How many men are there, exactly?”
In response to Aaron’s absurd misunderstanding, Delia burst into a forced laughter.
“What kind of imagination are you entertaining? Boswell is a traitor to Iorente, Giuliano and Afran are simply senior members of the council discussing state affairs together.”
“Then what about Mei?”
“Mei is under your command.”
“Under my command?”
Aaron, brushing off the breath wrapped in jealousy, quickly recalled the forces stationed in Voseng.
Most of the remaining Strelitz command centers and soldiers in Iorente territory were deployed along the borders.
The Imperial troops remaining in Voseng were only those directly under the command of the general since they collaborated on the operation to capture Delia as a prisoner.
Yet, no matter how he searched his memory, he had never heard the name Mei.
“There’s no one like that among my subordinates.”
“Mei Carlo, the spy of the Empire that you secretly infiltrated into Iorente Voseng. She has been serving as Alfredo’s aide, and she may know a lot about my brother.”
“Mei Carlo?”
So, Mei’s code name was Mei.
Aaron sighed with a newly realized fact.
He slowly pulled away from Delia, who had been pushed against the wall.
Then, with a deliberately casual step backward, he retreated.
“I need to check on my brother. I have something to give him. So, Commander, please call Mei.”
In response to Delia’s confident words, Aaron stared into space with a dazed expression.
Summon a spy from the Empire.
Aaron, caught in a situation where he couldn’t do this or that, slowly withdrew.
“That’s a bit complicated.”
Delia, seeing Aaron trying to escape, squinted her eyes and glared at him.
Why such a reaction when I’m talking about my subordinate?
Well, if I could predict the reaction, he wouldn’t be my commander.
“Commander!”
Delia bit her lower lip and, using both hands, gently pulled Aaron’s cheek toward her.
She forced his ashen gaze to turn toward her.
“When I was captured, I found out about my identity through that person.”
“Oh, that.”
Feeling awkward, Aaron mumbled, rolling his eyes.
The moment his blue eyes, which were glaring fiercely, met Delia’s, he might freeze.
Aaron slowly pulled himself away from Delia, who was pushed against the wall.
Then, pretending to be nonchalant, he retreated a step backward.
“Mei was ordered to disrupt us.”
“I didn’t do that.”
“Commander ordered her to do that. Are you pretending not to know now?”
As Delia’s tone sharpened, Aaron swallowed dryly.
His throat trembled with tension.
I shouldn’t have gotten angry for no reason.
If Mei was talking about Dei, I should have quickly changed the subject.
Aaron resented his own impulsiveness in the face of Delia’s stories about men.
It was terrifying when the master was genuinely angry about Iorente.
As Aaron, he had no choice but to be helplessly exposed.
How can he appease her?
Aaron pondered deeply, revealing a truth that no one would believe.
“Princess, I don’t know the details.”
“Commander, you are the Supreme Commander of the Empire. You are Mei’s master.”
Delia became even more furious at the incomprehensible truth.
“Planting spies in other countries, manipulating them in every way, and now pretending not to know?”
“It really has nothing to do with me.”
“Isn’t it too much? The deceitful Supreme Commander of the Strelitz Empire.”
Aaron was shaken by Delia’s scolding.
He stared directly at Delia, abandoning the evasive gaze he had been using.
“Deceitful. Princess, isn’t that too much?”
“Infiltrating spies, conducting background checks, spreading false information, fostering anxiety and division. That’s what’s deceitful.”
“I’ve never given such orders. Mei is not my subordinate.”
“If the Empire’s spy is not under the command of the Supreme Commander of the Strelitz Empire, then who is she under?”
“The spy organization is not under my jurisdiction.”
“You exchanged information with Mei.”
“At that time, we were cooperating during the war.”
Delia’s anger momentarily subsided at Aaron’s firm denial.
In her frozen mind, Mei’s words quickly flashed by.
“My master, who is your protector, has ordered you to protect the princess. Please take care of yourself.”
She thought that only Aaron could give such an order.
So naturally, she thought Mei was Aaron’s subordinate.
But to hear that Mei wasn’t Aaron’s subordinate.
Someone other than Aaron, through Mei, was observing Delia.
Who on earth?
A shuddering chill ran down Delia’s spine.
“Really not under the commander’s command?”
“Really not. We only agreed to work together until the conquest war of the Southern Three Nations.”
“Then who is in charge? Connect me to the person in charge.”
“That’s classified Empire information. Knowing it could be dangerous.”
Even though Delia pressed hard, Aaron did not open his mouth easily.
He couldn’t let her meet the person in charge of such a spy organization and expose the precious princess to them.
Aaron felt like he had swallowed poison just thinking about it and tightly sealed his lips.
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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