“Just by a casual look, don’t I look more like a painting than Prince Norton?”
He was serious.
“Well, of course! Much more like a painting, right? That’s why I sometimes can’t help but touch Lionel’s face too.”
I actively supported his opinion.
“Well, why?”
“Because his face looks so much like a painting, I’m afraid real paint might spread if I touch it, right? Ohoho.”
He stared at my face intently.
Did I overdo the flattery?
I worried that it might backfire.
I should have been more moderate…
Swallowing hard, I anxiously awaited his response.
After a moment, he leaned forward and whispered like a secret.
“As expected, you are objective.”
He sent applause my way with his gaze.
Huh? Did this kind of flattery work?
“As for the face, Norton doesn’t even have masculine charm.”
My mouth moved mechanically.
“I did mention it before, right? I said I wanted to give him a dress, even if it’s not for wearing. Ohoho.”
I had to adjust to his taste as much as possible.
That way, Roji might be less angry.
“That’s what I said!”
He opened his eyes wide and tapped the teaspoon he was holding against his teacup.
“He doesn’t look powerful at all. Will he ever hear compliments after getting married?”
“What kind of compliments?”
“In bed, like me.”
Lionel pressed the tips of both thumbs onto his chest like stamping and said.
“Well, that’s true!”
I quickly raised my thumb and pressed it firmly against his chest, playing along.
“How about hearing a compliment tonight too?”
He held my thumb with his hand and, speaking softly, said like a whisper.
The sound that came out of his profoundly dignified face was so awkward that I couldn’t openly laugh.
But his appearance was strangely cute and adorable, so I continued to stare at his face.
Meanwhile, his dissatisfaction with Roji’s statement continued.
I nodded decisively and fed him a sweet pie.
“Roji still lacks insight. She doesn’t know men, doesn’t know.”
“Can you really be so lacking? What did she say yesterday… something like seeing Prince Norton made her feel like her heart was going to burst? A beauty that can’t be found in the Laphion Empire? Ha, this is it.”
His voice became louder again.
“Calm down, Your Majesty.”
I quickly put down the teacup I was about to drink and tapped his back of the hand, trying to calm him down.
“It’s the first time in my life I’ve heard such an unapproved compliment. If it were an official occasion, I would have said something.”
“Me too.”
That was true.
Last night, when Roji said to Prince Norton, ‘A beauty that can’t be found in the Laphion Empire,’ even Prince Norton, who had been frozen, showed a slight movement in the muscles of his face.
At the same time, Lionel’s face also twitched, but it was a movement with a different meaning than Prince Norton’s.
By the way… He didn’t seem particularly pleased with Roji’s statement itself, and oddly, he appeared indifferent to her confession of love to a prince from another country.
“Your Majesty, are you really not bothered by Roji harboring feelings for Prince Norton?”
“Surprisingly, no.”
He, who had been pondering my question for a moment, responded nonchalantly, his shoulders lightly shrugging.
“Still, Roji is a concubine.”
“That’s the problem.”
He pointed at the table with his fingertips, now adopting a serious expression.
“What are you going to say?”
Please, let it pass without any issues.
Please, let it end with just a warning.
I silently prayed while clasping my hands under the table.
“For now, talk to both of them.”
“You won’t be angry with Roji, will you?”
I cautiously asked again, gauging his reaction.
“Angry? I’m already angry. I’m thinking of asking them again later about who’s more handsome. Excluding personal feelings!”
He leaned on the table with his elbows, raising his chin and spoke with a determined tone.
“…So, you won’t take any separate action regarding Roji harboring feelings for another man, right?”
“Why bother.”
Despite his gruff demeanor, my concerns melted away with his firm voice.
“Really?”
“Yeah, as long as you’re not harboring feelings for another guy, I don’t care.”
I stood up from the chair, approached him, sat on his lap, and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Thank you. My husband is handsome, and even his heart is so wonderful.”
“Yeah, I envy you.”
“Me? You have a husband like me.”
“Pfft, that’s right. Having a wife like you might be troublesome.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you keep acting out.”
“That’s not what I meant… Umm?!”
I entered his lips in one fell swoop, initiating a war.
It was the only place where I could win against him.
“Ugh, just a moment, Zelda… If you move like this, I, can’t hold back…”
He pleaded while tightly grabbing my thigh.
“If I stop now, I might not be able to hold back. So just accept it.”
Our two lips collided again.
The strange sounds mixed with each other, echoing with the morning bird songs.
Even our breathing was becoming more intense.
Lionel, gently brushing my neck with his lips, whispered.
“I wonder how it feels to receive morning praise, Zelda.”
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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