“Hey, you’re lying… You know, I can’t hide things. Hehe.”
A sigh escaped, and the playful, coquettish words made him smile.
“I’ll go to the pharmacy, can you stay here for a bit?”
“No. I’ll just get up after a bit more rest. I have plenty of medicine at home.”
Looking up from the floor, the gaze in Hye Yoon’s eyes was steady. Ji Ho gathered her belongings still strewn about messily beside him. The pouch, notebook, pen, and storybook.
The storybook with drawings of cacti and baby animals.
“Do you read storybooks?”
“Ah, it’s not something I read… it’s something I wrote.”
“You wrote it?”
In his questioning voice and gaze, there was a fullness of warmth. Hye Yoon stared into his eyes for a moment. The moment she was sure that what his deep eyes were trying to comprehend was her heart, she was able to muster courage once more.
“Yes… I wrote it.”
Worried she might fall again, Ji Ho decided to sit next to Hye Yoon. Unlike her spot where only the shop’s outer wall was visible, the view was open from where Hye Yoon sat. He momentarily placed the wellkept bag on the floor and held the storybook.
He looked at the colorful cover with the title written on it with rounded eyes, then he flipped through the pages with his long fingers.
The text, not too lengthy and written in big letters, was warm and friendly. He looked at the baby robin drawn in the book, then at the woman sitting next to him. He turned a page to see a baby rabbit, then looked at the woman looking up at him.
All he saw were endearing things.
“……How is it?”
“It’s nice.”
“Really, honestly. I won’t get hurt.”
“Isn’t it strange? Wasn’t I the woman who can’t lie?”
“That’s right, true.”
At Ji Ho’s response, Hye Yoon laughed brightly. So much so that Ji Ho, who gave a short compliment, felt sorry.
“Haa……so this is what it feels like.”
She exhaled a warm breath and put her small hands over the edge of her heart.
“What is it?”
“It’s the feeling of telling someone I wrote this book.”
“Oh……no one knows?”
“Not no one. Just my family, and two friends who are like family.”
Despite trying to suppress her wavering heart with her two hands, it did not easily calm down. It was the worst mistake she made on a whim, but there was no way she could understand the situation.
Hye Yoon looked at Ji Ho sitting next to her. On his leisurely crossed long legs, her eleventh storybook, which was about to be published soon, was open.
When she spoke, he focused on her with his eyes subtly lowered, and when she stopped speaking, he turned his attention back to the storybook.
Ji Ho seemed to have drunk quite a bit, but he was not the least bit disheveled. It felt like her body alone was swaying.
“But now I know, too.”
“Yes… but Ji Ho, you’ll keep it a secret, right?”
“…Indeed.”
“Wow, are you going to spread the rumor?”
“I won’t spread the rumor, so stand up quickly. I won’t help you up if you fall again.”
Ji Ho wrapped his long arm around Hye Yoon’s shoulder. His large palm moved up her slender neck and pressed her small head towards him. Only after the warmth spread to the end of her shoulder did he finally pull his hand away. There was a lingering sense of regret in his fingertips.
“Ji Ho… if Ji Ho also has… a story you couldn’t tell anyone else…”
This woman, who was oblivious to such feelings, seemed to slowly erase the day.
“Okay. Now, tell me your home address. I’ll take you home.”
“No… Ji Ho doesn’t know. I’ve also just… just realized it. It’s better than I thought… the feeling of voicing the words confined in my heart…”
“So, we’re exchanging secrets? I can’t be the only one to lose, something like that?”
“Hehe, right… if not, I won’t tell you my home address…”
Hye Yoon, slowly nodding off against his shoulder, had her eyes closed. So, Ji Ho looked down at Hye Yoon for a long time. She was constantly furrowing and relaxing her eyebrows, struggling against the encroaching sleep.
“What if I just leave you behind?”
“You’re not that kind of person…”
Without realizing, my left hand nearly reached towards her pinktinged cheek before stopping abruptly. And I gazed at her lips, redder than her cheeks, for a bit longer before turning my head away.
I felt like I couldn’t look any longer.
“Hurry… hurry.”
The night view that she took in as the night air enveloped her body was much more beautiful than what she saw at home. The woman whining like a child next to her was making her heart flutter, enough to draw out the story she had kept for so long.
“…I lived with my father until I was 12. Just the two of us.”
“Ah…”
“Since he was a fisherman, once he left, he couldn’t come back for several days. Then, on the day he returned, he would bring back things like squid full of scars or broken shells… or a crab without legs.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve heard this story a lot, right?”
Barely opening her eyes, Hye Yoon wanted to lift her head and see him closer, but her body refused to listen. Looking up faintly, Ji Ho seemed to be looking at the distant night view. He seemed to be smiling, but also looked lonely. That image was now fading.
“We had no money and no mom. But we were happy. Because my father loved me a lot… and I did too.”
“I… really… want to… hear more…”
In the end, Hye Yoon fell asleep. Ji Ho seemed to notice as her body gradually lost strength, and he hugged her tightly. His eyes, looking down at Hye Yoon sleeping in his arms, were warm.
“Don’t worry. The rest of the story… isn’t as beautiful… that you would want to hear more.”
As he tucked her fallen hair behind her ear, Ji Ho comforted the sleeping Hye Yoon.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
