Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1
In one of the ducal estate’s gardens, young men and women had gathered for tea, enjoying flower arranging together.
Etienne feigned interest in the flowers, reaching out a hand while repeatedly stealing glances at Fernando. Just then, a breeze gently swept through his hair. Even with his thick eyelashes lowered, half-veiling his sparkling eyes, his face seemed to glow, drawing her eyes again and again. Even the way he brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen forward appeared so elegant that Etienne bit her lip to suppress an audible sigh.
‘I mustn’t let it show.’
Afraid Fernando might notice her feelings as she stared openly at him, Etienne reluctantly lowered her gaze. A basket brimming with roses filled her vision. The colorful blooms, freshly picked from the garden, still bore their thorns—but that only made them seem all the more vibrant.
Etienne began picking them up one by one, carefully removing the thorns. Each time her hands moved deliberately, smoothing the stems, she smiled in quiet satisfaction. Then, she glanced sideways at Fernando again. Was there a natural way to offer him the arrangement she’d made today?
‘Huh?’
At that moment, Fernando broke into a bright smile. Etienne’s hands froze. The way his eyes narrowed when he smiled was his way of showing contentment—and Etienne’s favorite expression of his. She quietly placed a hand over her chest, trying to still her racing heart. If her face flushed too, that would be disastrous.
“Fernando, did something good happen? Why are you smiling like that?”
A nearby man called out, playfully teasing Fernando about his smile.
“The weather’s lovely, and I’m with someone I like—of course I’m in a good mood.”
At Fernando’s words, Etienne’s cheeks instantly reddened. It wasn’t as if the person he liked could possibly be her, yet his words still stirred her heart.
“Oh.”
Just then, a small cry escaped someone’s lips, and roses tumbled to the ground. Etienne stared blankly as petals fluttered from the fallen flowers, then belatedly looked down at her own hands.
Hana, seated beside her, must have scratched herself on a thorn while dropping the flowers. A thin, shallow line appeared on her skin, soon beading with a tiny drop of blood. Though not a serious wound, it clearly stung—and didn’t seem likely to fade quickly. As Etienne hesitated over whether to wipe it before it bled more, she sensed someone fidgeting nervously beside her. It was Hana, who had dropped the roses.
“What should I do?”
The delicate-looking girl gazed down at the scattered flowers. Her eyes darted around anxiously, inspecting the disarray—until they nearly met Etienne’s.
“Are you all right?”
At that familiar voice, Etienne’s shoulders flinched. Even amid the surrounding commotion, his voice cut through clearly—probably because her heart had already responded before her ears did. Fernando had spoken to her first. A smile she couldn’t quite hide flickered across Etienne’s face.
“Oh? Ah, I’m fine….”
But as she lifted her head, her voice trailed off—she realized Fernando wasn’t looking at her at all. His smile had vanished as if it had never existed, and he walked past Etienne without pause, taking Hana’s hand instead.
“Be careful. What if you scar that pretty hand?”
“Fernando, I appreciate your concern, but it doesn’t hurt at all.”
Hana laughed helplessly but didn’t pull her hand away. Still holding it, Fernando gently pressed a handkerchief against the wound.
“A shallow scratch from a thorn might not even be visible. Still, wrap it well with this handkerchief and check it again later.”
With a resigned expression, Hana surrendered her hand to him. Etienne watched, stunned, as Fernando carefully wrapped Hana’s fingers. His touch was so tender—surely, that sense of affection wasn’t just her imagination.
“Etienne, are you all right?”
Startled, Etienne looked up—she’d been gazing at Fernando’s hand. Hana, whose eyes had been on her for who knew how long, echoed her earlier words.
“Did I hurt you because of me?”
Only then did Fernando’s gaze shift toward Etienne—but it was merely a reaction to Hana’s concern, carrying no emotion of its own. Etienne quickly hid her bleeding hand behind her back.
“I’m not hurt.”
“I’m glad, Etienne.”
“Be more careful next time.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hana offered an awkward smile as she apologized. She’d dropped the basket without paying proper attention, causing Etienne’s injury. Etienne had merely pointed that out—but an unexpected reaction came from elsewhere.
“Etienne, Hana didn’t do it on purpose.”
It was Fernando. He still held Hana’s hand while looking at Etienne. His eyes, so tender and gentle when gazing at Hana, were utterly cold as they met Etienne’s.
“No, Etienne didn’t even say anything wrong.”
“Anyone can make that kind of mistake. All that matters is acknowledging it and apologizing. Piling on extra words—that’s what makes someone seem oversensitive.”
Despite clearly being the injured party, Etienne had somehow become the oversensitive friend who spoke harshly to Hana. She turned her head away, trying to suppress the ache in her chest. It might appear as if she was ignoring Fernando and refusing to say another word to Hana, but she couldn’t help it. Right now, she just wanted to avoid his gaze. Only after that piercing stare at her profile finally disappeared did she hear his voice again.
“Hana, get up. Let’s go get that wound treated.”
“Fernando, really—you go ahead. I’ll be right back.”
Hana rose, smiling as she followed his gentle pull. Fernando tugged her hand insistently, urging her to hurry while she asked the others for their understanding.
Watching the pair walk away amiably, a bitter smile crept onto Etienne’s face. It had been another ordinary day—spent once again watching Fernando’s heart fixed solely on Hana.
[This is the timeline separator]“You’ve returned?”
Accepting the butler’s greeting, Etienne removed her gloves and handed them to the maid following behind. Absentmindedly reaching out to take them herself, the maid jumped in surprise and quickly passed the gloves to the butler instead.
“Oh dear—you’re injured.”
Etienne gave a small nod and headed upstairs. The butler trailing her took a first-aid kit from the maid and approached.
“I’ll tend to it.”
Etienne half-reclined onto a chaise longue and offered her wounded hand. Gazing elsewhere while propping her chin with her other hand, she let the butler carefully examine the injury. Even the lightest touch made the already-clotted blood seep anew.
“That must have hurt.”
“Not really.”
Etienne replied indifferently, as if the wound weren’t hers. Indeed, the cut on her hand meant nothing—the real pain lay elsewhere.
“Butler Letin.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Am I ugly?”
The butler, taken aback by the sudden question, paused briefly in his treatment before resuming and replying.
“You are beautiful.”
“As beautiful as Hana?”
“You possess a different kind of beauty. If she resembles a freesia, then Miss Etienne is like a red rose.”
Etienne glanced sideways, catching her reflection in the mirror on the table. Beneath her wavy red hair, her upturned eyes lent her expression more sharpness than softness.
“I’m not as pretty as Hana.”
Even when they smiled identically, Hana’s presence always seemed gentler—drawing most eyes toward her. No wonder Fernando liked her too.
“Those who care for you would feel hurt hearing such words.”
The butler chuckled lightly, as if humoring a granddaughter’s complaint. But seeing Etienne’s expression remain tense, he gently stroked her hand.
“Just because someone fails to see your worth doesn’t mean you lack it. To this old butler, you are the finest of all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s true. The flower I love most is the rose.”
Touched by the butler’s playful sincerity, Etienne’s rigid expression softened into a smile, instantly shifting the mood. A radiant, rose-like smile bloomed in the mirror—but its owner gazed elsewhere.
Etienne looked at the butler with resigned eyes, then spoke with hesitant hope.
“Do you think Fernando will ever look at me one day?”
“I’ve always been certain such a day will come.”
“Oh, stop it. You know perfectly well he likes Hana. Today alone, he worried so much about whether she was hurt….”
Her voice faded. If only his attention would turn toward her, just once. She had loved Fernando for five years already—her heart wholly his—yet within the confines of friendship, he saw her as nothing more than a friend.
“Then confess your feelings. Who knows? He might see you differently.”
“I don’t want to.”
Others might assume pride kept her from confessing—and that wasn’t entirely wrong. But there was a deeper reason.
“What if, after confessing, I can never see him again?”
Her voice grew quiet. Watching Fernando treat Hana so tenderly always hurt. But as long as she could still see him, that was better than losing him completely—so she chose to keep watching.
Pathetic as it might seem, this was how Etienne loved Fernando: staying stubbornly within the role of the prickly, sensitive friend, never daring to step beyond it.
The mood grew heavy, and silence settled between them. Etienne glanced at the quiet butler. Was he thinking she was foolish?
“Well then, I’ll simply love you enough for both of us.”
Surprised at first by the butler’s resigned tone, Etienne soon let out a soft laugh. Then, naturally, she changed the subject.
“Where are Mother and Father?”
“They’ve gone to the imperial palace.”
“The palace?”
Etienne sat up straight, puzzled. They had promised to have dinner together after her gathering today—and more than anyone, her parents valued time with family. This made no sense.
“It seems something urgent came up.”
The butler answered vaguely, avoiding her gaze as if he knew exactly why they’d gone to the palace. As he finished wrapping a bandage around Etienne’s hand, hoping his masters would resolve their business and return quickly, a knight called out to her with a grave expression.
“Miss Etienne!”
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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