In the garden of the Duke’s estate, young men and women gathered together to enjoy tea time and arrange flowers.
Etienne, pretending to be interested in the flowers, reached out her hand while stealthily glancing at Fernando. A gust of wind gently tousled his hair, and even though his thick eyelashes mostly obscured his shining eyes, his face still seemed to radiate light, drawing Etienne’s gaze repeatedly. The way he elegantly brushed his fallen hair back was so graceful that Etienne almost gasped in admiration, biting her lip to restrain herself.
‘I mustn’t show it.’
Afraid that her feelings for Fernando might be revealed, Etienne struggled to look away. Her eyes then fell on a basket brimming with roses. Freshly picked from the garden, the roses were vibrant but still had their thorns.
As Etienne started to remove the thorns, her satisfaction grew with each smooth stem she created. But she couldn’t help stealing glances at Fernando, wondering how to naturally present him with the flower basket she was preparing.
‘Oh?’
Suddenly, Fernando flashed a bright smile, causing Etienne to freeze momentarily. His eyes narrowed into thin lines when he smiled, a sign of his good mood and Etienne’s favorite expression of his. She discreetly placed her hand over her heart, trying to calm its rapid beating, hoping her face wouldn’t betray her emotions.
“Fernando, did something pleasant happen? Why are you smiling like that?”
A man nearby teased Fernando about his smile.
“It’s a beautiful day, and I’m in the company of someone I like. Of course, I feel good.”
Etienne’s face flushed upon hearing Fernando’s words, even though she knew she wasn’t the one he was referring to.
“Ah!”
Just then, a cry rang out as a bunch of roses fell to the ground. Distractedly watching the petals flutter down, Etienne belatedly noticed a cut on her hand. It seemed Hannah, who had accidentally dropped the roses, had been pricked by a thorn. A slender line appeared on her hand, soon followed by a small droplet of blood. The sting suggested it wouldn’t heal immediately. Etienne considered cleaning the wound before the blood spread, but she sensed Hannah’s anxious movements beside her.
“What should I do?”
Hannah, with her innocent appearance, gazed down at the scattered roses. Her eyes, darting about in confusion, were about to meet Etienne’s when…
“Are you okay?”
Etienne’s shoulder twitched at the familiar voice. Amidst the chaos, Fernando’s voice reached her clearly, probably because her heart reacted first. That Fernando initiated conversation was enough to bring an unhidden smile to Etienne’s face.
“Oh? Ah, I’m fine…”
As Etienne looked up, her voice faltered, realizing Fernando’s attention was not on her but elsewhere. He approached without his smile and soon passed by Etienne to grasp Hannah’s hand.
“Be careful. You don’t want to mar such beautiful hands.”
“Fernando, it’s nice of you to worry, but I’m not hurt.”
Hannah laughed off his concern but didn’t pull her hand away. Fernando carefully wrapped a handkerchief around her hand.
“A thin scratch from a thorn might not be visible. So, keep the handkerchief wrapped and check it later.”
Hannah resignedly left her hand in his care. Etienne watched, stunned by Fernando’s tender care, wondering if she was mistaken in feeling it was poignant.
“Etienne, are you sure you’re okay?”
Startled, Etienne looked up as Fernando’s hand caught her eye. She remembered what Hannah had said earlier, wondering if Fernando had been watching her the whole time.
“Did you hurt yourself because of me?”
Hannah’s concern drew Fernando’s gaze to Etienne. His look was purely a reaction to Hannah’s comment, devoid of any personal sentiment. Etienne hid her bleeding hand behind her back.
“I’m not hurt.”
“That’s good, Etienne.”
“Be more careful next time.”
“Sorry.”
Hannah apologized with an awkward smile. She had been careless and dropped the basket, causing Etienne’s injury. Although Etienne’s comment was justified, an unexpected reaction came from somewhere else.
“Etienne, it wasn’t Hannah’s intention.”
It was Fernando. Still holding Hannah’s hand, he looked at Etienne. His gaze towards Hannah had been endlessly tender and gentle, but towards Etienne, it was cold and indifferent.
“It’s not like Etienne said anything wrong.”
“Such mistakes happen to anyone. Just acknowledge and apologize. Adding more to it is being oversensitive.”
Ironically, Etienne, the actual victim, ended up being the one who seemed overly sensitive for addressing Hannah’s fault. Feeling upset, Etienne turned away. It might seem like she was ignoring Fernando’s words and not responding to Hannah, but she couldn’t help it. She just wanted to avoid his piercing gaze. As his sharp stare finally eased, Fernando’s voice reached her.
“Hannah, let’s get up. We need to treat that wound.”
“Fernando, really, I’ll just be a moment.”
With a smile, Hannah rose, following the pull of his hand. Fernando, urging her along, held her hand as they walked away.
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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