Ji Wenyue had a secret: she loved someone she couldn't confess her feelings to.
I loved her, but I never told her. I kept it hidden so well, afraid she’d think I was a pervert. But I loved her so much, like a poison that had seeped into my bones, incurable.
I intended to keep this secret forever. But one day, a boy much younger than me started pursuing me. This boy was her brother.
Perhaps it was because I loved her, I always took good care of him. But maybe this affection was misunderstood, and he actually thought I liked him.
I rejected Xing Can many times, but he refused to give up. He even found out somehow that I liked his sister and used it to threaten me.
Ji Wenyue was confident and not easily threatened. Besides, she had once jokingly tested my feelings, and she… wouldn't believe it.
After I rejected Xing Can, he went quiet for a long time. I thought he had given up, but he hadn't.
Even with someone protecting me, some situations were unavoidable, though nothing untoward would happen.
That day, I had a few drinks and felt a bit dizzy. It was then that I saw Xing Can again.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but seeing only a retreating figure from afar, I broke free from my manager's grasp and rushed towards Xing Can standing by the roadside.
The siblings looked so alike, so much so that I mistook him for her.
At that time, I hadn't seen her for several months. The long months of longing, fueled by alcohol, poured out of me towards Xing Can. I don't remember his reaction.
But when I woke up the next day, I was in Li Xiao's bed.
Seeing me awake, Li Xiao immediately told me everything that had happened the night before.
It turned out that after my drunken outburst, I had still clung to Xing Can and refused to leave. Later, Li Xiao, worried something might happen, forcibly dragged me away. I was truly grateful to her when I sobered up.
During my drunken rampage, Li Xiao pieced together the whole truth from my words.
Even I hadn't expected my drunken behavior to be so bad. While I was filled with remorse, Xing Can called.
He said he wanted to talk.
With a sense of unease, I tidied myself up and went to meet him. I thought some things indeed needed to be clarified.
A light rain began to fall without warning, mirroring my current agitated mood.
We agreed to meet at a coffee shop. The rain outside was a drizzle, but inside the cafe, the heating was on, making it unnoticeable.
Xing Can looked at me for a long time, so long that I couldn't help but frown. After a while, he suddenly chuckled. When he smiled, he looked even more like that person.
My vision blurred for a moment. I steadied myself, separating the two in my mind.
"What do you want?" I heard myself ask.
Xing Can smiled, picked up his teacup, took a sip of coffee, and said slowly, "Sister Ji, I've always felt my intentions were quite clear. Can't you really guess?"
My brows furrowed. I instinctively refused, "I've told you many times, I'm not interested in you."
Xing Can curled his lips and said with amusement, "How about we make a bet!"
My heart trembled. I lowered my gaze and thought for a moment before asking, "Bet on what?"
Xing Can revealed a smile of absolute confidence. "It's very simple! Sister Ji, you must have noticed, I have quite a good impression of you. Although there's an age gap between us, our families are similar. If we were together, it would be a match made in heaven."
I interrupted him, coldly saying, "If this is what you want to talk about, then I must take my leave."
Xing Can stopped talking, his expression displeased. Then, as if he thought of something happy, his eyes lit up with a smile. "Don't rush, I'll tell you now."
"You like my sister, but she may not necessarily like you. But I'm different. I'm her full brother. She naturally treats me differently.
We'll announce that we're getting married and call your sister back. If she also likes you, I'll let you go. If she doesn't like you, then you'll obediently marry me."
My face turned cold. "Why?"
Why should I play such a boring game with Xing Can? Besides, liking her was my own business, and it had nothing to do with anyone else.
Xing Can frowned. "Don't you like her? She's been abroad for some time. If we don't use this reason, she won't come back."
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell Sister Ji. I've recorded everything you said last night. Guess what your sister's reaction would be if she heard this recording?"
As he spoke, Xing Can sent the recording to my phone. He only sent me two minutes of it. I could clearly hear myself complaining about why I was the same as her.
I didn't dare to listen further and quickly turned off my phone.
Xing Can laughed triumphantly. "I also have recordings of other things, like when Sister Ji developed these dirty thoughts. If you need them, I can send you a copy."
I pursed my lips and had no choice but to compromise.
However, I also put forward my own condition: "I can agree to this, but we need to sign a prenuptial agreement. I will only be your wife in name, for a period of one year. If you can change my mind during this year, perhaps I'll become your real wife."
I was worried Xing Can would become desperate, so I deliberately gave him an ambiguous answer. Because I knew very well in my heart that I would never fall for anyone else.
Xing Can hesitated for a moment. Meeting my determined gaze, he finally agreed.
While I was worried, I also harbored a secret hope: would she, perhaps, also like me!
Before we saw Xing Yuan's reaction, we didn't get legally married. But Xing Can seemed very excited about our wedding and made many preparations, even tailoring a wedding dress for me.
You don't like someone, no matter what they do, you won't like them. But for someone you like, just seeing her standing in front of you makes you feel happiness from the bottom of your heart.
But after waiting for a long time, the day before my wedding with Xing Can, Xing Yuan finally returned from abroad.
She looked very anxious, not even changing her clothes, still wearing her crisp business suit from work. She looked like an old-fashioned pedant.
I didn't like her attire, so I casually found an excuse for her to buy me wedding gifts and took her out shopping. There, I picked out suitable clothes for her. That was the kind of girl who could steal everyone's attention just by standing there.
I didn't know how to talk to her. What should I say? Should I tell her I love her? But how could I possibly say it!
Compared to marrying Xing Can, I was more afraid of one thing: her disgust.