Although this place was dilapidated, there were still many flowers in the courtyard that she couldn’t name. The fragrance of the flowers came with the wind, gently brushing past her hanging temple hair.

The young gentleman turned his face, and the hands touching her shoulders slightly exerted force, inconspicuously pushing the extremely close Li Ruantang outwards.

She wasn’t very smart to begin with, and now she was even more foolish. She didn’t even notice that her collar was open.

Meng Jun frowned in disdain. He didn’t care to see any so-called fair skin of a woman. Besides, what was so good-looking about Li Ruantang? Wasn’t she just a bit softer than men?

Even if he unintentionally saw it, he had to wash his eyes. After all, he hadn’t forgotten the incident where she pulled his waistband and embarrassed him in public when they were young!

This Li Ruantang, she only had a face that was good at deceiving people. She looked gentle and polite, soft and gentle, but she was actually a reckless character.

If it weren’t for the peaceful times now, with the empress ordering the suppression of military and the promotion of culture, how could she be allowed to return to the capital to continue being a shinu?

If Li Ruantang didn’t return to the capital, his mother wouldn’t have racked her brains, insisting that they had some childhood sweetheart relationship and wanting him to fly onto the branch and become her shijun.

In fact, he already had… already had someone he cared about.

Thinking of that woman’s gentle smile, Meng Jun’s ears suddenly felt a bit itchy.

Although he hadn’t spoken more than a few words with Sister Wei, with her literary talent and transparent understanding, she should have been able to see through the poem he wrote.

Meng Jun was lost in thought, and his fingers lost their sense of propriety, pinching Li Ruantang’s arm until it hurt.

The young gentleman looked melancholic. Li Ruantang pursed her lips and hesitantly reached out her hand to lightly pat his frost-colored wide sleeve.

She wasn’t very good at interacting with gentlemen. She thought for a moment before saying, “I don’t remember anything.”

After saying that, she nodded again. “I really don’t remember anything.”

The hemp cloth on Li Ruantang’s forehead, which had just been changed, was soaked with fresh blood stains. Her complexion was pale with a yellowish tint, and her apricot eyes flickered.

She wasn’t very good at lying.

However, these words couldn’t be considered deceiving him.

She really didn’t remember who he was, let alone know why she appeared in such a dilapidated courtyard.

Apart from remembering her own name, she only remembered a young gentleman who cried and made a bet with her, saying that if he couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, he would give up Xuanyu.

Although Li Ruantang couldn’t remember what Xuanyu was, just saying these two words in a low voice made her extremely reluctant.

It should be something she cherished.

Li Ruantang glanced out the window. The unknown flowers were blooming vigorously, adding a lot of warmth with their purple and red colors.

She silently estimated the date. It was probably around April or May, and there wasn’t much time left before the bet.

Marrying a husband?

Li Ruantang’s ears secretly turned red. She stole a few glances at the unhappy young gentleman who pursed his lips, and quickly sat upright beside him in a very serious manner. She no longer remembered being frightened by the spider and turning pale.

Never did she expect to see such a handsome and fair-skinned gentleman in such a destitute place.

Li Ruantang secretly marveled. Originally, she shouldn’t be so rude, but this young gentleman’s appearance was truly stunning.

Just a turn of his eyes and a lowering of his brows, brushing away the tears clinging to the corners of his eyes, he was as elegant as an immortal. Not to mention when he stood up to pour tea, his long fingers brushing his sleeves, naturally quiet and elegant.

“So…” The young gentleman turned his eyes slightly. “Are you still in pain?”

Speaking of which, he had never seen Li Ruantang in such a sorry state before. Although he didn’t want to marry her, when they rolled down from such a high slope, it was her who firmly protected him in her arms.

Therefore, it wasn’t a betrayal of his own intentions to show polite concern.

“It’s alright.” Li Ruantang smiled slightly at him. “May I ask if you know where this place is, sir?”

Meng Jun shook his head.

When he woke up, he was in her arms. Recalling the softness he had rested on, Meng Jun was stunned. In his peripheral vision, Li Ruantang’s collar was still a few parts open.

He abruptly turned around, his fingertips trembling slightly on the cup.

“Your, your collar!”

It was over, it was over, he had seen it!

The young gentleman regretted it and secretly grew annoyed, dejectedly closing his eyes. Li Ruantang was indeed a reckless person. At least she had also read books and attended school, yet she didn’t have any of the prudence and stability of a scholar.

***

“I know she doesn’t love him.” (Female-dominant)

I’ve read this novel twice already. Sis, 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.